Raffles Hotel

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Coordinates: 1°17′40.8″N, 103°51′16.6″E

Raffles Hotel

The grand entrance of the Raffles Hotel
Building information
Town 1 Beach Road, Singapore 189673
Country Singapore
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Architect Regent Alfred John Bidwell
Client Sarkies Brothers
Completion date 1899


Raffles Hotel (Chinese: 莱佛士酒店) is a colonial-style hotel in Singapore, dating from 1887, and named after Singapore's founder Sir Stamford Raffles. Managed by Raffles International, it is known for its luxurious accommodation and superb restaurants. The hotel houses a tropical garden courtyard, museum, and Victorian-style theatre.

Contents

[edit] History

The hotel was founded by the four Armenian Sarkies Brothers (Martin, Tigran, Aviet, and Arshak Sarkies). They opened the 10-room colonial bungalow at Beach Road and Bras Basah Road on December 1, 1887. The original location was by the seaside, although continued reclamation means that the site is presently some 500 m away from the shore.[1] No Asians were permitted as hotel guests until the 1930s.[1] Designed by architect Regent Alfred John Bidwell of Swan and Maclaren, the current main building of Raffles Hotel was completed in 1899.[2] The hotel continued to expand over the years with the addition of wings, the addition of a verandah, a ballroom, a bar and billiards room and further buildings and rooms. The Great Depression spelled trouble for Raffles Hotel and in 1931, the hotel went into receivership. In 1933, however, the financial troubles were resolved and a public company called Raffles Hotel Ltd. was established.

The Raffles Hotel as seen from Beach Road surrounded by lush greenery
The Raffles Hotel as seen from Beach Road surrounded by lush greenery

Upon the start of the Japanese occupation of Singapore on February 15, 1942, it is commonly said that the Japanese soldiers encountered the guests of the Raffles Hotel dancing one final waltz.[3] During World War II, the Raffles was renamed Syonan Ryokan (昭南旅館 shōnan ryokan?), incorporating Syonan ("Light of the South"), the Japanese name for occupied Singapore, and ryokan, the name for a traditional Japanese inn.[4] More than 300 Japanese troops committed suicide in the hotel using grenades following the liberation of Singapore.

The hotel survived World War II despite the hardships Singapore faced and the use of the hotel at the end of the war as a transit camp for prisoners of war. In 1987 the government declared the hotel a National Monument.

In 1989, the hotel closed for an extensive renovation, at a cost of S$160 million.[4]

It re-opened on September 16, 1991, after being restored to its state during its heyday in 1915. The hotel has built an extension with a similar design, for a shopping arcade and new rooms.

Interior view of Raffles Hotel
Interior view of Raffles Hotel

In announcing the July 18, 2005 sale of parent company Raffles Holdings, Colony Capital LLC chief executive Thomas J. Barrack said in part as the purchaser, "We deeply respect the historical significance of the Raffles Hotel Singapore and we consider it our responsibility to protect that legacy".

On 16 September 2007, the hotel celebrated its 120th anniversary with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who turned 84 on the same day.[5]

The hotel also houses the Raffles Hotel Museum, which showcases the rich history of the hotel.

[edit] Notability

View of the courtyard and some of the hotel rooms
View of the courtyard and some of the hotel rooms
  • Raffles Hotel is reputedly where the sole surviving wild tiger in Singapore was shot and made extinct. Some stories place this event in the Long Bar. Raffles itself claims the tiger had escaped from enclosure at a nearby "native show" and chased underneath the hotel's Bar & Billiard Room (a raised structure) and shot to death there on August 13, 1902.
  • Raffles is where the Singapore Sling was invented. The cocktail was invented by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon between 1910 and 1915.
  • Raffles is the setting for Murakami Ryu's novel and film titled, Raffles Hotel. The film was shot on location.
  • The site of the hotel was originally the location of the oldest girls' school in Singapore (1842), now called St. Margaret's. It was founded by Maria (Tarn) Dyer, the missionary wife of Samuel Dyer.
  • The hotel was featured as a Japanese stronghold in Medal of Honor: Rising Sun.
  • Raffles Hotel was the subject of Paul O'Grady's Orient for Carlton Television and also for the BBC's Tenko.
  • Long Bar is featured in Peace Arch Entertainment's "UberGuide" television travel series as one of the top ten bars in the world.

[edit] Famous visitors and guests

Famous visitors and guests of the hotel include:

[edit] Food and beverage outlets

Raffles North Bridge
Raffles North Bridge
  • Ah Teng's Bakery
  • Bar and Billard Room & Martini Bar
  • Doc Cheng's & Doc Cheng's Bar
  • Empire Cafe
  • Long Bar
  • Long Bar Steakhouse
  • Raffles Courtyard & Gazebo Bar
  • Raffles Creamery
  • Raffles Culinary Academy
  • Raffles Grill
  • Royal China at Raffles (branch of the famous Royal China in London)
  • Seah Street Deli
  • THOS SB Raffles Shop
  • Tiffin Room
  • Writer's Bar

[edit] Raffles Hotel Arcade

Raffles Hotel has a shopping arcade housing boutique brands such as Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co.. The arcade houses most of the hotel's restaurants. It also has shops such as Singapore's famous custom tailor, CYC, which makes shirts for Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The third floor of the arcade houses the Raffles Hotel Museum and Jubilee Hall.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ a b Famous Hotels: Raffles. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
  2. ^ Norman Edwards, Peter Keys (1996). Singapore - A Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places. Singapore: Times Books International. ISBN 9971-65-231-5. 
  3. ^ Meade, Martin; Joseph Fitchett, Anthony Lawrence (1987). Grand Oriental Hotels from Cairo to Tokyo, 1800-1939. United Kingdom: J.M. Dent & Sons, 172. ISBN 0-460-04754-X. 
  4. ^ a b Liu, Gretchen (1992). Raffles Hotel. Singapore: Landmark Books. ISBN 981-3002-63-8. 
  5. ^ Channelnewsasia.com

[edit] Literature

  • William Warren, Jill Gocher (2007). Asia's legendary hotels: the romance of travel. Singapore: Periplus Editions. ISBN 978-0-7946-0174-4. 
  • Ralph Modder. Romancing the Raffles: A Collection of Short Stories. SNP Editions (2000). ISBN 9814059692
  • Ryu Murakami (Author), Corinne Atlan. Raffles Hotel. Picquier (2002). ISBN 978-2877305839
  • Chefs of Raffles Hotel. The Raffles Hotel Cookbook. Butterworth-Heinemann (2003). ISBN 978-9814068581
  • Fables From the Raffles Hotel Arcade. Angsana Books (1995). ISBN 978-9813056725
  • Gretchen Liu. Raffles Hotel style. Raffles Hotel (1997). ISBN 978-9813018860
  • Ilsa Sharp. There Is Only One Raffles: The Story of a Grand Hotel. Ulverscroft Large Print (1991). ISBN 978-0708924532
  • Andreas Augustin. Secrets of a Grand Old Lady the Raffles Treasury. Kin Yiap Press, Singapore (1988). ASIN B000PCGBHO
  • Lenzi, Iola (2004). Museums of Southeast Asia. Singapore: Archipelago Press, 200 pages. ISBN 981-4068-96-9. 

[edit] External links