Following a multimillion-dollar asset enhancement programme spanning nine months across key facilities within the hotel, Orchard Hotel has unveiled an enhanced 360° guest experience with reimagined dining, events and lodging offerings. Upgraded areas include the hotel’s 260 Grand Deluxe Rooms, Grand Ballroom, Conference Centre, Lobby, The Orchard Cafe and Bar Intermezzo.
The storied history of Orchard Hotel traces back to late 1950s, where it began as a humble four-storey, 34-room hotel, complete with The Golden Venus – home to popular tea dances and emerging musicians of the 1960s. Redeveloped in the 1970s to cater to the tourist boom, the old building was eventually demolished in 1978, and the first inkling of the 656-key, twin-tower Orchard Hotel Singapore as it exists today took its place.
A brand new arrival experience welcomes guests through an enlivened lobby interior. The hotel's iconic clock tower is now brought to the modern age with a contemporary chandelier-inspired art sculpture, flanked by two upgraded dining and drinking destinations. The Orchard Cafe renews its legacy as a local dining icon with a vibrant new style and Signature Class buffet showcasing heritage-inspired creations and chef-curated classics. Bar Intermezzo inherits an air of sophistication with new, inviting interiors and contemporary botanical-influenced cocktails that toast to Orchard Road’s past. Overlooking the lobby from the second floor is Cantonese fine dining stalwart Hua Ting Restaurant, which was also given its own extensive makeover in 2018.
New and improved event solutions for every occasion come on the back of 11 refurbished conference and function rooms and spaces – now each more versatile than ever. A key highlight includes one of Singapore’s largest pillar-free grand ballrooms—occupying over 10,000 square feet and six metres high—refitted with a luxurious fresh new look, two floor-to-ceiling LED walls (a first in Singapore), statement lighting, state-of-the-art audio-visual capabilities, an impressive foyer lined with floating Orchid-inspired chandeliers, and exclusive spaces carved out for various uses. The conference centre has also been redesigned with five intimate meeting rooms and upgraded meeting facilities. Event planners will now have the luxury of choice with creative catering options from the hotel’s four award- winning culinary concepts—Hua Ting Restaurant, The Orchard Cafe, Mon Bijou and Bar Intermezzo—as well as a Halal-certified kitchen, ensuring that all tastes and diets are catered for.
260 Grand Deluxe guest rooms in the hotel’s Orchard Wing have also been given a facelift. Each well-appointed room has been elegantly designed to provide maximum comfort and the best of living styles at every turn. With today's sophisticated traveller at heart, the newly refurbished rooms are now equipped with upgraded amenities including Handy smartphone that offers unlimited mobile data to make local and select international calls; six USB ports and both wired and wireless high-speed internet to ensure 24/7 connectivity; and a Smart TV loaded with a variety of channels to keep them plugged into current affairs. Unwind after a long day of shopping along the famed Orchard Road in the modern comforts of the new Grand Deluxe room – put on a bath in the luxurious Japanese soaking tub (select room configurations), or call for one of 12 signature spice-based cocktails from Bar Intermezzo to be delivered right to your room.
Raffles Singapore is currently closed for restoration with a planned reopening at the end of 2018. The iconic hotel recently unveiled its new line-up of dining experiences, which combine the hotel’s much-loved culinary traditions with contemporary dining concepts by renowned celebrity chefs. Each dining concept promises to tantalise the senses and has been carefully selected to enhance the famed ‘Raffles Experience’ for the local community and the discerning travellers.
Bar & Billiard Room returns with a new concept by acclaimed Ducasse Paris, who will be presenting his first Mediterranean sharing and grill concept in the world, titled BBR by alain ducasse.
Anne-Sophie Pic, one of the world’s top female chefs with three Michelin stars, debuts her entry into Asia with gourmet French cuisine at La Dame de Pic, Raffles Singapore.
Celebrity MasterChef Jereme Leung marks his homecoming to Singapore with å…¿ yì by Jereme Leung. å…¿ yì, which stands for art in the Chinese language, alludes to the fine art of Chinese dining. Savour modern yet authentic cuisine from Cantonese classics to adaptations of China’s ancient delicacies.
Signature dining experiences Tiffin Room, Long Bar, The Lobby, Writers Bar, Raffles Courtyard and Ah Teng’s Café make a comeback, incorporating subtle tributes to the hotel’s rich heritage.
Read more about this official announcement by the hotel here.
One of the few landmarks on Waterloo Street, the 148-year old Sri Krishnan Temple reopens after four years of restoration works costing nearly $4 million.
The shrines, ceilings, temple dome and pillars were all upgraded in the renovation. Intricate decorative works on the pillars required two sculptors working on them on-site over 3 years.
One of the oldest Hindu temples in Singapore, Sri Krishnan Temple's recent consecration ceremony called Maha Samprokshanam (done every 12 to 15 years) was attended by some 10,000 devotees.
One Michelin-starred restaurant Labyrinth launches its next phase of evolution with a fresh angle to the cuisine, a refocused interior and a stunning new menu.
Labyrinth, located at The Esplanade, explores the finest produce sourced in Singapore through a cuisine of stunningly inventive flavour harmonies. Helmed by celebrated Chef Han Li Guang, the dishes of Labyrinth draw inspiration from childhood memories and an in-depth understanding of local ingredients and traditional kitchen techniques, to bring to the fore the essential character and nuance of each core flavour.
Dining at Labyrinth is thus a sensorial experience in which the palate is seduced, and the curiosity holistically engaged by the stories that come with each ravishing plate of food. View their menu here.
The renovated temple has a new facade, a multi-purpose hall and other upgraded facilities.
AVGMT is an amalgamation of three Hindu temples - the Arulmigu Velmurugan Temple, the Sri Krishna Bhagwan Durga Parameswari Devasthanam and the Sri Mariamman Muneeswarar Temple.
For great margaritas and delicious Mexican food, you must check out the newly-refurbished Margarita's at Dempsey Hill!
Margarita's is a hidden gem located in the area that offers a wide range of authentic and succulent Mexican cuisine.
With an unyielding passion for exciting, yet clean and authentic flavours, founder and owner and chef-to-date, Andy Yap, is the brainchild behind Singapore's first Margarita's restaurant. From its humble beginning at Faber Drive in 1988, Margarita's rapidly expanded to the East Coast, and subsequently blossomed as a hidden gem at Dempsey Hill.
The Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, a 164-year-old national monument and one of the oldest temples in Singapore, was recently re-sanctified in a consecration ceremony called the “Maha Samprokshanam” which is done once every 12 years.
Major redevelopment works at the temple, costing S$4.5 million, were recently completed.
The temple had to invite foreign experts to help in the restoration as certain specific skills were not available here. A team of 20 highly-skilled artisans, known as sthapathis, were flown in from India for the job.
In 1978, Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple was declared a National Monument by the Preservation of Monuments Board. The temple also underwent major facelifts in year 1987, 1992 and 2005.
The history of Sri Srinivasa Perumal temple dates back to the late 1800s. Read more about its rich history here.
The National Archives of Singapore (NAS) building is undergoing renovations and will reopen at the end of this year. The building, which was originally the Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), will also have its Oldham Theatre expanded from a 44-seater to seat 135.
NAS houses the collective memory of our nation. This memory allows current and future generations of Singaporeans to understand our different cultures, explore our common heritage and appreciate who we are and how we became a nation.
As the official custodian of the corporate memory of the government, NAS manages public records and provides advice to government agencies on records management. From government files, private records, historical maps and photographs to oral history interviews and audio-visual materials, NAS is responsible for the collection, preservation and management of Singapore's public and private archival records, some of which date back to the early 19th century.
NAS’ repository of archival materials makes it an important research centre for those in search of information about the country's history.
Estimated to cost more than $50 million, works will be carried out over two years and should be completed by the third quarter of 2020.
Aside from typical upgrading of façade, skylights, flooring and ceiling for a refurbishment; Allgreen will also reconfigure the escalators and interior walkways to enhance navigation and accessibility of consumers. It also plans to connect the office’s lifts to the mall’s third level.
Uniquely-designed dual-level retail pods in the foyer of the mall are also part of the renovation plan, which are among the first for shopping malls here in Singapore.
The mall will also house some 50 new tenants. And the F&B offerings will increase from the current 20 per cent to 30 per cent of net lettable space when works are completed.
Shoppers can look forward to an enhanced shopping experience at Great World City in the near future after its transformation.
After a year-long renovation that saw a series of new restaurants and new spaces created, the InterContinental Singapore is finally ready to open its doors and display its new look to the public.
Taking full advantage of its location in one of Singapore’s strongest cultural districts, the hotel, first built in 1995, is now back with a fuller sense of its place in the Bugis area. This means there is a stronger emphasis on heritage with highlighted Peranakan influences in the Main Tower of the hotel.
One of the main points of the renovation was to firmly establish and connect the hotel to its surrounding areas. Bugis is one of Singapore’s prime heritage locations and a strong centre point for the arts and culture. Elements of this was incorporated into its design even back in 1995, so that the facade of the hotel closely resembles a three-level shop house.
With its Peranakan architectural influences also comes the culture’s strong sense of hospitality. Spaces throughout the lobby and lobby lounge are designed to be inviting. The Concierge Lounge, located in the lobby area, takes on the feel of a Peranakan living room — a place where traditionally hospitality begins. To this end, special artefacts and mementos are placed around the areas to give guests a sense of the area’s art and culture.
The hotel is made up of two towers, the main building and the heritage wing which had been previously renovated in 2011. For this renovation, the main focus was the lobby lounge area, restaurants as well as the rooms and suites.
Rooms and suites also take on a strong Peranakan appeal as well as touches of the shophouses in the area. Colours, patterns, even the air vents were inspired by those found in old Singapore houses. The suites, their renovation only just completed recently, are larger spaces with sitting rooms. Located on the 16th floor, the suites include living room areas and separate bedrooms.
The Centrepoint will undertake a $50 million asset enhancement, scheduled to commence in May.
The 16 month renovation programme will see major renovation works to the ground and basement levels and an integration of floor plates between the main building and basement annex.
The Orchard Road entrance will see a major revamp with a wider street frontage and greater shop visibility. Passers-by on the walkways facing Orchard Road will be able to directly access basement floors from the entrance at street level, allowing seamless entry. By way of a sunken plaza, the mall's first storey frontage will stream natural light into the mall and provide for cool ventilation.
On completion, the mall will sport a more open-concept layout, dynamic passage ways, a new tenant mix and reconfiguration of new thematic zones focused on fashion, beauty, lifestyle, dining and the home.
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