Last Word: Singapore’s Sudden Hotel Boom

For years, Singapore was a bit of a hotel desert. True, there was always Raffles Singapore, the colonial grande dame, but many of the other options were underwhelming, and there were no boutique hotels of note. Of late, however, there has been a flurry of activity. Raffles will reopen later this year after a complete refurbishment. The Warehouse Hotel, a 37-room boutique property, debuted in 2017 within a Victorian godown. The new 49-room Six Senses Duxton, created from a row of colonial-era trading houses, received its first guests in April. And in October, it will be joined by the 138-room Six Senses Maxwell, which is also contained within repurposed 19th-century buildings.

Fans of the stylish Andaz hotel brand will be pleased to learn of the recent inauguration of the 342-room Andaz Singapore. Finally, there is The Patina, Capitol Singapore, housed within two grand Victorian structures that have been restored by Richard Meier. Allegedly a “six-star” property, it was finished in 2015 but has yet to open due to unresolved disputes among its owners. It is now set to debut later in 2018. We shall see.