Iconic Singapore hotel unveils $152 million transformation
By Jane Reddy
As Singapore’s hotel openings climb into the double digits for 2023, guests to the Mandarin Oriental on Marina Bay will also check in to something new – and, for that matter, something old (well, not that old) – after its recent transformation.
Mandarin Oriental Singapore.
Opened in 1987 and most recently closed for six months for a $US100 million ($152.5 million) makeover led by design firm DesignWilkes, the interiors have been reimagined in the hope that guests will not just be visitors to the city but also feel part of it, says the firm’s principal designer, Jeffrey Wilkes.
A presence for 36 years, the hotel, which enjoys uninterrupted views over Marina Bay and the city’s famed architecture, including the Moshe Safdie-designed Marina Bay Sands complex and the lotus-inspired ArtScience Museum, has shed its sultry club aesthetic for a space of light and colour in an enchanting ode to the Lion City.
In the lobby, Peranakan-style patterned glass is reminiscent of the well-preserved shophouses of the city-state, black and white floor tiles a nod to its black and white houses.
Clay tones, inspired by the tiled roofs of the buildings along the Singapore River, lighten – Wilkes dubbed it “50 shades of clay” – as guests ascend in glass bubble lifts at the centre of the atrium-style building, passing over a giant lily pond, that is, in fact, a handwoven carpet of 80 vibrant colours.
Suspended crystal light installations throughout the atrium to the 23rd floor appear as giant floating dandelions.
Mandarin Oriental Singapore’s views to Marina Bay Sands area.
That sense of place flows through all 510 rooms.
Batik patterns and cooler colours blend with the waters of Marina Bay-facing rooms; warmer tones of the morning sun feature in rooms looking onto the South China Sea, while city-facing rooms feature lush botanical prints and greenery of the city.
Guests in suites meanwhile enjoy the ultimate luxury in the form of space that includes double height windows, separate lounge as well as access to hotel bolthole Haus 65 for champagne breakfasts, afternoon teas and evening cocktails.
A suite stay also gets guests through the doors to Mandala Club, a member-only club in Bukit Pasoh, otherwise known as the Street of Clans, and its restaurant and events calendar.
Hotel dining includes tropical looking Embu with its 11 premium food stations including sashimi, shucked oysters and a kids’ corner. The serene space of Cherry Garden and its modern Cantonese cuisine remains.
There’s a local focus at the new Mandarin Cake Shop where the coffee-infused Kopi Time and pandan and pineapple cakes are freshly baked to have with champagne or a local blend with flavours of the Singapore orchid.
Dining at Embu.
After dark at MO Bar, settle in for jazz and modern cocktails such as the Elysium, a zero-waste martini using bread and wine that would have otherwise been discarded.
Balance out the indulgence with a hotel bike ride or take a carefree whizz around the Garden City with a sidecar tour, complete with vintage motorcycle goggles.
The writer stayed as a guest of Mandarin Oriental.
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