Worth



	Executive Travel: Singapore
	Best Hotels Marilen Cawad 09/01/2005
	Hans-Dietrich Robert Winter has been traveling to Singapore for business since 1973. Many of his colleagues stay at a hotel in the central business district for convenience. But for the last 32 years, Winter’s hotel of choice has been the Shangri-La on Orange Grove Road—a 15-minute ride from the financial center. He has his reasons: Winter, a retired consultant who now travels to Singapore for leisure, regularly books the Valley Wing, the most exclusive and luxurious area of the hotel, with a private driveway, lobby and a lavish champagne bar. Each guest is provided a private facsimile number, personalized stationery, in-residence business cards and individualized service from a team of butlers. “Everyone there knows me by name, and the head chef prepares my meals exactly the way I like them,” Winter says. Traveling executives find that most Singapore business hotels are well-equipped to meet their basic professional and comfort needs. But given the country’s focus on attracting business from abroad, foreign executives can also find some truly unique offerings. For business travelers who are blasé about the usual five-star accoutrements, several hotels provide an unusual experience through their rich heritage. Raffles Hotel, named after British colonial administrator Sir Stamford Raffles, who established modern Singapore in 1819, features a museum of antique travel memorabilia and an attentive staff that take guests back to the era when Singapore was known as the Crossroads of the East. Past guests include authors Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling, Somerset Maugham and Pablo Neruda. If you seek privacy, however, be aware that Raffles was declared a national monument in 1987 and is a regular stop for tourists who cannot otherwise afford to stay here. Companions of business travelers who are food enthusiasts can take cooking lessons at Raffles’ Culinary Academy, which offers specialty courses in such delicacies as oysters and foie gras. The academy also holds lifestyle classes on a variety of topics, such as how to plan a party, home dining, wines and etiquette. With its Doric columns and porte cochere, the Fullerton is known for its Palladian architecture shared by only two other buildings in Singapore: City Hall and the Supreme Court. Located near the waterfront in the heart of the business and cultural district, the Fullerton boasts the landmark lighthouse that was used in days past to guide ships approaching the harbor. The original lighthouse has been transformed into San Marco at The Lighthouse, a modern Italian restaurant on the top floor of the building. The hotel’s Financial Centre is open 24 hours a day and provides business support services, workstations with high-speed Internet access, meeting rooms and Bloomberg TV service. Pocket Luxury Some business travelers find that boutique hotels—a concept that reached Singapore only three years ago—are a welcome alternative to the hugely popular venues. These distinctive, smaller hotels are typically housed in older buildings that have been redesigned without eroding their heritage. The Scarlet, for example, combines the architectural styles of Singapore’s historical buildings with a modern concept and design. Opened in late 2004, it has already attracted corporate clients from the financial, technology, fashion and advertising industries. The hotel markets itself as the place for the trend-conscious, 25- to 45-year-old professional who is hip to the latest accommodations. Its two restaurants are named Desire and Breeze; the bar is called Bold. For business meetings, guests can use the Sanctum, an intimate boardroom with red chairs surrounding a black lacquer table. The hotel also offers guests their choice of pillows and evening cocktails served in-room every night. Families tagging along with executives will find numerous opportunities to indulge. Geoffrey Kronik, a media executive from Boston, takes his family with him to Singapore at least once a year. His wife, I-min Lee, adores the guestrooms at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia—especially the bathrooms because they provide panoramic views of the Singapore skyline and Marina Bay from large octagonal windows. The hotel also offers a menu of butler-drawn baths ranging from the Second Honeymoon Bath (strawberries and cream, champagne and roses) to the Gentleman’s Bath (cognac and cigar). Kronik enjoys the baths to ease his jetlag after long flights from the United States. (Travel time from either New York or Los Angeles to Singapore is roughly 18 hours; one heads east across Europe and Asia, the other flies over the Pacific Ocean.) At the Four Seasons, located near Orchard Boulevard, just a five-minute walk from the financial district and Singapore’s shopping and entertainment belt, sports enthusiasts can enjoy a wide variety of activities. Overlooking the pool deck on the third level is the fitness center, which offers cardiovascular equipment that is furnished with individual audiovisual monitors and headsets. Guests can choose their favorite movies, music or exercise videos. The aerobics studio is fitted with a wooden sprung floor and a home theater system. The fitness center also features a billiard room and a golf simulator. The Club at Four Seasons offers four tennis courts: two are air-conditioned indoor courts and two are equipped with lights for those who want some night play. The Club also has spa treatment rooms staffed by massage therapists who are well versed in the arts of shiatsu, Swedish and aromatherapy, along with traditional Indonesian methods. “Singapore hotels are more customer-oriented than the hotels in America,” says Edwin Choy, who manages Globotours, a California-based tour operator that has specialized in Asian travel for 15 years. “In general, the hotel staff is more efficient and guests almost never have to wait.” For example, traveling executives are always pleased to discover that wireless broadband is a basic service in many of the best Singapore hotels—something that Choy argues is still lacking in many hotels in the United States. To view the Best Hotel chart click: Singapore's Best Hotels Information Chart * PDF documents require Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download a free copy of the latest version. Recreation & Cultural Attractions Sentosa Island Sentosa Island is an entire island devoted to recreation. It is accessible from downtown Singapore via cable car near the World Trade Center or by driving across a bridge. www.sentosa.com.sg Chinatown The Chinese are Singapore’s largest ethnic group (77 percent) and Chinatown its largest ethnic district. The streets are like mazes and are lined with shops, some that date back to the late 1800s. Within Chinatown, worshipers flock to ornate and bustling temples, such as Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple, Sri Mariamman. www.visitsingapore.com Singapore Bontanical Gardens The brainchild of Singapore founder Sir Stamford Raffles, a keen naturalist, the gardens are a regional center for botanical and horticultural research and training. www.sbg.org.sg Asian Civilization Museum ACM is the region’s first museum to present a broad perspective of pan-Asian cultures and civilizations. www.nhb.gov.sg/acm/acm.shtml Esplanade Theaters On The Bay Singapore’s premier performing arts center shares 15 waterfront acres, with several hotels, two convention centers, 1,000 shops, 300 restaurants and 150 bars. www.esplanade.com Kampong Glam/Arab Street Arab Street, with its many food stalls, is anchored by the Sultan Gate and is considered the center of the Arabic and Muslim community. www.visitsingapore.com Little India Stretching along both sides of Serangoon Road from Rochor Canal to Lavender Street, Little India is a marketplace of Indian spices, sitar music and traditional dress. www.visitsingapore.com To view the map of Singapore click: Map of Singapore * PDF documents require Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download a free copy of the latest version. Restaurants Singapore’s finest dining is often found at its best hotels. 1. BLU at the Shangri-La Hotel 22 Orange Grove Road +65.6737.3644 www.shangri-la.com/singapore Five-star California cuisine with a city view and live jazz 2. JAAN at Swissôtel The Stamford 2 Stamford Road +65.6338.8585 singapore-stamford.swissotel.com Seasonal modern French cuisine served in a decor of wave-textured glass on 70th floor, with views of neighboring countries 3. AU JARDIN at Singapore’s Botanical Gardens 1 Cluny Road +65.6471.7361 www.sbg.org.sg/visitorinfo French cuisine set amid the Botanical Gardens 4. EQUINOX RESTAURANT at Swissôtel The Stamford 2 Stamford Road +65.6338.8585 singapore-stamford.swissotel.com Asian and Western cuisine in a dramatic 69th floor setting 5. TIFFIN ROOM at the Raffles Hotel 1 Beach Road +65.6337.1886 www.raffleshotel.com/tiffin.html Northern Indian cuisine in an historic dining room 6. MY HUMBLE HOUSE 2-27 Esplanade Mall 8 Raffles Ave. +65.6423.1881 www.tunglok.com Authentic Chinese cuisine in a contemporary setting 7. JADE at the Fullerton Hotel 1 Fullerton Square +65.6733.8388 www.fullertonhotel.com Chinese cuisine in an elegant atmosphere