Three and a half decades are just about enough time for a hotel to etch itself onto a city’s consciousness. Back in the heady mid-1980s, Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei’s work on the island’s Civic District led to what is now the Fairmont Singapore (rooms from RM1,000++) and its sister property Swissotel The Stamford. Not quite a grand dame, yet bearing a quietly sophisticated personality, the Fairmont Singapore with its 778 rooms has the generosity of space newer properties don’t.
In the South Wing, the renowned design teams of Hirsch Bedner Associates have conjured environs reminiscent of a private gentlemen’s club. These are rooms you quite possibly wouldn’t want to leave. Think burnished wood fittings, leather upholstery, rich treacle browns, and herringbone motifs that are timeless as they are funky. An added eco-touch comes in the form of Swisspro fresh water taps that transcend the need for plastic water bottles.
Bathrooms, too, have been redesigned. So imagine glossy finishing, invigorating rain showers, Le Labo toiletries, and a sense of place both confident and welcoming.
On the ground floor, there’s Prego, one of the longest running Italian restaurants in the city. Breakfast is a lively affair with herbs and produce grown on-site at the hotel’s aquaponics farm. This could range from just-trimmed basil that sits atop your pasta or a sprig of mint garnishing your freshly stirred mojito. Sustainability comes in many forms, and after 35 years, one would expect the Fairmont Singapore to be quite adept at the game.
