Fairmont Singapore gets an update

Even a hotel designed by I.M. Pei needs an occasional update – especially with the tourism boom in Singapore.

Fairmont Singapore recently completed a multimillion-dollar makeover that added a new lobby and a new ultimate standard room category called Fairmont Premier. The lobby boasts art installations and an adjacent hip bar called Anti:Dote.

In North Tower, 365 guest rooms were refreshed, and most became Fairmont Premier rooms. When I checked room rates online, Premier rooms cost $20 to $40 more.

The redesign blends modern and Peranakan traditions. Pernakan is a blend of colonial Chinese and Malaysian customs and crafts.

“In line with our vision to create stay experiences that embrace the unique cultures, traditions and heritage of the extraordinary locale in Singapore, we have incorporated modern interpretations of design elements that are distinctly local,” hotel manager Carlos Monterde said in an email.

He said the lobby’s signature chandelier took one month to install. Each of its 800 Bohemian crystal glass balls was individually hand blown in the Czech Republic. “Playing With Wind” was designed by Petra Dickova of Lasvit, a leading Czech design and manufacturing firm. Dickova also designed the handcrafted glass art lighting fixture for the Boodles boutique at the Savoy in London.

Singapore is adding hotel rooms to its stock and expects to have 60,000 hotel rooms by 2015, making it one of the fastest-growing hotel markets.

Info: Fairmont Singapore, (888) 340-5959

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