The Raffles Hotel of Singapore one of the oldest and most luxurious hotel in Singapore
Raffles Hotel (Chinese: 莱佛士酒店) is a colonial-style hotel in Singapore, dating from 1887, and named after Singapore's founder Sir Stamford Raffles. Managed by Raffles International, it is known for its luxurious accommodation and superb restaurants. The hotel houses a tropical garden courtyard, museum, and Victorian-style theatre. The hotel was founded by the four Armenian Sarkies Brothers (Martin, Tigran, Aviet, and Arshak Sarkies). They opened the ten-room colonial bungalow at Beach Road and Bras Basah Road on December 1, 1887. The original location was by the seaside, although continued reclamation means that the site is presently some 500 m away from the shore.[1] No Asians were permitted as hotel guests until the 1930s.[1] Designed by architect Regent Alfred John Bidwell of Swan and Maclaren, the current main building of Raffles Hotel was completed in 1899.[2] The hotel continued to expand over the years with the addition of wings, the addition of a verandah, a ballroom, a bar and billiards room and further buildings and rooms. The Great Depression saw trouble for Raffles Hotel and in 1931 the hotel went into receivership. In 1933, however, the financial troubles were resolved and a public company called Raffles Hotel Ltd. was established. In 1989, the hotel closed for an extensive renovation, at a cost of S$160 million.[4] It reopened on September 16, 1991, after being restored to its state during its heyday in 1915. The hotel has built an extension with a similar design, for a shopping arcade and new rooms. In announcing the July 18, 2005 sale of parent company Raffles Holdings, Colony Capital LLC chief executive Thomas J. Barrack said in part as the purchaser, "We deeply respect the historical significance of the Raffles Hotel Singapore and we consider it our responsibility to protect that legacy".
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Keywords: architecture, asia, comfort, costly, entry, expensive, grand, history, holiday, hotel, international, large, life, luxury, raffles, singapore, vacation, view
