Singapore’s New Majestic Hotel Collects First International Accolade

Singapore’s new chic and quirky boutique hotel in Chinatown, the 30-room New Majestic Hotel, has earned a place on Condé Nast Traveller’s prestigious Hot List 2006 of the world’s most hospitable hotels and resorts.

The influential magazine ranked the new hotel alongside some of the world’s most admired retreats, including the new Landmark Oriental Hong Kong, South Africa’s Samara private game reserve, Browns Hotel in London and Four Seasons Resort Langkawi.

Opened earlier this year by former lawyer Loh Lik Peng, recently voted Singapore’s ‘Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year’, the New Majestic was the only hotel in Singapore included in the Hot List.

Condé Nast Traveller selected its Top 60 from hotels or resorts that “care for its guests as well as its looks”.

The influential magazine wrote of The New Majestic: “It isn't too far-fetched to say that if you want to learn about Singaporean art, you should check into New Majestic Hotel.

“The conceptually ambitious hotel offers an insight into the cultural heart of the city….filled with intriguing artifacts such as old dentist's chairs and theatre seats. Every idiosyncratic room tells a different story, making use of Loh's extensive vintage-chair collection, age-old fans, antique, cast-iron bathtubs and works of emerging local artists who make social statements with bold murals and cheeky installations.”

The magazine added: “In-room amenities are top of the line….and five ‘design concept rooms’ are decorated by the city's eminent creative talents.”

These include film and theatre director Glen Goei's ‘Wayang Room’, inspired by Zhang Yimou's Raise the Red Lantern, and fashion-show producer Daniel Boey's ‘Pussy Parlour’ featuring a French chandelier, neon lights and mirrors.

Despite contemporary interiors by prominent local designers, The New Majestic tastefully preserves its historic shop-house building, with origins as a small hotel dating back to 1928.

The Majestic Restaurant, also singled out for praise by the magazine, is an attraction in its own right, reviving a great Singapore institution located in the same building that was a favourite dining spot decades ago.

The restaurant is a joint venture with celebrated local chef Yong Bing Ngen, formerly executive chef at the acclaimed Hai Tien Lo restaurant in Singapore’s Pan Pacific Hotel and Chef De Cuisine of the Raffles Hotel Singapore.

Among original artworks by emerging Singapore artists showcased at the hotel are joyful pop art murals sumptuously mixing Eastern and Western icons, a giant goldfish mural floating in a room that plays with dimensions by situating the guest inside the tank, and nostalgia scenes from bygone Singapore.

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