Two competing international hotel groups have made two very different announcements: one concerning a development as new as tomorrow; the other concerning a famed hotel built in 1887. It certainly illustrates the breadth of tourism!
IN SINGAPORE, Raffles Singapore has officially announced its highly anticipated reopening.
A flagship property within Accor, Raffles Singapore is now welcoming guests and visitors, following the iconic hotel’s three-phased restoration, which began when the property closed in February 2017 to allow the work to be done in a careful and sensitive manner.
First opened in 1887 and declared a National Monument a century later by the Singapore Government, Raffles Hotel Singapore has gained local and international recognition over the years as an oasis for the well-travelled. It’s one of the world’s few remaining great 19th century hotels.
Raffles Hotel, a grand Singapore institution
The revitalised Raffles Singapore offers luxurious all-suite accommodation across nine distinct suite categories: State Room Suites, Courtyard Suites, Palm Court Suites, Personality Suites, Residence Suites, Promenade Suites, Studio Suites, Grand Hotel Suites and Presidential Suites.
Residence, Promenade and Studio suites are the three latest additions to the hotel’s existing lineup. The total suite count increases from 103 suites to 115 suites.
Importantly, at the refreshed Long Bar, travellers will continue to enjoy the hotel’s most famous cocktail, the original Singapore Sling, along with the timeless tradition of tossing peanut shells on the floor.
The Raffles Arcade has been newly outfitted with a charming Raffles Boutique and various bespoke retail brands.
Raffles Singapore. The celebated Colonnade Walkway
IN ORBIT AROUND THE EARTH, MEANWHILE, DoubleTree by Hilton’s famous chocolate chip cookies will become the first ever food baked in space inside a prototype oven, designed to make long-duration space travel more hospitable.
DoubleTree by Hilton will make aerospace history later this year when a batch of specially prepared DoubleTree Cookie dough is launched along with a prototype oven in a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS).
Working in partnership with Zero G Kitchen, which creates appliances for micro-gravity use in long-duration space flights, and NanoRacks, a leading provider of commercial access to space, Hilton will be the first hospitality company to participate in research aboard the space station.
The Zero G Kitchen Space Oven is a cylindrical-shaped insulated container designed to hold and bake food samples in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station.
Astronaut ponders how to eat DoubleTree by Hilton’s famous chocolate chip cookie
The oven allows food samples to be placed in a tray where they are held steady inside the oven while baking occurs. The insulation and venting mechanisms allow the oven to operate safety in the controlled environment of the ISS.
“That’s only fitting for a hotel brand that at the height of the Space Race announced plans for a hotel on the moon”, commented senior vice president and global brand head, DoubleTree by Hilton, Shawn McAteer.
“Hilton has long been an industry innovator, and as we celebrate our 100th year, we’re excited to send our hospitality into orbit.”
Edited by Peter Needham
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