Razzle-dazzle revamps

The Scarlet
33 Erskine Road
www.thescarlethotels.com

When The Scarlet opened a decade ago, it was not for the faint-hearted. The boutique hotel was decked out in strong shades of black, gold and, of course, scarlet.

But even after undergoing a five-month rejuvenation last year, the hotel has not lost its luxurious touch. The idea is to think of Scarlet as a woman undergoing a little nip-and-tuck to look young and fresh again, but she is still as alluring as before.

Gone are her strong, dark brows and bright red lips. This time, Scarlet has chosen a more contemporary makeup palette using brighter colours such as turquoise, mustard, sapphire and violet. "After 10 years, we felt it was time for a rejuvenation," says Vivian Tung, marketing and communications director for Grace International, which owns the hotel. The company also owns the boutique Huntington Hotel in San Francisco.

"The new look is still boudoir-like, and very much European-inspired, which is what The Scarlet is all about," says Ms Tung. "This time, the hotel takes its inspiration from fashion."

International architecture and design firm Aedas is behind the hotel's new look. Simon Thompson, executive principal of Aedas Interiors Singapore, says he was inspired by the enigmatic and gracious hostess herself, "Scarlet", when designing the revamp.

"The new interior personifies the characteristics, taste, and multi-faceted personality of Scarlet, by conjuring ambiences and design elements that are bold, fashionable and glamourous."

Most of the $6 million transformation is evident in the public areas, the hotel's five suites and at Breeze, its famed rooftop bar.

A pair of new golden ornate water feature walls on each side of the lobby entrance is what guests see first, when they step into the hotel. The $20,000 chandelier, the centrepiece of the lobby, has been kept as part of the rejuvenation, so that the lobby does not lose its grandeur.

The lobby's previous heavy-looking chairs, that were decked out in shades of red are now gone. The look is now cleaner and less dated.

Upholstered seating refinished with luxurious Sonia Christian Lacroix velvets in cobolt, chartreuse mustard and garnet red, provide comfort for waiting guests. On the walls, tanned nude wall panels, upon closer inspection, reveal stitches inspired by lace stockings.

The Bold lounge, which once had a somewhat moody look with black armchairs, now takes on a more playful feel. A mirror wall covered with floral decals makes the space feel slightly larger. A zebra-striped plush carpet done in shades of purple and red adds to the fun. In place of paisley print sofas, there are now smaller chairs done in graphically patterned black, spring green, purple shades and fuchsia.

Gemstone-inspired palettes take centre stage in the hotel's five suites. They still retain their names: Splendour, Swank, Opulent, Lavish and Passion, but now have a contemporary look.

The hotel's signature suite, Passion, is now more edgy with python, patent leather and leopard prints on its furniture. In keeping with its name, garnet red wallpaper is used in this room, but it is no ordinary wallpaper. Ms Tung reveals that the wallpaper behind the four-posted bed has six layers of embossed printing to give it a luxe, textured look.

The Lavish suite is decked out in invigorating colour palettes of ruby, sapphire and yellow, but that is not its main draw. It is instead the world-renowned Hastens bed. The $38,500 bed is touted as the best bed in the world. And with a fairly extensive pillow menu, guests will have no problems falling asleep.

Up on Breeze, its rooftop bar, guests as well as the public can take in sights of the city skyline. A new addition here is the gazebo space, inside which the chefs prepare food on a charcoal barbeque with guests seating at the circular dining counter.

Suspended above this counter is an illuminated canopy which was inspired by a wide brim, two-tiered A-line skirt with cutouts of summer floral patterns. Rates start from $350 for a standard room, to $980 a night for the Passion suite.

Budgeting for business travellers

hangout@mt.emily
10A Upper Wilkie Road
www.hangouthotels.com
Reopening in July

For the past decade, hangout@mt.emily was always known as a hip backpackers' hotel. It was popular with guests mostly from the UK, Germany, South Korea, Australia and other South-east Asian countries.

Families, couples on holiday, students and corporate guests chose hangout@mt.emily as their, well, hangout, when they were in Singapore.

Ten years on, owner Cathay Organisation Holdings which runs the hotel decided that it was time for a change. Cathay Organisation also owns hangout@jonker in Malacca. hangout@mt.emily closed late last month, and will reopen after a $2 million revamp in July.

While the old hangout@mt.emily was more for the budget traveller, the new one will focus more on the business traveller.

According to the latest Singapore Tourism Board's tourism sector performance report, Singapore has seen an overall increase of business travellers by six per cent year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2013, as well as a drop in business travel spending by six per cent.

The decline in spending has been attributed to cutbacks on corporate travel budgets. Wallet-friendly and chic hotels continue to be in the spotlight for business travellers on a small budget in Singapore.

"Over the past decade, hangout@mt.emily has cemented its position as a safe, affordable and service-oriented hotel among travellers from all over the world. With an average rate of $130 per room per night, we have seen a steady increase of bookings from corporate travellers as companies tighten their travel budgets," says Suhaimi Rafdi, CEO of Cathay Organisation.

"In the last three years, there has been a cumulative growth of 30 per cent year-on-year in the number of rooms booked by corporate guests. With this timely makeover, hangout@mt.emily aims to meet the demand of business travellers who want fuss-free accommodation on cost-saving business trips."

hangout@mt.emily prides itself on its signature offering of "no frills, just fun" accommodation, and this will still be evident after its rejuvenation.

It will retain its fun elements such as the use of bright colours, including orange, lime green, pink and fuchsia on its walls and furnishings.

The facelift will mean adding amenities that go beyond what budget hotels typically offer, such as electronic in-room safes in the 60 private and even in the four dormitory rooms, which is not the usual practice, an increase in the high-speed Wifi bandwidth, universal power points beside each bed, and a pantry.

With the new overhaul, coupled with its convenient location right next to town, hangout@mt.emily hopes to be the choice accommodation for business travellers who want the best of work and leisure.

During the closure of the hotel, hardware amenities will be integrated into the premises. These include refurnished flooring and an enhanced air-conditioning system.

A brand new e-concierge system will also be installed to provide instantaneous convenience where guests can access real-time local information and pre-set functions such as locating the nearest money changers and convenience stores.

Foodies will be happy to note that the popular Wild Rocket restaurant by celebrity chef Willin Low will re-open within the hotel premises when the refurbishment is completed. hangout@mt.emily will begin accepting guests again from July 14.

There will be a slight increase of rates across all room types. A twin/double room will cost from $130 to $170 when the hotel reopens, as compared to $120 to $150 previously.

Rendezvous rebrands as arts-inspired hub

Rendezvous Hotel Singapore
9 Bras Basah Road
www.stayfareast.com

The former Rendezvous Grand Hotel may have lost the "grand" in its name, but it certainly has not lost its grandeur. The hotel at Bras Basah Road, was bought over by Far East Hospitality last year. Now renamed Rendezvous Hotel Singapore, the 16-year-old hotel now boasts a new look inspired by its location in the arts and cultural district.

Interior design firm, The ID Dept, was tasked to rebrand the hotel to reflect ART - the hotel's Attitude, Retro-listed elements and transformation through Technology, says Arthur Kiong, chief executive officer of Far East Hospitality.

He adds, "our hotels draw inspiration from their surrounding locales and the decision to rebrand Rendezvous Hotel Singapore as an art-inspired hotel was an easy one, given its location in the museum planning area of Singapore, and its close proximity to several popular art galleries."

Mr Kiong declined to reveal the cost of the two-month revamp, but "guests who are looking to experience creative stimulus will be thrilled to find that our hotel is dedicated to evoking the sense and sensibility of their inner artist." The rebranding of Rendezvous Hotel Singapore as an art-inspired hotel means that guests are inspired in all areas, from entering the hotel, dining at the Club Lounge, and in the rooms.

At the hotel lobby, guests are greeted by changing light scenes throughout the day from the LED panel and floor to ceiling pillar by architectural firm Wow D-Lab. that changes colour from warm orange to a deep blue throughout the day to reflect a change in emotions.

Subtle details in the rooms are also meant to inspire the inner artist in guests. For example, the Club Room's furniture, headboard and wallpaper are designed to reflect influences from the performing arts circle, Peranakan culture and retro-modernist style. In a Performing Arts Club Room, images of iconic Singapore performance venues such as the Esplanade and notable quotes from Oscar Wilde are found on the room walls and headboard respectively.

The hotel's Club Lounge area also incorporates the use of drapery along the windows to represent an art piece of the vibrant, moving landscape outside the hotel. This landscape is none other than the scenic view of our civic district.

The hotel's structure and number of rooms, which stands at 298, remain the same. "We gave Rendezvous Hotel Singapore its new design and art-inspired theme within existing structural elements to preserve the building's rich history and architecture," says Mr Kiong.

The hotel will be a venue for the upcoming Singapore Chinese Film Festival from April 19 to 27 where the festival's films will be screened at The Courtyard.

The hotel will also offer dedicated spaces to showcase collaborations with local art galleries. Guests may not see it, but there are motorised drapes and tracks installed in the hotel lobby and level two gallery spaces to facilitate art and design-related exhibitions. The bodies of work on display will be made available for guests to view and purchase.

Also in line with its art-inspired identity, the hotel will be launching an anamorphic art programme later this year. The hotel will appoint a Singaporean artist or art collaborative to transform the hotel facade into a visually-stunning anamorphic art piece that reinforces the hotel's identity as a meeting point for art and culture.

"In a more inconspicuous way, we are already exhibiting the works of students from Raffles Design Institute - the design of our key cards was conceptualised by a group of talented students who won the design competition that we organised," says Mr Kiong. Room rates begin from $280++.

This article was published on April 5 in The Business Times.

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