Hotel with a heART

Hotel with a heART

SINGAPORE - Visiting museums is a must for many tourists, but have you thought of ever staying overnight at one?

At Hotel Clover The Arts, each of its 44 rooms are specially designed with a theme and the walls are painted by local artists.

When I went over for a staycation, I almost missed the hotel. It was coloured a pretty sky blue on the exterior of a four-storey shophouse, but nothing about it resembled an art hotel.

However, I discovered I was wrong after walking in. Greeting me was a seating area with furniture splashed with art deco design. I knew there was definitely more exciting art works to come.

The hotel is located on South Bridge Road and is a minute away from Clark Quay MRT station. It is also a short walk from an enclave of nightspots and restaurants along the Singapore River.

Before getting to my room, I was eager to drop my bags and head out to a cat cafe nearby. But when I got into the room, I decided my staycation was really going to be literally a stay-in vacation.

I was bewildered to see at least half of the room's walls were painted with a life-sized Mount Fuji and cherry blossom tree.

When I laid in the king-sized bed, the "cherry blossom tree" seemed to be moving, as if there was a gentle breeze blowing past.

According to the hotel staff, local street artist CENO2 painted this room - the Mount Fuji - along with a few other rooms and the massive waterfall backdrop at the back exterior of the hotel.

CENO2's signature style is using spray paint to create life-like 3D art work. By using spray paint, he creates a blurry effect, which makes his paintings "move".

This optical effect is similar to the renowned enigmatic smile on the "Mona Lisa" painting by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Curious, I went to visit the other rooms which were unoccupied.

The hotel staff told me that the hotel held a contest and called for artists to submit their work. They had to follow some guidelines, such as no gothic or scary art works that would affect the guests.

Around half of the hotel rooms were designed based on the contest submissions, while the rest were produced by non-profit organisation, Life Art Society.

Professional artists, students, retirees and even a 13-year-old boy contributed to the beautiful walls in the hotel.

Ho Bing Xuan, 13, signed off in big, bold letters of his name in the Kampong Glam village art work he did. The golden domes of the iconic mosque contrasted with the lush palm trees that decorate the streets can make anyone want to visit the place immediately.

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Mr Teo Kok Hwee, the CEO and a shareholder of the Hotel Clover group, wanted each of the establishments to have its own theme, and decided that this particular hotel will be a celebration of the arts.

Being an arts advocate himself, he wanted the Hotel Clover The Arts to be a platform for local artists.

The hotel also hosts art-infused free programmes opened for guests and the public.

It previously held a Batik and Yoga mediation class at its roof top gardens, and another was an evening of relaxation with jazz music.

Hotel Clover Group will be launching a Fabulicious Festive Package at its hotel located at 769 North Bridge Road, and booking will start on Nov 1.

These three packages featur​e​ the Clover Lavish Suite and Clover Plush, and prices start at $338++ for a two-day one night stay.

To find out more about the packages or to make enquiries, visit www.hotelclover.com.

wjeanne@sph.com.sg

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