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Raffles Hotel
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Raffles Hotel

Where Somerset Maugham sipped Singapore Slings under colonial ceiling fans

🇸🇬 Singapore, Singapore·Est. 1887·Colonial Renaissance·$$
93 HHI Landmark
Heritage Landmark

Transparency

Why This Score

How each of the nine Heritage Hotel Index dimensions was evaluated.

Heritage & Authenticity

40% of HHI
94.9/100
Historical Significance98.0
15%

Review pending

Architectural Integrity95.0
15%

Review pending

Cultural Immersion90.0
10%

Review pending

Guest Experience

35% of HHI
95.1/100
Authentic Experience95.0
15%

Review pending

Reputation Score96.0
12%

Review pending

Service Quality94.0
8%

Review pending

Operational Excellence

25% of HHI
87.4/100
Conservation Commitment92.0
10%

Review pending

Modern Comforts90.0
8%

Review pending

Value Positioning78.0
7%

Review pending

About the Property

The iconic Raffles Hotel has defined luxury hospitality in Asia since 1887, founded by Armenian hoteliers the Sarkies Brothers. A National Monument of Singapore (gazetted 2015), its 115 suites and colonial grandeur have hosted Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, and Charlie Chaplin. The Singapore Sling was created here by Hainanese bartender Ngiam Tong Boon. After the Sarkies went bankrupt during the Great Depression in 1931, the hotel was restructured as a public company and has since undergone two major restorations.

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Original Purpose

Colonial government hotel

Highlights

National Monument of Singapore (2015)Birthplace of the Singapore Sling (Ngiam Tong Boon)Founded by the Armenian Sarkies Brothers115 heritage suites with period furnishingsOriginal teak floors and marble columns$160M restoration (1989) and 2.5-year renovation (2019)

History Timeline

1887

Founded by Armenian hoteliers the Sarkies Brothers

1902

Singapore Sling cocktail invented at the Long Bar

1931

Sarkies Brothers declared bankrupt during the Great Depression

1933

Hotel restructured as a public company

1942

Occupied by Japanese forces during WWII

1987

Declared a National Monument of Singapore

2019

Completed $160M restoration and reopening