Raffles Hotel Singapore History Tour

Jiyeon, our Raffles Hotel Ambassador, assisted to arrange for the Raffles Hotel History Tour on another day. We got to visit the grand dame again a week later. 😊

 

Raffles Hotel Grounds

Roslee, the Raffles Hotel Historian, brought us around the hotel. Raffles Hotel stands on a 5-acre plot and a walk around the hotel grounds is a must do. Even with modern buildings surrounding and towering over Raffles Hotel, we had a tranquil walk while admiring the architecture and greenery.

Raffles Hotel is such a beautiful hotel and every corner and spot is an Instagram opportunity. I wished we had explored the hotel grounds a little more during our stay, but it was hard to get away from the Suite and we had a rainy day during our stay as well.

 

Tidbits about Raffles Hotel Singapore

Roslee also shared with us the history of the Hotel and many stories of its guests throughout the years. It was a very informative tour where we found out that the new Raffles Hotel palm logo was inspired by the Travellers Palm and was drawn with a single stroke of the pen; and the oldest furniture in Raffles Hotel is the grandfather’s clock in the Grand Lobby, which even predates Raffles Hotel. At 8pm daily, the grandfather clock would play Noel Coward’s “I’ll See You Again” which he composed at Raffles Hotel on a piano that’s now placed on the 3^rd floor. We didn’t get to hear the song as during both nights of stay, we were at dinner.

 

Presidential Suite Sarkies Room

Part of the tour was a visit to the Presidential Suite Sarkies Room which is 280sqm big! That’s like the size of two 5 room HDB flats plus a 3 room HDB flat. A check on the Raffles Hotel website shows the Presidential Suite going for S$18,000/night!

Roslee also shared with us a story about the President of Mozambique, who requested all furniture in the Presidential Suite be removed as he had brought along his own furniture, including a washing machine, in 2 Boeing 747s!

We really enjoyed the History Tour and the Presidential Room visit. It seems possible to go on the Raffles Hotel History Tour if you dine at Tiffin Room. So do check with the Hotel when you make your high-tea reservations.

Read more about my Raffles Hotel Singapore Staycation – The Suite Life.