Raffles Hotels Celebrates 125th Anniversary

  • June 11, 2012
Raffles Hotels Celebrates 125th Anniversary
Named after Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore, Raffles was built 125 years ago, more than a decade before the turn of the nineteenth century. It soon became the haunt of business tycoons, the great and good, rogues and adventurers, politicians, movie stars, authors and journalists.

Visiting writers included Rudyard Kipling, Somerset Maugham and Noel Coward, a host of foreign correspondents – all of whom fed in the stories and legends, fact and fiction, which have clung to the hotel ever since. Through their stories, the Long Bar, the Palm Court and the Billiard Room with its tiger, became familiar to people who had never even been to Singapore. Today these stories remain and are relished – but time has not been allowed to stand still at Raffles.

Today, Raffles Hotel Singapore is the proud flagship of the eight strong Raffles Hotels & Resorts, with sister hotels in Paris, Dubai, Cambodia, the Seychelles, Beijing and the Holy City of Makkah. The company is embarking on a new phase of expansion, with openings in Manila, Istanbul, Jakarta and Hainan in China, over the next two years.

With a compelling mix of cultures and styles, every hotel in the Raffles family has its own individual personality, with its own story to tell and its own sense of place. However, each one is proud to draw on that timeless essence of Raffles – to deliver thoughtful, personal and discrete service to well-travelled guests – whether it is one of the legendary Raffles butlers, a brilliant sommelier, a gifted spa therapist, or a beach attendant with a wonderful big genuine smile.

John Johnston, President of Raffles Hotels & Resorts says, "At Raffles we believe that true luxury is not just about what you do, it's about how you make your guests feel. So we go out of our way to give the warmest welcome, the most comfortable stay, the richest experiences and the fondest memories. I believe this engagement, on a different level, is what really brings guests back to our hotels time and again. We call this emotional luxury."

More information: Raffles Hotels & Resorts