Shangri-La Singapore

Shangri-La Singapore stands on Orange Grove Road, a quiet street a few minutes' walk from the western end of Orchard Road. It opened in April 1971 and was the first hotel of the Shangri-La group, founded by the Malaysian businessman Robert Kuok. Rather than a tower on a city block, it is a garden hotel: three wings set in some six hectares of lawns, pools and mature trees, which is why it has become the preferred address for visiting governments and the permanent home of the Shangri-La Dialogue.

History

Robert Kuok, who had made his fortune in sugar and commodities, opened the hotel in 1971 as a single building, now the Tower Wing. Its success led to the group that carries the name across Asia and beyond. The Garden Wing, with its terraced balconies hung with bougainvillea, opened in 1978, and the Valley Wing, a separate building with its own entrance and lobby, in 1985. Since 2002 the hotel has hosted the Shangri-La Dialogue, the annual security summit organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which brings defence ministers from across Asia, the United States and Europe to the hotel each June. In June 2018 President Donald Trump stayed at the hotel during his summit with Kim Jong Un, which took place at Capella on Sentosa. The Tower Wing was renovated in 2017.

Architecture and design

The three wings are distinct in character. The Tower Wing is the original 1971 block, renovated in 2017 with a lighter lobby and a greater emphasis on the gardens. The Garden Wing is the romantic one, its rooms opening onto deep balconies planted with cascading flowers and overlooking the pool. The Valley Wing is the formal one, with a marble lobby, a champagne bar for its guests and a discreet entrance used by delegations. Between the buildings the gardens hold more than a hundred thousand plants of many species, waterfalls and a koi pond, and the landscaping is maintained by the hotel's own gardeners.

Rooms and suites

The hotel has 792 rooms and suites across the three wings. Tower Wing rooms are the standard category, Garden Wing rooms have the balconies, and Valley Wing rooms and suites include access to the wing's lounge with breakfast, afternoon tea and evening champagne. The Shangri-La Suite in the Valley Wing has hosted heads of state. Family rooms in the Tower Wing are themed for children, and the hotel has a children's playground and a family area by the pool.

Dining

Shang Palace is the Cantonese restaurant, a fixture since the early years. Nami serves Japanese cuisine from the top of the Tower Wing. The Line is the all-day buffet restaurant with open kitchens, and Waterfall Ristorante Italiano sits by the gardens. Origin Grill and Origin Bar occupy the lobby level of the Tower Wing, the bar known for cocktails that follow the history of the Orchard Road district. The Lobby Lounge serves afternoon tea, and the Valley Wing has its own Summit Room and lounge.

Wellness

CHI, The Spa offers treatments drawn from Chinese and Southeast Asian traditions in its own suites. The health club has a gym, tennis courts and a large outdoor swimming pool set among the trees, with a separate children's pool and play area.

Weddings and events

The hotel is one of Singapore's largest banqueting venues. The Island Ballroom is a pillarless hall capable of seating around a thousand guests for a banquet, with a foyer for receptions, and the Tower Ballroom and a series of function rooms handle smaller dinners, conferences and breakouts. Weddings are a mainstay, with solemnisations in the gardens and Chinese banquets in the ballrooms, and the hotel's experience with government delegations means it is used to protocol, security and large plenary sessions.

Location

Orange Grove Road runs off the western end of Orchard Road, so the shops of Tanglin and Orchard are a ten-minute walk, and Orchard MRT station is about fifteen minutes on foot or a short taxi ride. The Singapore Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are close by. The drive to Changi Airport takes about 25 minutes. As a luxury hotel in Singapore for a large conference or a wedding that needs grounds as well as a ballroom, it has few rivals.