Raffles Singapore

Overview of Raffles Singapore

Nine suite categories, spread across several distinct wings rather than stacked in one tower — that alone sets Raffles Singapore apart before a guest even reaches the Grand Lobby, with its white-columned verandahs, ceiling fans, and rooms arranged around a leafy Palm Garden. This 5-star, all-suite hotel at 1 Beach Road, near Marina Bay, traces back to 1 December 1887, when it opened as a modest 10-room hotel run by the Armenian Sarkies brothers, taking its name from Sir Stamford Raffles, the British statesman regarded as the founder of modern Singapore. Growth came in stages: a pair of two-storey wings in 1890, the L-shaped Palm Court Wing in 1894, and then the neo-Renaissance Main Building, opened on 18 November 1899. National Monument status followed in 1987, on the property's 100th anniversary, and a major restoration wrapped up in September 1991 after the hotel closed in March 1989. A second, more recent restoration — under new ownership after Accor's 2015 acquisition — ran from 2017 to a 2019 reopening.

A 10-room bungalow has grown, over more than a century, into an all-suite institution recognised among the world's leading properties as well as a National Monument. Few Asian hotels can point to a building history this well documented, and it shows: each stage of construction, added roughly every few years through the turn of the century, left its own architectural fingerprint on a different part of today's property. That piecemeal construction is precisely why suite categories at Raffles Singapore vary so much in character depending on which wing they occupy, rather than reading as uniform across the hotel.

Room Types at Raffles Singapore

Ask which wing a suite sits in before asking about square metres — at Raffles Singapore, that's the question that actually distinguishes one of the nine suite categories from another, since there's no plain "standard room" on the property at all. Each of the nine comes with a dedicated Raffles Butler, on hand for in-suite dining, packing and unpacking, and other personal requests — a tradition the hotel has carried since its earliest days as one of its defining points of service.

Studio Suites

Studio Suites sit in the Main Building above the Grand Lobby, available with either a king bed or two queen beds, each with its own verandah overlooking the Palm Garden.

State Room Suites

Two separate entrances mark out the State Room Suites, housed in the Bras Basah wing — a layout unlike any other suite category on the property.

Courtyard Suites

Courtyard Suites cluster around the heart of the hotel, closer to the property's central courtyard areas.

Palm Court Suites

Palm Court Suites overlook the Palm Court itself, set within the historic wing that dates back to the hotel's 1894 expansion.

Travellers used to browsing hotels by "room type" should reframe the search here as suite category and wing, since every option at Raffles Singapore is a suite. Some face the Palm Garden, others sit nearer the courtyard, and the larger heritage suites toward the top of the range occupy parts of the hotel tied to their own specific historical guests or events.

Beyond these four, the remaining suite types climb further toward larger heritage and personality suites, each anchored to a particular wing or outlook within the grounds. Arrivals are greeted, too, by the Raffles Doormen, whose turbaned uniform — part of a Sikh doorman tradition kept since the hotel's early history — has become one of the property's most recognisable sights.

Together, the Raffles Butlers and Raffles Doormen give the property a face-to-face, personalised service that many guests specifically associate with the Raffles name — a contrast to the self-service or app-based check-in now common at newer luxury hotels in the region.

Facilities and Amenities

More than a quarter of the estate at Raffles Singapore is given over to tropical gardens, and that single fact does more to shape the guest experience here than any single amenity on the list below.

• Outdoor swimming pool on the hotel's third level, open daily during set pool hours
• Raffles Spa, offering treatments and wellness classes
• 24-hour fitness centre, located on the third floor
• 24-hour front desk
• Complimentary high-speed WiFi throughout
• Valet parking
• Babysitting services
• Raffles Arcade, a shopping arcade with international brands, and Raffles Boutique at the Seah Street entrance
• In-suite service from the hotel's dedicated Raffles Butlers

Those gardens do more than look good on arrival: threading through much of the walkway between the Main Building, the Palm Court wing and the Raffles Arcade, they give the hotel a sense of green, open space that's uncommon for a property this close to the centre of a dense city.

Standard check-in is from 3:00pm, with check-out before 12:00pm.

Location and Getting There

City Hall and several of Singapore's key heritage and shopping precincts sit within walking distance of the hotel's Beach Road address, close to Marina Bay and the Civic District. That central position works two ways — a convenient base for the colonial district on one side and the newer Marina Bay skyline on the other — and it sits within a relatively short drive of Changi Airport for travellers flying in. Several other Civic District landmarks, museums and river-side promenades are also reachable on foot or by a short taxi ride, making it possible to cover much of the historic core of the city without leaning heavily on public transport.

Travellers flying into Singapore can compare flight options through Traveloka's flight search, and those wanting to explore more of the city during their stay can browse things to do in Singapore to plan sightseeing around the hotel's central Beach Road location.

Dining at Raffles Singapore

Long before newer restaurants arrived, the Tiffin Room and Long Bar had already made the hotel's dining scene as historic as its architecture. The Tiffin Room opened in 1910 and was formally named in 1976, and it still serves traditional North Indian-style curries in a setting largely unchanged since. Home to the Singapore Sling — a cocktail created in 1915 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon — the Long Bar was restored as part of the hotel's more recent renovation work. Rounding out the longer-standing line-up are the Raffles Grill, renamed in 1953 to mark Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, and the Long Bar Steakhouse, opened in 2000.

More recent additions broaden that line-up considerably: 1887 by André, a contemporary French restaurant; Butcher's Block, focused on wood-fire cooking; 藝 (Yì) by Jereme Leung, serving refined Chinese cuisine; Raffles Courtyard, a more casual all-day dining option; and the Writers Bar, a smaller, quieter space named for the writers historically associated with the hotel. The result is a noticeably broader range of cuisines and dining styles than the property offered in earlier decades, when its reputation rested mainly on the Tiffin Room and Long Bar. Step outside the hotel and the surrounding Beach Road and Marina Bay area adds an extensive further choice, from hawker fare to fine dining, all within easy walking distance — though guests who'd rather stay close to home will still find enough variety across the hotel's own outlets, from casual all-day dining to fine dining reservations, to cover most of a multi-night stay.

Why Stay at Raffles Singapore

It's rarely one single feature that stays with guests after a stay here — more often it's the accumulation of small, consistent details: a butler who remembers preferences, a doorman in a recognisable turbaned uniform, a suite in a wing with its own documented past. Few hotels anywhere in Asia can point to a continuous, verifiable story running from a 10-room 1887 opening through to a National Monument declaration and multiple careful restorations, most recently completed in 2019. That depth of history is a large part of the draw for travellers after more than a purely modern luxury property, and the all-suite layout means every guest gets a suite-style stay with dedicated butler service as standard, not as an upgrade. The property's own dining outlets, from the long-standing Tiffin Room and Long Bar to newer additions like 1887 by André and 藝 (Yì) by Jereme Leung, are destinations in their own right for many visitors to Singapore.

Practical convenience comes courtesy of the Beach Road location, within reach of both the Civic District and Marina Bay, layered onto a stay that's otherwise built around heritage and atmosphere. Guests who value personalised service will find the Raffles Butlers and Raffles Doormen part of what continues to set the property apart from newer luxury builds nearby.

Pace matters when weighing up a heritage property like this one: a stay here tends to suit visitors who want to spend time in and around the hotel itself — its gardens, dining outlets and architecture — rather than those purely looking for a base to sleep between full days of sightseeing elsewhere in the city.

Tips for Booking Raffles Singapore on Traveloka

• Since every room here is technically a suite, expect pricing closer to Singapore's luxury tier than to a standard city hotel when you compare rates.
• Check-in opens at 3:00pm and check-out is due before 12:00pm — worth building into your arrival plans if you're coming straight from Changi.
• Pin down which suite category you want at the time of booking. Studio, State Room, Courtyard and Palm Court sit in different wings with different outlooks, so "any suite" can mean a very different stay depending on which one you're assigned.
• Pool and spa hours shift seasonally, so it's worth confirming these directly with the hotel close to your stay dates rather than relying on general opening times.
• If dinner at the Tiffin Room or 1887 by André is part of the plan, reserve that table early — both are closely tied to the hotel's reputation and book out well ahead during peak periods.

If you're comparing this property against other Marina Bay or Civic District options, it's easy to compare hotels in Marina Bay and central Singapore side by side before confirming your booking.

Other Popular Hotels Near Marina Bay, Singapore

The Marina Bay and Civic District area has some of Singapore's best-known hotels within easy reach of Raffles Singapore. Here are other popular options nearby, each with a live Traveloka listing.

The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore

• Hotel details: A 529-room hotel at 7 Raffles Avenue, Marina Bay.
• Review score: Rated Very Good by guests for spacious rooms and Marina Bay views.
• Amenities: Restaurants, swimming pool, fitness centre, valet parking.

Carlton Hotel Singapore

• Hotel details: A 5-star, 940-room hotel on Bras Basah Road in the Civic District.
• Review score: Rated Very Good by guests for strategic location.
• Amenities: Outdoor pool, fitness centre, spa and sauna, business centre.

Marina Bay Sands

• Hotel details: A 5-star, 1,850-room integrated resort at 10 Bayfront Avenue.
• Review score: Rated Very Good by guests for service and views.
• Room types: Sands Bay, Premier Suite, Family Suite and Paiza suite collections.
• Amenities: Outdoor pool, multiple restaurants, casino, fitness centre.

Swissôtel The Stamford Singapore

• Hotel details: A 5-star, 72-floor hotel at 2 Stamford Road, next to City Hall MRT.
• Review score: Rated Exceptional by guests for breakfast and views.
• Amenities: Outdoor pool, fitness centre, sauna and spa, integrated mall access.

Concorde Hotel Singapore

• Hotel details: A hotel on Orchard Road, a short distance from the Civic District.
• Review score: Rated Very Good by guests for staff friendliness.
• Amenities: Swimming pool with children's pool, poolside bar, fitness centre.

To keep planning the rest of your Singapore trip, visit the Traveloka homepage.