Raffles Hotel Equates to Singapore

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Somerset Maugham, a famous writer once said, "Raffles stands for all the fables of the exotic east."

After many years of hard work and struggle, Raffles Hotel Singapore proved to be more than just a fable, it wrote history.

The hotel, first opened in 1887, has survived more than a century of change. It is a witness on how the small city-state of Singapore evolved to a super economy in Southeast Asia.

When people mention Singapore, there is one landmark, next to the Merlion, that registers in the minds of many people. It is this white building that carries the semblance of its British architectural past. This establishment is an embodiment of Singapore's rich history, culture, colonization, liberation, transformation, progress and economic prowess.

Like Singapore, which started as a small fishing village in Southeast Asia under the British colony, Raffles Hotel also started as a small bungalow offering only ten rooms for accommodation. Through the years, Singapore struggled to improve itself from an ordinary trading port until it became successful in its expansion in trade, commerce and business, giving birth to a metropolis in this side of Asia. As the hotel stood witness to Singapore's development, it strived to improve as well. Not only did it expand its physical building, but it also strengthened its work force by recruiting, training and retaining staff and employees that are assets to the company.

Starting from just 10 bedrooms, Raffles Hotel presently has 103 luxury suites in Singapore. It also built sister hotels in Cambodia and China. Previously owned by the Sarkies Brothers, it is now part of a bigger group - the Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, which has more than 120 hotels worldwide. Fairmont Raffles Hotels International resulted from the merging of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Raffles Hotels in 2006 that amounted to a whopping S$5.5 billion.

On August 13, 1902, this hotel had been a witness to the death of the only surviving wild tiger in Singapore, making it extinct. The hotel claimed that the tiger escaped from a nearby show and entered the hotel's Bar and Billiard room where it was shot to death. Raffles is also home to the famous Singapore Sling, invented by bartender Ngiam Tong (born between 1910 and 1915). This hotel also became the location for Murakami Ryu's film and novel titled "Raffles Hotel."

Parallel with Singapore's growing popularity with tourists around the world, the hotel also earned its favorite patrons. For many decades, it had been a home to notable personalities such as Rudyard Kipling, Eva Gardner, Somerset Maugham, and more recently, Queen Elizabeth the Second. It is undeniable that many of their first time visitors became loyal guests who keep on coming back to Singapore and to Raffles in particular.

Steve Ng, general manager of RMG TOURS, said that settling in Raffles provides a different kind of stay: there's a link, history and identity that's different.

Being named after Singapore's founder, Sir Stamford Raffles, there is no contest that Raffles Hotel has very well justified its name.

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