Enter a new Premier Wing, along with a necessary evolution where the interior designers have blended new interiors with the old.
Carlton Hotel Singapore sits in a sweet spot within Singapore’s City Hall precinct. It’s right in the bustling civic district, opposite the wining and dining enclave Chijmes, and minutes from nearby Suntec International Conference and Exhibition Centre. It’s prime real estate, especially when it comes to attracting Singapore’s lucrative Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) market.
In late 2010, Carlton Hotel launched a new Premier Wing, an extension of the old Carlton Hotel, and a much-needed interior facelift helmed by Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) Design Consultants. The Premier Wing also sports a classy new logo, signalling the ambitions of Carlton Hotel to re-position itself into a premium hotel for business guests.
Finding the connection between new and old proved to be a design challenge for HBA who started work on Carlton Hotel in April 2006. “The most challenging aspect of this project was integrating the new Premier Wing into the existing building,” says Khairi Darus, one of the lead designers on the project, “The new wing needed to be seen as a seamless extension of the existing structure, forcing the structural engineer to come up with some creative solutions”.
To create the hotel’s new main entrance and grand staircase, the engineers had to sheer off an existing raised bar lounge. There was also the problem of synchronising the ceiling heights of new and existing ballrooms, adds Darus. As the Premier Wing developed, the designers began to notice the need to make similar enhancements to the old wing by improving the overall ambient lighting and updating the interiors. Connie Puar, Principal of HBA, remarks, “As we went through the project, the client started to ask us to look into the old wing and take the old out. We started to merge the two wings more and more.”
Stepping into Carlton Hotel today, a refreshing modern design links the old and Premier Wing. An opulent custom-made Preciosa chandelier, designed specially by HBA, hangs dramatically in the lobby; while overall lighting has improved as the designers have created a sense of density and depth throughout the hotel. Business clients will appreciate the new Gravity Bar, a meeting point for casual business discussions, and the Business Centre, with its comprehensive business services. But it’s in the Premier Wing’s 287 bedrooms that the hotel demonstrates its attentiveness to the needs of business guests.
“The Premier Room is designed with our business travellers in mind,” comments Richard Ong, General Manager of Carlton Hotel. Puar elaborates on HBA’s approach towards designing the rooms for a MICE audience, “People ask for three things – they ask for a good bed to have a good sleep, they ask for a good chair and they ask for a good bathroom.” Ong adds, “With the modern, sleek furnishings and designer furniture, each room offers a sense of luxurious comfort and helps our guest complete his or her business tasks successfully and recharge fully.” Guests can continue their work comfortably in the Premier Rooms, which are fitted with high-speed wireless internet, adjustable glass-top work desks and ergonomic chairs.
But how do guests wind down after a hard day’s work? Ong suggests, “Our guests can rejuvenate under the rain-shower or simply soak it all away in the full length bathtub.” With around 50 percent of the bedroom space dedicated to the bathroom, there’s little need to guess where most guests will be spending their time.
The bathroom combines full-sized bathtubs, bay windows, luxury bath products and GROHE’s shower lines. GROHE’s shower lines are fitted with the DreamSpray® technology, which have proved extremely popular among participants in independent tests.
“Our designers had a lot of selection to pick from,” remarks Puar on the selection of the bathroom’s shower products. GROHE’s water-saving features proved a big plus point for HBA – “Green features have become the criteria for many projects,” Puar adds, “Our designers were so impressed by the features GROHE had to offer that they are now pushing the brand for other projects”. For Carlton Hotel, perhaps the bathroom will play its own part in attracting repeated business guests. As Puar notes, “For hotels, the bathroom plays a very important part, even more important than the bedroom. If the hotel has a nice and clean bathroom, its rating goes up.”
