Park Hotel Group, Asia’s Leading Hospitality Company pays homage to Singapore’s culture and heritage with renovation of flagship city hotel
The new Grand Park City Hall is a stellar example of a careful historic hotel renovation that harmoniously integrates the century-old shophouses of St. Gregory Place with contemporary architectural style, modern interiors and exquisite artworks telling the story of Singapore’s rich history and present-day cosmopolitan vibrancy.
“Guests today want to experience the ‘place’ and not just the amenities a hotel has to offer. Through incorporating the artwork and high-contrast graphics, we created a lifestyle space to engage guests and instil a sense of destination,” says John Kockan, General Manager of Grand Park City Hall.
Led by Grand Park City Hall’s original architectural firm RSP Architects and world-renowned interior design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA), the restoration work of this iconic building has revitalised the hotel to provide a compelling and authentic guest experience. With a total of 343 well-appointed luxury guest rooms across ten floors, the newly renovated hotel boasts a striking new façade and fully refreshed interiors designed to further enhance the hotel experience.
“We wanted to create a hotel design that narrates the rich history of this landmark location, thereby allowing guests to have an authentic local experience and at the same time offering a hotel that speaks to the needs of the modern traveller,” says Rahul Shankhwalker, Principle Designer at HBA.
At Grand Park City Hall, guests can expect their senses to be engaged – from the curated hotel scent, through to one-of-a-kind design visuals and textures paying homage to Singapore’s heritage to the unique social spaces that emulate a sense of place. The hotel’s redesign builds a bridge of curiosity and connects with the destination through distinct experiences interfacing with interiors which allow guests to discover a love of heritage and the arts.
Refined Luxury Living
In line with the hotel’s overarching design concept, the guest rooms embody Singapore’s culture and history with Peranakan pattern tiles on the floor, vintage trunks – developed in line with “the travellers journey” – and bespoke furniture pieces and cornice mouldings.
Grand Park City Hall’s new art collection curated by HBA brings together six highly esteemed creatives to recount the birth of modern Singapore. Adding a layer of character and style to the hotel, each artist brought their own individualistic vision to the collection that traces the city’s heritage and explores the rich medley of cultural influences that have contributed to the vibrancy of the city. Unique black and white photography featuring familiar landmarks past and present line the walls of the hotel and walk guests through Singapore to encapsulate the city’s growth and vitality. Beautifully appointed art in the guest rooms celebrates the modern and contemporary city with mirrored imagery that evokes the sensation of a futuristic world; a counterpoint to the rich past and multiplicity of society that have made Singapore the city it is today.
From inside the elevators to the public areas, corridors and guestrooms, the walk through Singapore’s heritage is as meticulous as each visual. The striking print collection features familiar landmarks and little-known alleys and passageways while modern lifestyle illustrations of people and the cityscape accentuated with splashes of vivid colours aptly bring to life the growth and dynamism of the Lion City.
Architectural Splendour
The new Grand Park City Hall restoration has been thoughtfully designed to represent the various elements of Singapore – from fashion to history, heritage and place. Architectural highlights include relocating the new driveway and entrance from Coleman Lane to the more prestigious location facing Coleman Street and the majestic bronze gate of Grand Park City Hall fronting the hotel’s colonial-style façade. Composed of neoteric decorative details with a bronze cast iron finish, the impressive gate invites guests to discover new adventures and is symbolic to the welcoming and attentive service that awaits each guest inside.
Art Reflecting History
Keeping to the Park Hotel Group’s vision, guests are invited to discover their love for art and design in the beautifully appointed artworks themed around fashion, food and architecture. Signature materials like the transforming copper sheet maps of Singapore in the hotel lobby and 3rd floor lounge influences a different perspective of beauty and creates the connection between the hotel and the local landscape. The eclectic mix of visual narratives creates a dialect that is fundamental to the vision of Grand Park City Hall and encourages guests to experience Singapore from a different perspective.
From inside the elevators, adorned with custom aluminium artworks, to the public areas, corridors and guest rooms, the journey through the city’s rich heritage is apparent at every turn.
