Branding history

These are the hotels of royalty and aristocracy, of the political elite and the literary adventuresome. They sell nostalgia and history and recreate a piece of the past garnished with thoroughly modern luxuries. Pauline D. Loh visits the Raffles Hotels in Singapore and Beijing.

The limousine sweeps up the gravel drive past the traveler's palms and glides to a stop. A very tall turbaned Sikh opens the car door and smiles a welcome.

The Sikh doormen have been icons of the Raffles in Singapore since the days of the Sarkies brothers, the original hoteliers. Only now, they are carefully selected to reflect the changing of times.

They have photographic memories that remember faces and names of all the important guests of the day and they can greet then in several languages. Their pure white uniforms with braids and epaulets are the envy of all little boys, and some big ones, too.

That is how tradition and legacy have been updated for the 21st century.

The Raffles Hotel in Singapore is a national monument and although it is now operated by an international chain, every Singaporean still takes great pride in this homegrown temple of hospitality. Together with the famous girls of SIA, the Night Safari and the street food, it is part of the uniquely Singaporean experience.

A 30-month thorough refurbishment in 1989 brought the grand dame back into action by 1991, and the flow of celebrity guests through its doors have not stopped since.

Presidents and queens, princes, consorts and heads of state have all chosen to rest their heads, and their feet at the Raffles, and no wonder.

The suites-only hotel is so exclusive that there is discreet but strict security in the lobby and the two floors of guest rooms are carefully guarded for privacy. Long corridors lead to well-appointed suites reminiscent of the novels of Somerset Maugham, who, by the way also stayed here.

As did Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling and Ernest Hemingway.

On a recent visit, we were shown around the "royal" Sarkies and Stamford Raffles Suites, both of which command a whopping floor area of more than 250 sq meter each. The doorways are about 17 feet (5 meters) high and the tropical hard wood doors are, of course, custom made.