Raffles Hotel
1, Beach Road, Singapore 189673
Civic District Trail 2, Marker 1

Raffles Hotel opened in an old bungalow facing the beach on 1 December 1887. Raffles Hotel expanded during its first few decades under the Armenian Sarkies brothers, culminating in the opening of the main building in designed by R A J Bidwell of Swan & Maclaren, in 1899. The Hotel educates about the history of Singapore during Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles' time, and how the people are united under the British Government.

By the 1920s, Raffles Hotel was already known as the historic hotel of Singapore. It survived through tough times, including the death of the last Sarkies brother, Arshak, in1931, bankruptcy proceedings in 1933 triggered by the Great Depression, the Japanese Occupation when it was renamed Syonan Ryokan (Light of the South Hotel) and modernization in the 1950s.

In 1989, the hotel closed for a complete refurbishment, which enabled the buildings to be faithfully and elegantly restored to their 1915 appearance, and reopened in 1991. Today it is still an international landmark and an icon of travel.

The Hotel was once known as “the finest Caravenserai east of the Suez” after the construction of the main building.

Visit Raffles Hotel's official website at http://www.raffles.com/