Six Senses comes to Singapore

Focusing on a diverse mix of Chinese, Malay and European elements, the buildings are adorned with neo-classical lion head motifs. Chinese porcelain-chip friezes co-exist with Malay timber fretwork, French windows, Portuguese shutters and Corinthian pilasters. Guests can make full use of all facilities and outstanding service in both, as well as the rich local community in between. 
“Such unique properties do not come to market often and we are delighted to be working with Satinder Garcha and Harpreet Bedi of Garcha Hotels on this project,” said Neil Jacobs, Six Senses chief executive. 
“The buildings will be the last heritage hotels of this quality to be developed in Singapore. Each building has its own distinct personality, but what makes Six Senses Singapore so special is that guests can enjoy all the offerings of both locations plus the neighbourhood when staying with us. It’s all about community and being part of the rich, local culture of Singapore.”
With its colourful past, Six Senses Duxton in old Chinatown’s Tanjong Pagar is scheduled to open in April and offers 49 guestrooms and suites that have been sustainably restored under the designer Anoushka Hempel, acclaimed for her Hempel and Blake’s hotels in London. 
Guests are in for an eccentric, elegant surprise as they enter the hotel, which includes large golden fans and strong hues of black, gold and yellow, layered with Oriental screens and calligraphy wallpaper from Hempel’s personal collection. 
Gold takes centre stage in the restaurant, which will offer a fine dining menu of classic and innovative Chinese cuisine. Adjacent is an antiquarian library themed lobby bar serving up the hotel’s signature house cocktails.
Hempel has worked within the restrictions of a heritage building and variations of room size to successfully express her vision throughout the hotel. From a magnificent Kimono Suite to smaller spaces that she refers to as petit grandeur, elegant bespoke furnishings and the designer ambience typify the experience in every way.
A property highlight is the appointment of a traditional Chinese doctor offering readings, health recommendations and a medicinal herbal dispensary.
The well-conserved Six Senses Maxwell, which is set to open in July, features 138 guestrooms and suites, a Six Senses Spa, outdoor lap pool, Champagne bar and lounge, whiskey bar, boardroom and club lounge. 
A veranda lined with lush tropical foliage follows the length of the building and will be the ideal spot to meet for refreshments and alfresco dining. The interior design is credited to French architect and designer Jacques Garcia and reflects the authentic decor and furnishings of the era in which it was built, but with a stylish modern twist. 
Garcia has infused a Western sensibility along with a timeless ambience, as he has done with La Mamounia in Marrakesh, Hotel Costes in Paris and NoMad in New York. He adds details to 50 unique room types, from the brass, lacquer and marble mini bars to the handmade Lafroy Brooks bathroom fixtures. 
All rooms feature handmade mattresses by Naturalmat and organic bed linens to support Sleep with Six Senses, a key pillar of the group’s Integrated Wellness philosophy. Special looms were constructed to hand weave 4 x 6-meter silk rugs for the public areas of the hotel, while the several interior spaces meld together in respect of the architectural styles of the original buildings.
Colonial meets modern Europe in the restaurant, where the mouth-wateringly indulgent yet healthy menus represent the brand’s pioneering approach to fresh, local and seasonal food and drink: Eat with Six Senses. The Six Senses Spa will offer speciality treatments and the external lap pool is designed to be a refreshing escape to complement Singapore’s tropical weather.
The hotels will also participate in a programme to make them carbon-free after purchasing United Nations-certified carbon credits, while standing to save up to 20 per cent in energy costs. This continued focus on sustainable practices is also evident in the seven new resorts and two further spas opening under the Six Senses brand from now until early 2019.