Text by Erza S.T.

In this digital era, many hoteliers are challenged to create a place that is modern, functional, sophisticated, yet still holds its aesthetic values. A hotel is no longer just a comfortable pad to stay overnight; it should be able to rejuvenate all its client’s senses as well and the standard is getting higher by the day everywhere around the world. In October 2009, klapsons hotel in Singapore opened ready to raise its game in response to these current challenges.

Amidst the hotel development boom in Singapore, klapsons hotel decided to go in a different direction and chose to become a boutique hotel. With its stylish 17 rooms, klapsons hotel was built to portray the picture perfect boutique hotel. William Sawaya, of the renowned Sawaya & Moroni Architect and Designers from Milan, designed it with high standards to follow the current demands. The result is a design-driven hotel that has become the archetype of contemporary, urban boutique hotel design.

This luxurious hotel is built as an annex to the office block Tower 15 at the southern fringe of the central business district along Hoe Chiang Road, Singapore’s financial and commercial centre. Its strategic location allows you to conveniently walk to the cultural attractions of Chinatown and the nightlife entertainment in Tanjong Pagar.

You walk into a futuristic world once you step into the hotel. A high and colossal reflective domed ceiling in an amoeba shape formed with LED lights inside slowly shifting colours acts as the skylight inside this stunning lobby. However, the main attraction here is without a doubt the stunning chrome sphere that stands proudly in the middle of the lobby as a guest reception capsule nestled in between two giant steel-clad pillars. To complete this bold yet distinctive ambiance, William Sawaya enhanced the lobby façade by adding extraordinary award-winning designer furniture such as Zaha Hadid’s ‘Moraine’, a white pony-leather monolite sofa, or Veit Streitenberger’s ‘Ribbon Armchairs’ as well as his own furniture designs. Speak about a grand entrance, klapsons hotel lobby will hold you spellbound for the longest time.

Nevertheless, it is quite a relief to find that klapsons’ great impressions are not only just found in the lobby but are also fantastically translated into the rooms. There are no two rooms alike in the hotel as they were created with different individual characteristics. The idea of luxury is based on optimal use of space. During our visit, we experienced one of the eight executive standard rooms. Within this not-so-spacious room, Sawaya bring the bathroom into the room itself and is located adjacent to the bed. The shower thus becomes a protagonist made of a glass cylinder with shell-shaped forms. Luckily, the toilet is demarcated in an enclosed space.

The room offers an interesting feature for a boutique hotel that includes high-speed WiFi, LCD flat screen TV, free minibar, iPod dock, Molton Brown bath amenities and a Nespresso coffee machine as part of the highlights. Unfortunately, this thoughtfully-designed room is missing some important details like the lack of a power socket in the room. There is one power socket on the work table and another one nearby the door that is far from the work table. It is very inconvenient when you need to charge your blackberry and laptop at the same time.

Breakfast, lunch or dinner is fairly good in Lucas, the klapsons coffee shop. It is beautifully done with a palette of purple shades combined with dark wooden floors and focuses on serving contemporary grill cuisine with a modern twist. Yet, again we find another important weakness here. As the only restaurant that serves food for the entire hotel, Lucas is closed for the public on Sundays (except for resident guests who can still get their breakfast there until 11am only). A similar problematic situation also happens when you want to order room service from Lucas after 11pm. There is simply nothing available after that time as the kitchen is closed. Luckily the butler service enables you to get some food from a local restaurant at the back of the hotel, which is ironically open 24 hours.

Overall, however, we were blown away with klapsons design and uniqueness. There are so many positive details that we loved, like the comfortable bathrobe to the uber fabulous and popular rooftop lounge called Fabrica by Chivas 18 on the 17th floor which was enough to bring us back for more. Hopefully by that time klapsons hotel can offer a total satisfaction experience (and fix those minor inconvenient issues).

Klapsons, The Boutique Hotel
15 Hoe Chiang Road
Singapore
www.klapsons.com

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