Luxury at the Fullerton Bay Hotel

Apparently, the Great Recession has completely skipped Singapore.

On Marina Bay at the southern end of the island, between the iconic Customs House and Clifford Pier, a team of three architecture firms have designed the new and luxurious Fullerton Bay Hotel.

Eighty percent of the building’s mass hovers out over the bay.

In the distance rise Moshe Safdie’s Marina Bay Sands and Michael Graves’ designs for the Festive Hotel and Hotel Michael.

“We wanted to create a luxury hotel that maximizes the great views, and has a harmonious blend of modern and historical elements, as a tribute to the locale,” said Giovanni Viterale, general manager of The Fullerton Heritage.   

No problem.

Singapore-based DP Architects designed the jewel-like glass façade, while LCL Architects out of Hong Kong handled the guest rooms and suites.  Andre Fu, also from Hong Kong, worked through the restaurants, bar and public areas.

The hotel was envisioned as a light and transient object, in contrast to its neighbors. The bluish tones of its glass facade play on the lightness of the water, offering up a shimmering and transient effect, as though the hotel were emerging from the bay. Its volume gently tapers, in a gesture toward the adjacent buildings.

The interiors are as lavish as its façade.  A17-meter-wide lobby leads to an internal promenade paved in marble mosaics. The backdrop of the reception area is a multi-faceted ceiling pendant of crystal glass sheets individually water-gilded in gold.

At Clifford restaurant, herringbone oak floors and ivory French paneling reach the 10-metr- high ceiling, complemented by a warm gray, burnished orange and aubergine palette. Within guest rooms, a selection of polished rosewood, burl wood, fabric-paneled walls, with rich and creamy marble, all layer one luxury upon another.

“The hotel should feel private, refined and elegant,” Cheryl said.

From the looks of things, it’s achieved that – and more.

For more on the Fullerton Bay Hotel, go to http://www.fullertonbayhotel.com/

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