Following a AU$45 million overhaul, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, owned by Pan Pacific Hotels Group, has completed its transformation into Singapore’s first ‘Garden-in-a-Hotel’, establishing the property as one of the country’s most ecologically focused and innovative hotels.
Whoa. Where do you begin to describe this extreme hotel makeover of a most natural and contemporary kind? Singapore’s new tropicool kid in the Merlion city is the reimagined ParkRoyal Collection Marina Bay.
The building is one of the four atrium hotels in Singapore designed by the late John Portman, a neo-futuristic American architect widely known for popularising hotels with multi-storied atrium.
You may remember the property as the iconic Marina Mandarin? Well, since reopening in December 2020, it’s undergone an S45 million overhaul that has transformed the hotel into a living, luxe garden of Eden.
It’s located in the perfect spot for seeing all that’s great in Singapore and oozes style, class and a healthy dose of wellness and relaxation in and amongst the buzzing CBD.
Ready for a quick taste of this greenie urban paradise? Let’s go.
An Iconic Design
Walking into the property, you’ll be awestruck by the 13-metre-tall green wall at the lobby, with its cloud and mountain abstracts, which are evocative of a traditional Chinese landscape painting.
The lobby is home to two larger-than-life-sized sandalwood sculptures of ancient Chinese philosophers Li Bai and Confucius, which hark back to the ’80s and are the works of Taiwan’s renowned contemporary Sculptor Ju Ming.
The ParkRoyal Marina Bay also has Southeast Asia’s largest indoor skylit Atrium, a 21-storey-tall architectural design that exudes a sense of urban grandeur.
Orchidea, the suspended floral sculpture in the Atrium, was installed in 1986 by the famed American Wire Sculptor Richard Lippold. Some say it looks like a windfall of coins falling into cupped hands, signifying the Hotel’s prosperity.
Remarkably, the hotel is home to over 2,400 plants, trees, shrubs and groundcover from more than 60 varieties of flora. The overall landscape design integrates the plants into the hotel interior, creating the distinct impression of a layered, verdant forest and acting as a giant air purifier.
Take a stroll along the Skybridge and experience a walk above the forest canopy, flanked by pavilions that allude to the imagery of birds’ nests ensconced in the treetops.
Are we still in Singapore?
Sustainability at its heart
Rather than bulldoze the place and start again for the renovation, the hotel building’s iconic structure was preserved during the nine-month-long transformation, preventing more than 51,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being produced during construction – equivalent to cutting down 8.7 million trees or destroying an area larger than all of the nature reserves in Singapore.
The Hotel’s own rooftop Urban Farm contains over 60 varieties of fruit, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers, which form the backbone of the fresh farm-to-table concept at the Hotel’s restaurants, bars and spa.
With little farming land, Singapore imports over 90% of the food consumed in the country from overseas. The hotel Urban Farm is a major step forward in both fresher offerings and a genuine shout for more sustainable and cost-effective farming.
It also offers guests the opportunity to see where their food is grown and converse with the hotel’s chefs on ingredients and the variety of produce on offer.
It’s all about wellness and lifestyle
Unlike many traditional hotel designs where spaces are often kept apart, the hotel’s Skyline is a collection of blended spaces, which includes the COLLECTION Club Lounge, Skyline Bar, The Green Space – a multi-functional open space overlooking the city skyline and Marina Bay, made popular by outdoor yoga fans.
There’s also a 25-metre mineral water ‘Galaxy themed’ swimming pool that glows with 1,380 fibre optic lights at night.
Melvin Lim, General Manager of PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, said, “The PARKROYAL COLLECTION brand was created to champion sustainability and living responsibly, promote iconic architecture and design, as well as embrace wellness and lifestyle. We have certainly taken these up many notches as we reflect upon our multiple initiatives and achievements.”
Room rates start from AU$228 per person per night.
For more information, visit www.panpacific.com/marinabay