Prevue March/April 2013 - (Page 81)

W Singapore This hotel in this city is a marriage made in heaven, with BBQ stingray street food to boot. [ON LOCATION] JOHN ANDERSON I t’s 1 a.m. and the ballroom at the brand new 240-room W Singapore Sentosa Cove is packed with hundreds of the city’s most fashionable scenesters dancing to the pulsing beats of international star DJ Mark Ronson, just off the plane from London. Club tunes thump from a state-ofthe-art sound system while a bank of high-tech disco lights rain a swirl of colors throughout the room. Champagne flows as revelers raise glasses in celebration of the hotel’s grand opening gala. Such a dramatic wow event is a prime example of what planners can do here in Singapore’s glitziest new resort. Located south of the city center on Sentosa Island, the spacious waterfront property is a departure from W’s typically compact urban retreats, highlighted by the 7,750-sf Great Room where the party rages well into the night. “The W Singapore has a lot more meeting facilities than other W hotels,” says Charles Abbott, Starwood’s regional VP, South East Asia. “We have the Great Room and our outdoor facilities, so you can do a lot of specialty events. There’s a lot of potential for us to grow the meetings business here and become something special, especially with groups that want to be identified with the W brand.” The hotel offers a total of 17,800 sf of indoor meeting space. From the moment you arrive, this fantastically plush hotel pushes the design envelope at every turn. A red carpet sweeps you from the car through the entryway, where a large LED panel projects colored lights behind a wall of cascading water. Red carpet continues up a grand staircase with a river of lights flowing into the lounge and lobby, featuring gorgeous rosewood block check-in desks framed by laser-cut rosewood panels. Those are backlit by shades of red, pink, white and violet light depending on the mood of the day. After check-in, a DJ works the ultra-hip Living Room lounge and Woobar, a cool, relaxed gathering spot ideal for small group confabs in modern seed pod chairs, surrounded by views of the pool and ocean. Outside on the terrace, there’s an oversized rock garden and day beds. Right below, the sprawling circular lawn and pool lounge are rimmed by palm trees and bars and hors d’oeuvres stations. Attendees who fancy a swim in the 14,000-sf pool won’t miss a beat with 24 underwater speakers. As evident with tonight’s partygoers, it’s an ideal area for large events, especially with Singapore’s year-round summery weather. Guests traveling by boat have no problem getting to the gala by easily docking at one of 10 slips on-property, a unique feature that offers a number of nautical options for groups. “We’ve already organized sunset and night cruises,” says Stephane Fabregoul, GM. “Unlike other hotels, our groups can just walk down to our marina.” From the pool lounge, I step into the Kitchen Table where I’m struck by the fabulous design. Like a Philippe Starck fantasy, it’s at once modern, conceptual and playful, yet as earthy as old Singapore. A communal table wraps from floor to ceiling while an enormous chandelier of hundreds of cockle shells hovers over rustic tables and chairs of solid rosewood. The casual buffet restaurant features cuisines representative of the melting pot of prevueonline.net | 77 http://www.prevueonline.net

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue March/April 2013

Planner's Pick: Miami
Fresh Meets: Renaissance Hotels
Bureau Buzz: Austin
Good Business: Washington, DC
Sea Shores: Cruising Sweden
Feelin' Good About Incentives
Special Section: California
On Location: JW Marriott Desert Springs
Caribbean & The Bahamas
On Location: U.S. Virgin Islands
On Location: Aruba
On Location: Omni Amelia Island
The South: Best of Golf & Spa
On Location: Fairmont Scottsdale
On Location: W Singapore
Austria
Ireland
On Location: Mexico City
On Location: Starwood Los Cabos
On Location: Universal Orlando
On Location: Villas of Grand Cypress, Orlando
Check Out: Alpina Gstaad, Switzerland
Club Med

Prevue March/April 2013