SINGAPORE, 31st October, 2016 – After almost two decades of renowned hospitality, Swissôtel Merchant Court, Singapore underwent an 18-month long refurbishment to better align itself with the needs and expectations of today’s travellers. The urban resort located in the historical district of the Singapore River now boasts an increased number of rooms – refurnished with coloured themes, a transformed Ellenborough Market Café, a new Crossroads Bar and a luxury Swiss spa, the Pürovel Spa & Sport. The lobby area, walkways and restrooms have also been given a fresh coat of paint to complete the makeover.

“Today’s guests have a new set of needs, both tangible and intrinsic. At Swissôtel Merchant Court we strive to go the extra mile by recognizing and acknowledging our guests as individuals who value good environmental design that enhances one’s wellness, With the Pürovel Spa & Sport, we aim to deliver fine Swiss hospitality by transporting our guests to the vitality of the Alpine seasons with unique Swiss-inspired treatments and amenities produced organically in Switzerland. And throughout our premises we have incorporated and embraced the local Peranakan culture with our design landscape and ample gourmet offerings at Ellenborough Market Café and Crossroads Bar, besides western à la carte alfresco dining at Blue Potato. This is in line with the Swissôtel vision to offer our guests an authentic and local travel experience that is full of energy, passion and vitality, and our philosophy of promoting fine Swiss hospitality with Nyonya geniality,” says Rainer Tenius, the hotel’s General Manager since 2008.“We are also thrilled to announce two recent wins, marking a bright start for the new Swissôtel Merchant Court Singapore. The hotel was recently recognized for its Green efforts with the SHA-NEA 3R Awards for Hotel (Merit) 2016 – for commendable waste minimisation and recycling practices. And two days later, on 26th October 2016, our Executive Chef Louis Tay led the Singapore National Culinary Team to clinch double Gold, the nation’s first, at the IKA Culinary Olympics 2016 in Erfurt, Germany”, he adds.

Unveiling a New Legacy – Making Hotel Home

Following the refurbishment, the Swissôtel Merchant Court has an increased number of Premier Rooms (238 rooms), Eighteen Swiss Select Clarke Quay Rooms and six Swiss Select Studio Rooms, which offer a private balcony with a view, Swiss Advantage Rooms (160) and two exclusive Swiss Executive Floors (51 rooms) including a refreshed Swiss Executive Lounge, three Suites, three Food & Beverage outlets, a column free ballroom and seven function rooms.

All rooms are well appointed and furnished with a full range of amenities to serve both leisure and business travellers alike. They include a complimentary Handy smartphone, which allows guests to surf the Internet and make IDD calls to 10 selected countries, high-speed internet access, coffee and tea making facilities, in-room safe, and a well-stocked resident’s bar. Two separate IDD phones with individual data ports are standard for all rooms. To meet the high demands of corporate travellers on the go, dedicated Work & Surf areas are available in the hotel lobby with complimentary high speed Internet access throughout the hotel.For discerning travellers, rooms on the Executive floors provide a well-stocked resident’s bar, in-room Nespresso coffee machine, daily complimentary breakfast and evening drinks at the Swiss Executive Lounge, two separate IDD telephones, high-speed internet access, a separate data port, international plugs at the writing desk and an ergonomically designed work area to ensure optimum comfort while working.

For guests travelling with kids, the Swissôtel Kids Room promises loads of merry for kids up to 12 years of age. These guest rooms are available as adjoining or connecting rooms, providing complete convenience for the family. Decorated with toys and books, the room offers beds with adorable themed bedding and colourful clothing hangers in the wardrobe. Writing desks and chairs in fun colours are also available for children to work on their paper crafts. The bathroom comes with child-friendly amenities such as a step stool, flavoured toothpaste and vibrant coloured plastic tumblers. For toddlers, a baby bathtub and bath toys will be provided. To keep the kids entertained, the Kids Room is equipped with a selection of books and entertainment options including Xbox, Wii games, DVD players, DVD movies and kids’ channels on cable TV. For outdoor activities, kids will enjoy the water slides and wading pool located on level two of the hotel. Babysitting service is also available at a fee.

Pürovel Spa & Sport made its Singapore debut at Swissôtel Merchant Court in January 2016, as the city's first luxury Swiss spa sanctuary inspired by the natural vitality of the Alpine seasons. At Pürovel Spa & Sport, guests are enticed to experience all four seasons of natural vitality in unique treatment sessions. Each Pürovel Spa & Sport experience is further enhanced by bath amenities produced organically in Switzerland, scented with notes evoking the fresh Alpine air, dense verdant forests and the flower-filled pastures of the Swiss Alps. A visit to Pürovel Spa & Sport promises to be an exclusive and intimate experience, with three single treatment rooms and one couple's treatment room. For utmost privacy and pampering, each treatment room also features a private shower facility.For recreation, one can choose to relax by the idyllic pool area, which features recreational facilities including a resort-style pool, water slides and an outdoor Jacuzzi for relaxation. For an invigorating workout, the well-equipped two-level gymnasium operates 24 hours daily to allow a good workout anytime of the day or night.

Food and Beverage facilities at the Hotel include a café, a lobby lounge and a pool terrace & bar. The hotel’s flagship Ellenborough Market Café offers an exciting dining adventure with a Hampton-esque dining hall, a big transformation over four months of refurbishment. Having shed its classic wood-centric interior for a facelift that celebrates Peranakan heritage, Ellenborough Market Café offers an extended menu of International and Nyonya cuisine with a modern, playful interpretation on all-time favourites. Taking heritage into the future, the restaurant looks forward to contributing to the local dining landscape with its style of Modern Straits Cuisine.

Crossroads Bar at the lobby is grandly poised as a chic bar offering well-made drinks and accompanying dining menus. Inviting floor to ceiling windows and a sophisticated vibe makes it the ideal venue too for a charming afternoon tea or social hours after dusk. A unique point of highlight is the ceiling-mounted scrolls inscribed with historical snippets of its past Clarke Quay port locale at the crossroads of cultures.

Helmed by the charismatic Head Bartender, Mark Graham Thomas, the bar offers bespoke cocktails ingeniously concocted with house-made syrups and sodas, nuances of local fruits and spices, as well as herbs from the hotel’s garden. Previously from B-Bar Bacchanalia, Mark is an accomplished third place winner in the national finals of the Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year 2014, His signature creations include the Chinatown Rumble featuring smoked nutmeg – a well-loved Asian spice, and Jaded Silk made with vodka infused with fresh melon, cooked down personally by Mark. And to accompany these tipples is a gourmet menu of Asian inspired tapas created by the hotel’s Executive Chef Louis Tay. Besides the double Gold win at the recent IKA Culinary Olympics 2016 in Germany, the award-winning chef also previously led another team earlier in the year to win Gold for the third time at the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg.

The Crossroads Bar also offers light breakfast options, and afternoon high tea (Peranakan and Classic).Blue Potato is located on the second level pool deck overlooking the picturesque Clarke Quay and Singapore River. Set amidst a lush landscape with just the perfect lighting to enhance its surroundings, Blue Potato serves award- winning Western à la carte menu with a good selection of wine and beverages (Wine and Dine, Singapore’s Top Restaurants 2013-2016).

Enjoy the hustle and bustle of Clarke Quay while imbibing a glass of wine or beer at the River Kiosk. Located right beside Ellenborough Market Café, the kiosk features outdoor seating where diners can relax and enjoy the breath-taking scenery of Singapore River. Along with light bites, the River Kiosk offers a selection of wines, beers as well as other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.For banqueting facilities, seminars and conferences, there are seven function rooms and a column free, high-ceiling ballroom that seats 500 guests comfortably. The adjoining pre-function area outside the ballroom is a perfect space for an exclusive cocktail reception. Modern facilities for data/video conferencing, data projector, ports for high-speed internet access and a comprehensive range of conference equipment are available as well.

FACILITIES & SERVICES

A resort-style swimming pool, an outdoor Jacuzzi, water slides, 162 underground parking lots, laundry and dry-cleaning, 24-hour gymnasium, 24-hour self-service launderette and 24-hour in-room dining.

Swissôtel Merchant Court, Singapore is located at:

20 Merchant Road

Singapore 058281