(SINGAPORE, 14 December 2017) Raffles Hotel Singapore bid farewell to its last guest as the hotel commenced the third and final phase of its restoration on 13 December 2017. The last guest was Mr Heinz Reiff, a Raffles Ambassador, who had stayed at the hotel for more than 20 times since 2011. To mark the occasion, Christian Westbeld, General Manager, Raffles Hotel Singapore, presented Mr Heinz Reiff with a specially-made, gold-plated hotel suite key, together with his favourite bottle of wine on his last day.  Raffles Hotel Singapore has maintained the use of suite keys at the hotel since 1991. The farewell ceremony also saw the hotel closing its doors for the third phase of its restoration, with its reopening planned for the second half of 2018.

Christian Westbeld, General Manager, Raffles Hotel Singapore presented Mr Heinz Reiff with the customised gift, together with Ronald Dooremalen, Hotel Manager, Raffles Hotel Singapore and the Raffles Hotel Singapore doormen

The third phase of the restoration will see the full closure of Raffles Hotel Singapore. While the restoration is designed to retain the charm and heritage of the iconic Raffles Hotel Singapore, its transformation will be elegantly and carefully curated to serve the evolving needs of the well-travelled and Singapore’s community.During the closure of Raffles Hotel Singapore, the Raffles Gift Shop will move to a temporary location along Seah Street and remain open throughout the restoration. To celebrate its glorious years of history and traditions, an exclusive 130th Anniversary stamp collection is also made available for purchase at the Gift Shop or online at http://www.raffleshotelgifts.com/. The collection is priced at S$29.90 each, and features iconic images such as the famous Singapore Sling, the legendary doorman, and more.