Amara Singapore Unveils Contemporary Room Redesign, Celebrating 38 Years of Heritage in Singapore's Dynamic Downtown Core
Amara Singapore elevates the guest experience with redesign of rooms to accommodate a greater variety of hospitality demands and priorities
The Lobby Bar
(Singapore) Following Amara Hotels & Resorts’ announcement of its comprehensive brand redesign for its flagship Singapore properties, Amara Singapore has revealed the first phase of completion of the refurbishment of its guest and meeting rooms. This latest transformation was crafted in collaboration with renowned hospitality design firm Studio HBA, a division of Hirsch Bedner Associates. The announcement marks the next milestone in the hotel’s commitment to offering unparalleled comfort and experiences to its guests within a home away from home.
Evolving Community
“Amara Singapore has seen immense transformation in the past 38 years since it was first established in 1986. Evolving alongside Tanjong Pagar over the past four decades, we have adopted a design philosophy that pays homage to the hotel’s culturally rich environs,” said Dawn Teo, Senior Vice President of Amara Hotels and Resorts. “This refurbishment is not merely a routine exercise of upgrading but a reinvigoration of our commitment to luxury and innovation while not losing sight of our roots as one of the first hotels in Tanjong Pagar to cater to business travellers.”
Our media tour began in the lobby where Dawn Teo and Joris Angevaare, Partner at Studio HBA explained the rationale behind its new design. “We wanted this to be a welcoming space. Now, everything is soft and warm here. Previously there was a huge reception counter there where guests signed in, but it was not welcoming for people in the community. Now it is a bar. Everything is designed to make people feel more welcome and comfortable here.”
Reflecting Tanjong Pagar’s Evolving Cultural Tapestry
Amara Singapore’s guestrooms have been crafted to reflect the evolving profile of the modern traveller. All 389 newly redesigned rooms at Amara Singapore have undergone sophisticated enhancements that reflect the hotel’s function as a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the city for guests.
The new design captures the hotel’s role as the vibrant social epicentre of the neighbourhood. Amara Singapore and Studio HBA have drawn inspiration from the vibrant gamut of cultural relics in the hotel’s vicinity. These include the traditional hawker stalls at Tanjong Pagar Plaza built in 1976, conserved shophouses found throughout the Chinatown Historic District dating back to the 19thcentury, and heritage trees in the nearby Duxton Plain Park. 
Historic Charm
The guest room corridors at Amara Singapore offer a tactile journey through the area's rich historical charm. Intricate wallcoverings are inspired by the textured alleyways of neighbouring shophouses, seamlessly blending past and present. This motif continues into the guestroom, where earthy and natural text
ures inspire the selection of materials. Light and dark timber laminate, tan leather, and black metal complement each other. The bathrooms feature handcrafted porcelain tiles, evoking the charm of those found in traditional shophouses and adding an artisanal touch to the interior. The interplay between wood, earthy material, and green accents is a symphony of design elements from the iconic historical stalwarts in the vicinity. This is further encapsulated by the lamps curated for each room, with their lamp shades evoking the quiet elegance of Chinese calligraphy and art found throughout the Chinatown Historic District. Each lamp is different, though maintaining the same motif.
“One comment we get from people who have stayed with us, is how big the rooms are,” Joris Angevaare states. “We haven’t changed the size of the rooms, it’s the new design that gives it the more spacious feeling.
Long-standing Relationship
Not only have the guest rooms been completely remodeled but so have the meeting rooms. With various sized rooms and the option to open them up or make them smaller those looking for a wedding venue or a small boardroom-sized meeting will have their needs met at the Amara. 
Dawn Teo, Senior Vice President of Amara Hotels and Resorts
“We are thrilled to extend our long-standing partnership with Amara Singapore, having worked together on the hotel’s first refresh back in 2000,” said Joris Angevaare. “We sought to design a space that resonates with the soul of the Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood, and our collaboration with Amara Singapore empowers us to go beyond simply creating a luxury hotel offering. Amara Singapore thus stands as an amalgamation of experiences defined by community, nuance, and diversity.”
Joris Angevaare, Partner at Studio HBA
Reflecting and Anticipating the Evolving Modern Traveller
Accommodating the dynamic needs of modern travellers today, guestrooms at Amara Singapore have been tailored to accentuate each guest’s stay, whether for business, leisure, or a blend of both. Each room comes equipped with a workstation and chaise lounge, ensuring the coexistence between relaxation and productivity. This is especially important to business travellers who often have many devices they need to plug in. The new design
keeps everything neater and accessible.
Sustainability initiatives are also embraced to preserve our environment for the next decades of travellers to come. Each room comes with an energy-efficient air-conditioning system andenergy-efficient motion sensor lighting. An in-room filtered water tap system has been installed to provide guests with fresh drinking water. These eco-friendly features seamlessly integrate with the room’s decor, echoing the area's cultural heritage through traditional Chinese motifs, including lanterns, calligraphy, and rich timber accents.
