Amara Singapore has completed the first phase of its room refurbishments, following Amara Hotels & Resorts’ announcement of a comprehensive brand redesign for its flagship Singapore properties.

Currently, 389 rooms have undergone the redesign; Amara Singapore has worked with hospitality design firm Studio HBA to draw inspiration from cultural relics in the hotel’s vicinity, from the traditional hawker stalls at Tanjong Pagar Plaza, to the conserved shophouses found throughout the Chinatown Historic District and the heritage trees in the nearby Duxton Plain Park.

“Amara Singapore has seen immense transformation in the past 38 years since it was first established in 1986,” said Dawn Teo, senior vice president of Amara Hotels & Resorts. “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.”

This philosophy extends beyond the guest rooms, with corridors featuring intricate wallcoverings inspired by the textured alleyways of neighbouring shophouses, and an overall interplay between wood, earthy material and green accents drawing from the vicinity’s history and culture.

Grab-and-go in the lobby

Compared to the quiet sanctuary of the guest rooms, the newly introduced Lobby Bar exudes a more vibrant energy that changes with the rhythm of the day, from natural lighting in the day to a soft glow from the Bar’s lights in the evening.

The Lobby Bar is also more theatrical in its presentation, with the solid granite steps that lead to it harkening to the covered walkways found within the Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood, and the terracotta elements used in the bar’s backdrop referencing the roofs of the local shophouses.

The Lobby Bar pays homage to the heritage of the surrounding Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood, where the hotel first opened in 1986.

Meanwhile, the adjacent Cafe Oriental has now reopened after undergoing interior refurbishment, using the Tanjong Pagar Plaza Food Centre as the design anchor for the space.

In a reimagining of the modern-day hawker stall, the café has infused the space with details from the tiled floor pattern to the stainless-steel counters commonly found in local hawker stalls.

“Central to our design philosophy was honouring the significance of Amara Hotel’s rich history within the community – it has and always will serve as a cornerstone in the heart of the Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood,” said Joris Angevaare, partner at Studio HBA. “Our aim was to create a space that embodies comfort and engagement yet also exudes vitality, highlighted by the interactions between guests and locals.”