Raffles Singapore — Hotel Review
Raffles Singapore is one of the most recognisable hotels in the world. Opened on 1 December 1887 by the Sarkies Brothers on Beach Road in Singapore’s civic district, it was gazetted as a Singapore National Monument in 1987 — a century after its founding. Following a two-year closure for full renovation in 2017–2019, it reopened in August 2019 with 115 suites, restored public spaces, and a refreshed dining programme. The hotel is part of Accor’s portfolio via the group’s acquisition of Raffles Hotels & Resorts, and earns ALL Accor reward points — though, as with most things at Raffles Singapore, the loyalty mechanics are more nuanced than at a standard Accor property.
This is an all-suite hotel: there are no standard rooms. Every guest occupies a suite with personal butler service, and rates reflect that positioning — cash rates regularly exceed SGD 1,500 per night and frequently approach SGD 3,000 for premium suite categories. For ALL Accor members, the points-as-discount redemption system means there are no “free night” award bookings here; points reduce the cash cost at a fixed rate. The most compelling route for UK-based travellers with an American Express Platinum card is Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, which layers daily breakfast for two and a USD 100 property credit onto the booking without requiring Accor elite status.
| At a Glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Programme | ALL Accor Live Limitless (Raffles brand) |
| Address | 1 Beach Road, Singapore 189673 |
| MRT access | Esplanade MRT (Circle Line) — approximately 2–3 minutes on foot; the closest station to the hotel. City Hall MRT (North-South Line and East-West Line interchange) — approximately 5 minutes on foot. The hotel is in Singapore’s colonial and civic district, between the CBD and Marina Bay |
| Distance from Airport | Approximately 20–30 minutes from Changi International Airport (SIN) by taxi or Grab, depending on traffic (the hotel’s own estimate is 16–21 minutes in normal conditions). No direct MRT; standard route involves at least one transfer and takes around 40–50 minutes |
| Building | Three-floor colonial building; National Monument of Singapore since 1987. Fully renovated 2017–2019, reopened August 2019. Ownership: Katara Hospitality (Qatar). Management: Accor (Raffles Hotels & Resorts) |
| Suites | 115 suites in total — this is an all-suite hotel, with no standard rooms. Suite categories: Studio Suites (6, above the Grand Lobby); Courtyard Suites (31, clustered around the main building); State Room Suites (historic Bras Basah wing); Palm Court Suites (approx. 70 sqm, original Palm Court wing); Personality Suites (named after famous past guests including Somerset Maugham and Rudyard Kipling); Residence Suites (in the Raffles Arcade); Promenade Suites; Grand Hotel Suites (multiple configurations including Straits Settlement, Colonial Heritage, and Grand Hotel variants); Presidential Suites (Sarkies Suite and Sir Stamford Raffles Suite). All suites include personal 24/7 butler service, four-poster or king bed, Victorian marble bathrooms, and antique furnishings |
| Club lounge | None. Raffles Singapore does not have a club lounge. Raffles brand properties are not subject to the standard ALL Accor Platinum lounge access benefit |
| Dining & Bars | yì by Jereme Leung (Chinese fine dining, regional Chinese cuisine); Tiffin Room (North Indian, established 1892, served in traditional tiffin carriers, tableside service by chefs); Butcher’s Block (single-sourced steakhouse, Raffles Arcade); Grand Lobby (afternoon tea, Victorian pillars and skylight); Raffles Courtyard (alfresco, Raffles Arcade, cocktails and cold drinks); Long Bar (home of the original Singapore Sling, two-storey, 1920s Malayan-inspired décor — guests invited to discard peanut shells on the floor); Writers Bar (lobby cocktail bar, named in tribute to literary guests) |
| Facilities | Outdoor pool; Raffles Spa (treatments across Asian, Middle Eastern and European traditions; VIP suite with jacuzzi, steam shower and lounge; steam room, sauna, ice fountain); fitness centre; Raffles Arcade with 40 specialty boutiques; Jubilee Ballroom (events) |
| Butler service | 24/7 personal butler included for all suites at no additional charge. Butlers assist with unpacking, pressing, reservations, and in-suite dining arrangements. This is a brand standard at Raffles, not a status benefit |
| Nearby | Raffles City shopping centre: 5 minutes on foot. National Gallery Singapore: 10 minutes on foot. Marina Bay Sands: approximately 15 minutes on foot or 5 minutes by taxi. Singapore Art Museum, St Andrew’s Cathedral, and Esplanade — Theatres on the Bay are all within easy walking distance |
| Check-in / out | 15:00 / 12:00. Guests are checked in within their suite by the butler rather than at a front desk. ALL Accor Platinum and above members: early check-in and late check-out both subject to availability |
| Parking | Free private parking available for in-house guests |
| Heritage | Opened 1 December 1887. National Monument of Singapore since 1987. The hotel offers complimentary heritage tours led by a resident historian. Literary guests have included Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling and Noël Coward. The Singapore Sling was invented at the Long Bar around 1915. Filming location for the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians |
Location
Raffles Singapore occupies 1 Beach Road, at the junction of Singapore’s colonial civic district, Bras Basah, and the edge of Marina Bay. The address is convenient for anyone whose visit centres on the CBD, Marina Bay, the National Gallery, or Singapore’s arts and heritage corridor — it is a short walk from Raffles City, and within 10–15 minutes on foot of the Esplanade, National Gallery, and the waterfront. City Hall MRT puts the rest of the network within easy reach, and Esplanade MRT (Circle Line) is just two or three minutes on foot — the most convenient station for the hotel.
For Orchard Road access, the location is less central than properties on the shopping strip — the Orchard Road end of Singapore is approximately 15–20 minutes by taxi. For arrivals from Changi, the taxi journey is around 20–25 minutes. As with all central Singapore locations, the public transport link to the airport involves at least one transfer and takes considerably longer than a direct taxi or Grab.
Suites
There are 115 suites across the three-floor colonial building, and no standard rooms — every guest is a suite guest. The entry-level Studio Suites sit above the Grand Lobby; the 31 Courtyard Suites are the most accessible and frequently booked category, clustered around the hotel’s central courtyards with easy access to the main building and Long Bar. All suites were renovated during the 2017–2019 closure and feature Victorian marble bathrooms — some with Peranakan tiling, a nod to the region’s heritage — four-poster or king beds, antique furnishings, and the original high ceilings of the 19th-century structure.
The Personality Suites are among the more sought-after categories: named after famous past residents including Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, and Noël Coward, they carry individual design elements reflecting each figure’s connection to the hotel. At the upper end, the two Presidential Suites — the Sarkies Suite (named after the founding brothers) and the Sir Stamford Raffles Suite — include floor areas of 260 sqm and above, with separate parlours, dining rooms, and pantries with full kitchen facilities. All suites include 24/7 personal butler service as standard.
Dining and Bars
The dining programme at Raffles Singapore has been reshaped significantly since the 2019 reopening. The flagship restaurant is yì by Jereme Leung, a Chinese fine dining experience led by the celebrated Hong Kong-born chef, with a menu that traverses China’s regional culinary traditions. Tiffin Room has operated since 1892 and continues to serve North Indian cuisine in traditional tiffin carriers, with tableside service by chefs — the breakfast here is widely regarded as one of the best hotel breakfasts in Singapore. Butcher’s Block, housed in the Raffles Arcade, focuses on single-sourced beef from around the world and is designed around an open kitchen and wine tower.
The Grand Lobby serves afternoon tea beneath a Victorian skylight and floor-to-ceiling Ionic pillars. The Raffles Courtyard offers alfresco drinks and cocktails in the landscaped outdoor arcade. The Writers Bar is a composed, intimate lobby cocktail bar with a literary theme. And the Long Bar is the centrepiece of the Raffles Arcade: a two-storey, 1920s Malayan-inspired room where guests are invited to leave their peanut shells on the floor, and where the Singapore Sling — the gin-based cocktail created at this bar around 1915 — remains the defining order.
ALL Accor — Earning and Elite Benefits
ALL Accor does not use an award chart or offer free night redemptions. Points carry a fixed cash value — 2,000 points equals a €40 discount against your stay, redeemable in multiples of 2,000. This means there is no “sweet spot” redemption and no way to get outsized value: a night at Raffles Singapore that costs €700 cash requires the same value of points as a night at an ibis nearby. For UK members, the practical use of points is as a partial discount against a cash booking. The most efficient way to use ALL Accor points is to redeem as soon as you have a minimum balance of 2,000 points — there is no benefit to accumulating a large balance in the hope of a better redemption later. For a full breakdown of how ALL Accor works, see our Accor Live Limitless guide.
| Benefit | Notes |
|---|---|
| Points redemption | 2,000 ALL Accor points = €40 off your stay (fixed rate — no award chart, no free nights). Points can offset part or all of a cash booking with no blackout dates, in minimum increments of 2,000 points. Cash rates at Raffles Singapore regularly exceed SGD 1,500/night and can approach SGD 3,000+ for premium categories |
| Base earn | 25 ALL reward points per €10 of eligible spend at Raffles and other Accor luxury brands. Silver members earn +25% bonus; Gold +50%; Platinum +75%; Diamond +100% on top of base |
| Room upgrade | Gold and above receive a next-category room upgrade if available at check-in. Platinum and Diamond members may also use Suite Night Upgrades (SNUs) — these are the mechanism for securing a suite upgrade in advance. SNUs must be applied through the Accor global booking office for Raffles properties (not via the hotel directly). Villas, speciality suites, and presidential suites are excluded from standard upgrades |
| Breakfast | Platinum and Diamond members receive complimentary breakfast at hotels in the Asia-Pacific region as a standard status benefit. At Raffles Singapore, where there is no club lounge, breakfast is served in the main restaurant (Tiffin Room). This is one of the most valuable ALL Accor elite benefits in this region, given the quality and cost of the Tiffin Room breakfast |
| Club lounge | No club lounge at this property. Raffles Singapore does not have an executive lounge, and the Raffles brand is not covered by the standard ALL Accor Platinum lounge access benefit (which applies at Swissôtel properties but not at Fairmont or Raffles) |
| Late checkout | Gold members: early check-in OR late checkout, subject to availability. Platinum and above: both early check-in AND late checkout, subject to availability. Neither is guaranteed at a specific time |
| Welcome amenity | Gold and above: welcome drink on arrival plus a welcome amenity at the property |
| Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts | Raffles Singapore participates in Amex FHR. Booking via FHR (requires Amex Platinum or Centurion Card) provides: daily breakfast for two, USD 100 property credit, room upgrade subject to availability, noon check-in subject to availability, guaranteed 4pm late checkout, and a property-specific amenity. FHR bookings still earn ALL Accor points and elite night credits. For UK Amex Platinum cardholders, this is the most effective route to access the property — the breakfast and property credit represent material value at Raffles-level rack rates, and the 4pm late checkout is more reliably delivered through FHR than via ALL Accor status |
| UK earn routes | ALL Accor has no UK co-branded credit card. Amex Membership Rewards is not a transfer partner for ALL Accor. Amex Platinum does not confer ALL Accor elite status (unlike Hilton and Marriott). The primary UK earn route is hotel stays. ALL Accor points can be transferred to airline miles — Iberia Plus is the best route for UK members seeking Avios, at a 1:1 rate (3,000 ALL points = 3,000 Avios), compared to British Airways Executive Club which transfers at 2:1 (4,000 ALL points = 2,000 Avios). Once in an Iberia Plus account, Avios can be moved to BA or other Avios programmes at 1:1 via the Avios transfer tool. Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) also accepts ALL Accor transfers at 1:1. The ALL Accor+ paid subscription (€ annual fee) provides instant Gold status and status points toward Platinum, which may be worth considering for frequent Accor visitors |
Raffles Singapore is not primarily a points hotel — it is one of the world’s great grand dame properties, and it prices accordingly. ALL Accor‘s fixed-value redemption system means points here are simply a discount mechanism, not a route to an aspirational award stay. That said, the elite benefits are genuinely strong in Asia-Pacific: Platinum status delivers complimentary breakfast at the Tiffin Room, which is exceptional by any measure, and the butler service is brand-standard for all guests regardless of status. For UK-based Amex Platinum cardholders, the Fine Hotels + Resorts rate is the recommended booking path — it adds daily breakfast for two and a USD 100 credit at the same flexible rate you would pay directly, while still earning ALL Accor points and night credits. If a stay at Raffles Singapore is on the list, the most sensible approach is: book direct or via FHR, apply whatever ALL Accor points you have as a partial discount, and arrive with Platinum status (or via FHR) to secure the breakfast. The Long Bar Singapore Sling, the butler service, and the Tiffin Room breakfast are each worth the price of the ticket on their own terms.
