The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore

This is something different, both for Ritz-Carlton and for Singapore. A stunning slab of a skyscraper, designed by the Pritzker winner Kevin Roche, it towers over seven acres of lush gardens at Marina Centre, the new business and commercial district.

Long gone are both the traditional colonial Singapore style and the reserved international-luxe Ritz-Carlton style. The Millennia is cut from a different cloth entirely, its modernist architectural flourishes matched by clean-lined contemporary interiors, light timber finishes and Tibetan-style woven rugs replacing the standard European antiques. Also nowhere to be seen is the familiar spectacle of inoffensive B-grade hotel art, straining mightily not to be seen; the Millenia boasts works by the likes of Frank Stella, David Hockney, Andy Warhol.

The guest rooms are among the largest in town, and with their raised beds offer the perfect vantage for far-ranging views of the Singapore skyline and Marina Bay. The marble bathrooms feature high-tech fittings and deep soaking tubs that look out through huge octagonal windows. These rooms are a traveling businessman’s dream: wired and wireless internet access are available, in addition to web-enabled TV, and desks feature a selection of stationery and, in the upper-level Club Suites, mobile phones programmed to the room’s extension.

In typical Ritz-Carlton style the Millenia offers a variety of dining options, from Cantonese to seafood to English-style afternoon tea in the lobby lounge. Business and fitness facilities are generous, and the service is top-flight — as you’d rightly expect from a Ritz-Carlton in Singapore.