There are a few hotels in the world whose names have become virtually synonymous with the cities in which they are located – and none more so than Raffles in Singapore.

Named after Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore, Raffles was built 125 years ago on June 10th, more than a decade before the turn of the nineteenth century. It soon became the haunt of business tycoons, the great and good, rogues and adventurers, politicians, movie stars, authors and journalists.

Visiting writers included Rudyard Kipling, Somerset Maugham and Noel Coward, a host of foreign correspondents – all of whom fed in the stories and legends, fact and fiction, which have clung to the hotel ever since. Through their stories, the Long Bar, the Palm Court and the Billiard Room with its tiger, became familiar to people who had never even been to Singapore. Today these stories remain and are relished – but time has not been allowed to stand still at Raffles.

Today, Raffles Hotel Singapore is the proud flagship of the eight strong Raffles Hotels & Resorts, with sister hotels in Paris, Dubai, Cambodia, the Seychelles, Beijing and the Holy City of Makkah. The company is embarking on a new phase of expansion, with openings in Manila, Istanbul, Jakarta and Hainan in China, over the next two years.

With a compelling mix of cultures and styles, every hotel in the Raffles family has its own individual personality, with its own story to tell and its own sense of place.

However, each one is proud to draw on that timeless essence of Raffles – to deliver thoughtful, personal and discrete service to well-travelled guests – whether it is one of the legendary Raffles butlers, a brilliant sommelier, a gifted spa therapist, or a beach attendant with a wonderful big genuine smile.

Recent awards bear testament to this dedication to service. All of Raffles’ hotels have been in the spotlight over the past 12 months:

• RAFFLES BEIJING - Condé Nast Traveler (US Edition), World’s Best 100 Hotels, 2011
• RAFFLES GRAND HOTEL D’ANGKOR, Siem Reap and RAFFLES HOTEL LE ROYAL, Phnom Penh, Cambodia – both awarded the TripAdvisor 2012 Certificate of Excellence
• RAFFLES MAKKAH PALACE - World’s Leading Luxury All-Suite Hotel, World Travel Awards 2012
• RAFFLES DUBAI – Sommelier Sydney Rathnayake is named Sommelier of the Year at the 2011 Hotelier Middle East Awards
• RAFFLES PRASLIN, SEYCHELLES – Condé Nast Traveller (UK) Hot List 2012
• LE ROYAL MONCEAU, RAFFLES PARIS – Best New Hotel, TATLER Travel Awards 2011
• RAFFLES SINGAPORE - Best in Asia - 2012 Ultratravel 100 Awards