The international lifestyle hotel group has opened both a regional office and a new member hotel in Singapore.

The new office, one of 7 worldwide, will provide enhanced activities, as well as marketing and communications services to the 28 current members in the region. Iain Ainsworth, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at design hotels(tm) comments: "We consciously chose Singapore as the well-established key hub within the Asia-Pacific region to complement our existing offices in Bali and Tokyo."

design hotels(tm) plans to open further offices in Australia and India over the next few years, a move which is reflective of the company's continuing expansion in terms of new member hotels and general travel volume.

NEW MAJESTIC HOTEL: Heritage, Design & Culture

Concurrent with the opening of the new office, design hotels(tm) is also celebrating the addition of a new member, the New Majestic Hotel, located in the heart of Singapore's Chinatown. Designed by local firm Ministry of Design, the New Majestic is a stimulating brew of local culture, design and the arts that pries apart the moulds of convention.

The hotel features a dramatic all-white open concept period lobby with vintage Compton fans, the Majestic Restaurant which is a modern reinvention of one of old Singapore's favourite Chinese dining rooms, a dramatic pool with glass inserts floating above the restaurant, as well as chic loft-style guestrooms finished in a variety of styles by local designers and artists.

Of the 30 rooms, some feature floor to ceiling mirrors; others feature aquarium-like bathtubs in the middle of the room, whimsical four-poster beds suspended from the ceiling or a garden terrace with an outdoor tub. Each has been transformed into a visual and conceptual experience through site-specific artwork created by 9 of Singapore's emerging artists. These range from joyful pop art murals to upside-down anamorphic messages that work together with vintage and designer furniture to create a one-of-a-kind fantastical space.

Owner/creator Loh Lik Peng has also engaged five of Singapore's most prominent creative talents drawn from the fields of interior and graphic design, fashion and film production to personalize the five signature suites. The results are spaces ranging from cement-clad serenity to an outrageous party-den in fuchsia and turquoise.

With all its quirkiness, the New Majestic Hotel is a tasteful concoction of heritage chic and modern design that brings out Singapore's best - both old and new.