Tweet
Raffles is a lucky dip
By Nur Dianah Suhaimi
Gold Coast Bulletin (Australia)
August 6, 2005 Saturday
The famous Raffles of Singapore may be losing some of its facade of
wonder writes Nur Dianah Suhaimi
AUTHOR Somerset Maugham penned novels under the frangipani trees at
Raffles Hotel in the 1920s. Ernest Hemingway sipped Singapore Slings
at the Long Bar and, in 1967, the hotel was the backdrop for the
movie Pretty Polly.
But if it once was an artists' haunt, the present-day Raffles Hotel,
made a national monument in 1987, is a far cry from its former self.
"The hotel is nothing more than a kitschy icon of Singapore's colonial
past," said Cyril Wong, a Singaporean poet. "It's romantic surroundings
are no longer relevant to today's writers who wish to be inspired by
contemporary issues."
Some think the 118-year-old hotel, a recent acquisition by US-based
Colony Capital, is just another self-important colonial structure of
the past.
"It started as a colonial enterprise and is now another foreign
enterprise," said Economist Group researcher Yasmine Yahya.
"There has never been anything particularly Singaporean about the
Raffles Hotel identity. Now it has been sold to Westerners, I guess
the Raffles story has come full circle."
The hotel, formerly an Arab mer-chant's bungalow, was opened by
Armenian hoteliers in 1887.
In 1933, after the death of its last Armenian owner, Raffles Hotel
was made a public company called Raffles Hotel Ltd.
But many of today's writers and artists would rather draw inspiration
from buildings being torn down than from the old colonial landmark
it-self, said poet Wong, 28.
"If there's a writer who gets his inspiration from Raffles Hotel today,
I'd tell him 'Go to Little India -- talk about the real thing'."
Little India is one of Singapore's ethnic enclaves which has managed
to resist much of the urbanisation that has overtaken the area
around Raffles.
Tony Watts, editor of a magazine for expatriates, believes the hotel's
former reputation as a writers' haunt may have been a bit overblown.
"It was probably not the hotel which inspired writers at the time
but the tropical, undeveloped sur-roundings of Southeast Asia,"
said Watts, an expatriate of eight years.
"Back then, Raffles Hotel might just be another one of those exciting
places to be in this exotic region."
Introduced to many through the movie Pretty Polly , the ambience of
the hotel was elevated beyond its reality. The film starred Hayley
Mills and Trevor Howard in a Noel Coward romantic comedy about a
young woman who spends a few months as a travelling companion with
her wealthy aunt.
The hotel today is largely fre-quented by wealthy tourists who don't
mind splurging on hospitality and food.
Despite its central location, few locals frequent the hotel.
"It's not for teenagers like me," said Gan Ruben, an 18-year-old who
works at the Raffles Cafe. "Prices here are too expensive."
By Nur Dianah Suhaimi
Gold Coast Bulletin (Australia)
August 6, 2005 Saturday
The famous Raffles of Singapore may be losing some of its facade of
wonder writes Nur Dianah Suhaimi
AUTHOR Somerset Maugham penned novels under the frangipani trees at
Raffles Hotel in the 1920s. Ernest Hemingway sipped Singapore Slings
at the Long Bar and, in 1967, the hotel was the backdrop for the
movie Pretty Polly.
But if it once was an artists' haunt, the present-day Raffles Hotel,
made a national monument in 1987, is a far cry from its former self.
"The hotel is nothing more than a kitschy icon of Singapore's colonial
past," said Cyril Wong, a Singaporean poet. "It's romantic surroundings
are no longer relevant to today's writers who wish to be inspired by
contemporary issues."
Some think the 118-year-old hotel, a recent acquisition by US-based
Colony Capital, is just another self-important colonial structure of
the past.
"It started as a colonial enterprise and is now another foreign
enterprise," said Economist Group researcher Yasmine Yahya.
"There has never been anything particularly Singaporean about the
Raffles Hotel identity. Now it has been sold to Westerners, I guess
the Raffles story has come full circle."
The hotel, formerly an Arab mer-chant's bungalow, was opened by
Armenian hoteliers in 1887.
In 1933, after the death of its last Armenian owner, Raffles Hotel
was made a public company called Raffles Hotel Ltd.
But many of today's writers and artists would rather draw inspiration
from buildings being torn down than from the old colonial landmark
it-self, said poet Wong, 28.
"If there's a writer who gets his inspiration from Raffles Hotel today,
I'd tell him 'Go to Little India -- talk about the real thing'."
Little India is one of Singapore's ethnic enclaves which has managed
to resist much of the urbanisation that has overtaken the area
around Raffles.
Tony Watts, editor of a magazine for expatriates, believes the hotel's
former reputation as a writers' haunt may have been a bit overblown.
"It was probably not the hotel which inspired writers at the time
but the tropical, undeveloped sur-roundings of Southeast Asia,"
said Watts, an expatriate of eight years.
"Back then, Raffles Hotel might just be another one of those exciting
places to be in this exotic region."
Introduced to many through the movie Pretty Polly , the ambience of
the hotel was elevated beyond its reality. The film starred Hayley
Mills and Trevor Howard in a Noel Coward romantic comedy about a
young woman who spends a few months as a travelling companion with
her wealthy aunt.
The hotel today is largely fre-quented by wealthy tourists who don't
mind splurging on hospitality and food.
Despite its central location, few locals frequent the hotel.
"It's not for teenagers like me," said Gan Ruben, an 18-year-old who
works at the Raffles Cafe. "Prices here are too expensive."