As the 389-room Amara Singapore straddles the financial district and Chinatown, the latter’s surroundings were woven into the upgrade, even as eco-friendly features like an in-room filtered tap water system provides drinking water.
“This refurbishment is not merely an upgrading but a reinvigoration of our commitment to luxury and innovation while not losing sight of our roots as one of the first hotels in Tanjong Pagar to cater to business travellers,” said Dawn Teo, COO of Amara Hotels and Resorts.
The redesigned level three features a grand ballroom, divisible into two smaller rooms, and four function rooms that seat between 20 and 40 pax in classroom or banquet seating configuration. The natural light-bathed, pillarless grand ballroom seats up to 500 delegates theatre-style or half that number in banquet layout.
The spacious central foyer may be configured to suit various event needs; a side bar serves anything from coffee to cocktails.
On Sentosa Island, at the 140-room Amara Sanctuary Sentosa, flora and foliage adorn communal areas like the lobby and restaurant as well as guest rooms, suites and villas.
Sanctuary Tearoom, the main dining facility, sits 146 pax – 88 indoors and 58 alfresco – and can be booked for private events. The adjacent Glass Pavilion takes 24 guests in six-seat clusters and 50 in buffet layout.
Behind the residential block, a stand-alone, two-storey glass building for meetings and events comprises a grand ballroom and seven function rooms. Capacity ranges from 12 pax to 580, depending on the type of event and the layout chosen.
Both hotels offer meeting planners heritage tours. At Amara Singapore, a two-hour walking tour led by a former gangster takes participants through Chinatown alleys that held opium dens and saw secret society gang fights in decades past.
The Amara Sanctuary guided tour explores its sprawling grounds, recounting its history as a British military facility, including two air-raid shelters, and ending with Gunner cocktails.
Another benefit for event planners is the cross-marketing offered. For meetings at Amara Singapore, cocktails and dinner can be arranged at Amara Sanctuary, as can an optional post-event stay. With Amara Sanctuary well-suited to incentive tours and corporate retreats, an event can be hosted at the city hotel or it can be used for a post-event stay for attendees to see more of the main island.
“Our teams at Amara Singapore and Amara Sanctuary work together to provide corporates with the perfect MICE experience,” said Teo.
“This collaboration allows for a seamless combination of the leisure grounds of our Sentosa resort and conference facilities at our Tanjong Pagar hotel, conveniently located in the CBD.”
