On our sunny island sits the Hilton Singapore Orchard, the glittery new diamond of the Hilton empire. Here, Cedric Jaccard (partner and creative director at Avalon Collective) and Cedric Nubul (general manager of Hilton Singapore Orchard) discuss the present and future of the luxurious, at times humble establishment we call a hotel.
Hi Cedric, in comparison with your past projects — how would you say you have approached Hilton Singapore Orchard in the context of design?
CJ: Our design approach for all projects is centred on making a bold statement and creating a story that is honest to the brand that we are working with. ForHilton Singapore Orchard, the main consideration was the fact that we were extensively renovating a massive 1,080-room hotel. What is interesting about renovation projects, especially one of such scale and nature, is that we work with something that is existing. The design must therefore be flexible while seamlessly complementing (and not competing) with the existing DNA of the building.
Design-wise, we set out to tell a story of The Orchard Trail Experience by drawing inspiration from the hotel’s location, its history as a spice and fruit plantation and its modern-day status as Singapore’s premier fashion and retail district.Something we have learned from our experience with other projects is the importance of creating a visual impact. Let me put it this way — if an owner invests capital to renovate their hotel, they would naturally want to ensure that returning guests recognise and appreciate the considerable efforts put into revitalising the space. The onus is on us to help achieve that by creating something people can connect with visually, and to establish a statement from the second they step into the hotel.
What do you think makes a fantastic hotel today?
CJ: A fantastic hotel to me is one that never ceases to surprise seasoned travellers. It could be an extra touch of hospitality, an introduction to a new form of technology or changing up the furniture’s layout. The perfect hotel, from my point of view, is when there is a communion between the branding, design, lighting, ambient, music and olfactory layers throughout the hotel.
This is when you know the hotel has given careful consideration to every single aspect of the guest’s journey and that, for me as a designer, is when a product has reached its peak.
What about a fantastic hotel in Singapore — what are the contributing factors that make one?
What makes a fantastic hotel in Singapore’s context is when the hotel is designed in a way where the lines between leisure and business are blurred and have an honest identity that both locals and visitors can identify with. This is especially so inSingapore, where great hotels are ones that can leverage their location and create an experience that is equally appealing to all travellers, regardless of their purpose of visit.
Hello Cedric, what makes the Hilton Singapore Orchard experience unique?
CN: As the largest Hilton hotel in Asia Pacific exemplary of the future of the Hilton brand, Hilton Singapore Orchard will be an inspirational landmark hotel that is uniquely positioned from other Hilton hotels across the world.Through our 1,080 smartly appointed energy-efficient rooms and suites, a world-class collection of culinary experiences and cutting-edge wedding and MICE facilities, we deliver the best of the brand to discerning local and international guests while embracing sustainability in all we do.
In your opinion, what is truly immersive about the Hilton Singapore Orchard?
CJ: It takes inspiration from where the hotel is located. The first design pillar is inspired by the origin of Orchard Road, so guests will find subtle references in the design that pay homage to its landscape and plantation past. The second layer of the design inspiration is based on the idea of Orchard Road being a fashion and retail belt.
To exemplify this, guests will notice elements of retail such as an open-concept wardrobe and dresser that they can use to display their clothes and fashion hauls, as well as strategically located mirrors and lighting to take photos of themselves with. The bathrooms, for instance, are built with reflective black walls inspired by fashion retail stores to provide an air of luxury and space.
Was designing 1,080 rooms a major challenge? What were your key considerations?
CJ: When we work with a large number of rooms, our main consideration is to make the design relevant for mass production. The idea stems from creating design elements that can be built off-site, then fitted into the rooms. This gives us greater control over the quality and saves time on construction, especially over the course of the pandemic. In this regard, I think the construction team did an amazing job by being able to deliver during times of restrictions.
For the Hilton Singapore Orchard, we did away with traditional built-in elements —instead opting for loose furniture and fixtures that could be designed off-site and adapted to fit the room. For instance, for the purpose of the desk, we adopted a loose round table that is detached from the walls in the guest rooms and suites. This modular design gives guests the flexibility to appropriate the function of the space according to their needs.
What sustainable features have been included in the hotel? Most importantly, what are the quantifiable results?
CN: We remain committed to Travel with Purpose (cr.hilton.com), Hilton’s Environmental,Social and Governance (ESG) strategy to drive responsible travel and tourism globally. Hilton has committed to doubling our investment in social impact and cutting our environmental footprint in half by 2030, and as part of our efforts to embrace sustainability throughout the hotel, features to implement include reusable and environmentally keycards created with basswood that account for eliminating approximately 40,000 plastic cards a year, in-room motion sensors that control lighting and temperature.
This is complementary with LightStay, Hilton’s proprietary award-winning, comprehensive global platform for all environmental and social impact reporting, at the same time boosting the elimination of single-use plastics, a custom-built water filtration plant and bottling system by Nordaq in the hotel’s premise that ensures unlimited high-quality drinking water for all guests.
All paper products used throughout the hotel, including F&B packaging, are FSC-certified recycled paper and sourced from sustainably managed forests.Sustainable stationery is available in-room for guest use, alongside digital options for communication materials such as our in-room service directory.
How challenging was it to work the aesthetics of artisanal pastry restaurant Ginger.Lily into your design, as well as the‘pre-designed’ brand styles of the michelin-starred Shisen Hanten and award-winning Chatterbox?
CJ: Because the hotel previously lacked a central space where people could wait, meet, and greet, we thought the property was missing a heart and knew that was what Hilton Singapore Orchard needed. Guests familiar with the previous hotel would be surprised to see how much the space has transformed.
The inspiration for Ginger.Lily was based on a modern interpretation of a glass conservatory, and its namesake, the ginger lily plant (also known as butterfly ginger). We were inspired by the plant’s pure white blooms and spreading petals that resemble a butterfly’s wings. This aesthetic is reflected in the airy, double-height ceiling lounge with towering cathedral-inspired glass panel glass doors that draw guests inwards into a cosier, more intimate space with lower ceilings.
Interestingly, hotels here have been pumping out fantastic restaurant concepts. Do you think this is going to happen a lot?
CJ: Hotels are increasingly pumping out great F&B concepts and aligning themselves with acclaimed chefs to elevate their culinary profile and I think this will only continue to grow.I find this completely understandable when we look at the consumer behaviours of modern-day travellers who are keen to explore the streets and experience local food during their travels.
While hotels want to entice guests to stay within their walls and experience their in-hotel dining experiences, they also recognise the importance of attracting visitors externally from the hotel by creating impactful standalone F&B concepts.
What do you think is the future of hotel designs then?
CJ: When designing for hospitality, new hotels usually take about three to five years to conceptualise, build and finally open. The hotel will usually only go through its first renovation in its seventh to 10th year. Therefore, the design must be relevant for at least a decade, from the day you begin working on the drawing board and conceptualising.
My personal view is that we are coming out from a pandemic that will influence some of the new hotels coming out – so the future of hotel design will focus on creating a safe space where people can still form human connections while hotels continue to deliver exceptional hospitality service. This does not mean that the design needs to be clinical. Rather, it is in the hotel’s layout and how it accommodates a safe flow of traffic with design considerations that give guests peace of mind.
Once you’re done with this story, click here to catch up with our March 2022 cover stars, BTS!
RELATED ARTICLES
Hot and Unbothered
Givenchy's Hard Carry Is the Voyou
