L
eslieDankerhasjustturned
80.Hiskindbrowneyesare
framedbybushyeyebrows,
hismannercheeryand
proud.“Whenyoucome
toRaffles,don’taskformore,orthey’ll
giveyouLes,”helaughs.
Dankerstartedat thelandmarkRaffles
Singapore 47 yearsagoas a maintenance
supervisor.Nowhe’sthechiefhistorian.
Aswewalkitsglossywhitemarble
hallways,DankerrecallsDorisGeddes,
anAustralianwhorana boutiquefor
30 yearsintheRafflesArcade.She
solda dresstoElizabethTaylorin1957.
Laterat dinnerintheRafflesGrill,
it’ssaidMissTaylorpoppedtheseams.
Hetellsotherstoriesfromthehotel’s
132-yearhistory:ofrollerskatingparties
inthegrandlobby,ofa tigershotunder
thepooltableintheBar&Billiard
Room,andofSikhdoormenwrestling
wildboarstotheground.Otherstories
revealthemselvesat unexpectedmoments:
whenslicingintoa ParisBrestat high
tea,say,as thelightcatchesonthesilver
cutlery,a waiterexplainsthatmuchofthe
silverwarewasburiedwhentheJapanese
invadedSingaporein1942,andwas
laterrecovered.Orwhenturningdown
a hallway,I discovera black-and-white
photographofDavidBowietaking
breakfastonthesamepolishedteak
verandah I dined at this morning.It’shardtobelievethatSingapore’s
grandedamewasevera 10-roomhotel
setinanoldbungalow.Foundedin1887,
she’sseenextensions,renovationsand
restorations,butnonequiteas dramatic
as hermostrecent.Aftera closureofmore
thantwoyears,what’sbeendescribed
as “themostmagnificenthotelEastof
theSuezCanal”reopenedinAugust.
“Everybodywasproudofthelong
heritageandthemanystories,”says
thehotel’sgeneralmanager,Christian
Westbeld.“Butbeforetherenovation,
shewasa bittired.”
Declareda nationalmonumentin
1987,Raffles’lastmajorrenovationwas
completedin1991.“Thewaythatpeople
thoughtaboutluxuryhotelsorluxury
diningthenwascompletelydifferent,”
saysEdBakos,managingdirectorofNew
York-basedChampalimaudDesign,which
ledtheredesign.Thefirmis behindthe
interiorsofmanyluxuryhotels,including
ThePlazaandTheWaldorfAstoriain
NewYork.“Ourmissionwasnotjustto
restorethehistoricfabricofthebuilding,”
saysBakos,“buttorestoretheideathat
Rafflesis a socialplace.”
Rafflesnowcomprises 115 revamped
suites,upfrom103,a new300-guest
ballroom,luxespaandshoppingarcade.
Heritageconsultantswereinvolvedat
everystep,includingforthepainstaking
removal by hand of more than 30 layers➤Raf f les
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