singapore

I Stayed at Singapore’s Most Iconic Hotel After Its $1.75-billion Renovation—Here's What It Was Like Here’s a riddle. Which Singapore landmark, rising along the edge of Marina Bay, has become so emblematic you can recognize it by silhouette alone? If Marina Bay Sands—with its sausage-shaped rooftop pool balanced on three curved towers—comes to mind, you’re not alone. Since opening in 2010, Marina Bay Sands, or “MBS” as locals refer to it, has been a fixture of every postcard rack and travel brochure. Some book a stay solely to spend the day splashing in its sky-high infinity pool, which, at 492 feet, remains the longest on any rooftop in the world. Others pop in for sundowners on the 56th-floor observation deck or snap an obligatory selfie from across the bay. Yet despite its star power, travelers in search of a more rarefied environment haven’t always flocked to Marina Bay Sands. While the rooms were consistently plush, a room count north of 2,500 hardly felt intimate. Recognizing a demand for greater exclusivity, the hotel recently underwent a $1.75-billion overhaul that reduced the room count to 1,850 and quadrupled the number of suites to 775. The butler team grew from 60 to 160, with round-the-clock service offering everything from in-suite dining to unpacking. The most coveted 370 rooms were grouped into the Paiza Collection, a “hotel-within-a-hotel” on the upper floors with a private lobby, dedicated elevator access, and a club lounge designed to woo big spenders. “The Paiza Collection was created for guests who see Marina Bay Sands as more than just a place to stay,” says Tane Picken, its senior vice president and chief hospitality officer. “The new rooms and suites aren’t just bigger. They’re designed to feel like you’re arriving at your own residence. With complete privacy and personal touches, they turn each stay into something genuinely memorable.” I had my doubts. Could a glitzy, Las Vegas–style hotel offer high-touch service and a feeling of seclusion? When I landed in Singapore, the hotel dispatched a Rolls-Royce to pick me up at the airport, and drove me straight to Paiza’s subterranean entrance. A band of bellboys and butlers whisked me to my room, bypassing the crowds funneling through the cavernous main lobby. It all felt very VIP. My 52nd-floor Skyline suite, part of the even loftier Paiza Royal Collection, was impeccable. The 2,100-square-foot space was draped in polished marble, chrome, and silk. Modern crystal chandeliers hung overhead, original artworks colored the walls, and floor-to-ceiling windows framed the neon lights of the towers lining Marina Bay. Thanks to the full kitchen, plush living room, and dining area, it felt like a penthouse apartment—albeit one with a private karaoke lounge and a bedside fridge stocked with six different types of mineral water. Some suites even have a golf simulator. After settling in, I checked out the Paiza Sky Residence on the 55th floor: an art-studded club lounge with a bird’s-eye view over Marina Bay and the Singapore Strait. The spruce-up also includes several new and refreshed restaurants—of which there are now more than 80 spread over the three towers and adjacent shopping complex. I stopped for lunch at the Asian outpost of the Greek mainstay Estiatorio Milos; had excellent penne alla vodka and a frosty martini at the redesigned Lavo on the 57th floor; and brunched on gingery Wagyu-beef tongue and braised foie gras at Jin Ting Wan, a haute-Cantonese restaurant where my well-heeled fellow diners could have walked straight off the set of Crazy Rich Asians. Mornings started with a global breakfast buffet at the Sky Residence and included everything from charcoal-grilled toast with kaya, a coconut custard, to sourdough egg tarts and laksa noodles. A similarly sumptuous buffet of canapés appeared for afternoon tea, while live jazz filled the bar area after dark. On my last night in town, I took a table in the bar and ordered a glass of champagne. From there, I could see the city’s next chapter beginning to take shape. Just south of the current towers, a fourth one, projected to cost $8 billion, is slowly rising. Scheduled to open in 2031, it will house 570 more suites and a rooftop complex—dubbed the Skyloop—with infinity pools, restaurants, and a breezy terrace for wellness activities. It was a rednder that, though the towers are iconic, the Singapore skyline never sits still. Glow-Ups Other Singapore hotels have undergone a refresh. The St. Regis Singapore In January, the St. Regis emerged from its first renovation since opening in 2008, perking up the rooms and restaurants with a softer color scheme and botanical motifs. New venues include the pastel-hued Tea Room, which continues the hotel’s famed tea service, and the moodily lit St. Regis Bar, which serves a signature bloody mary made with gochujang and sansho pepper. Doubles from $400. Mandarin Oriental, Singapore Opened in 1987, the Mandarin Oriental received a top-to-bottom makeover in 2023. From the soaring lobby atrium to the 510 rooms, the new design leans heavily on Peranakan motifs such as batik textiles and floral wallpaper. New safari- and space-themed suites appeal to families with young children. Doubles from $457. Grand Hyatt Singapore A landmark near mall-lined Orchard Road, the Grand Hyatt reemerged as a wellness-focused hotel with 699 redesigned rooms split between the urban-style Grand Wing and greenery-draped Terrace Wing. Damai, the newly renovated wellness center, has multiple pools and offers Southeast Asian treatments, while Dutch chef Sergio Herman runs the signature restaurant, Le Pristine Singapore. Doubles from $379. A version of this story first appeared in the May 2026 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline “Above the Bay.”