Hip heritage: The boutique hotel business in Singapore

The paper deals with the boutique hotel phenomenon, discussing definitions and overall trends as well as circumstances in Singapore where there has been heightened commercial activity in recent years. Circumstances in Singapore, although distinctive, yield insights into the qualities of boutique hotels in general and their development in the South East Asian region. Heritage is seen to make an important contribution to the city state’s boutique hotels, many of which are the result of the adaptive reuse of old buildings, but is increasingly being combined with modern design in endeavours to cultivate an ambience of hip heritage. The future prospects of boutique hotels with a heritage component thus partly depends on the protection of built heritage, suggesting an alignment of commercial and conservation interests.