“We had to put ourselves in the shoes of the guest, and approach it very deliberately,” he tells City & Country. “We phased works across guestrooms, dining venues and event spaces, so that different parts of the hotel could remain fully functional at any given time.”
After all, guests arrive at the hotel with high expectations. “We are one of the original luxury hotels in Singapore,” adds Heath. “Our guestrooms start from 52 sqm, and that is a luxury … The discerning global luxury traveller is looking for brand recognition as well as local flair and our role is consistency and familiarity, as well as experiential touches.”
Heath himself joined the hotel in July 2025, bringing over three decades of experience across Asia, the Middle East and the US. “Luxury, to me, should always feel culturally intuitive and connected to its destination in all areas of service, experience and food and beverage offerings.”
See also: Marriott’s Apec ambitions
A multi-phase transformation
Even before works began on St Regis’ guestrooms and suites in November 2024, the St Regis Spa and Cantonese fine-dining restaurant Yan Ting received a spruce-up from Avalon Collective Interior Design.
The main renovation works were carried out in five phases, each lasting about eight to 10 weeks. Led by interior design firm FBEYE International, the transformation has refreshed the five-star luxury hotel’s 299 guestrooms and suites, 7,638 sq ft pillarless ballroom, meeting facilities, tea room, restaurant and bar.
See also: Reviving heritage buildings with digital technologies
“FBEYE International was a natural choice because of their ability to interpret heritage through a contemporary lens,” says Heath. “Their concept, inspired by the Singapore Botanic Gardens, brings a sense of calm, lightness and connection to our immediate neighbourhood into the interiors, anchoring our sense of place.”
Furthermore, the lead designer was part of the original team that designed the hotel in 2008, lending “a strong sense of continuity”, adds Heath.
Works on the guestrooms and suites lasted 10 months and concluded only in September 2025. “From a design perspective, the entire bedroom is new,” says Heath. “The biggest change was the shift from wall-to-wall carpet to a wood floor with area rugs; it lightens up the room.”
These are, in fact, PVC-free composite floors that contain up to 50% recycled material — just one of several design decisions made with sustainability in mind.
A new “refreshment centre” dispenses hot and cold potable water, cutting out plastic bottles. Motion sensors replace physical keycards in controlling lights, blinds and air-conditioning in guestrooms, reducing energy use and minimising solar heat gain when guests are away. Even used Nespresso capsules are collected and recycled.
Still, building less is the most sustainable move. The recent refurbishment did not change the hotel’s room count. It also left the bathroom design intact, including the existing marble floors, vanity sinks, chandeliers, bathtub and standing showers. In some suites, the hotel’s signature burlwood design remains today.
That said, a welcome addition is the LED lights that frame new vanity mirrors in the bathrooms — a touch of modern convenience in what Heath calls “a more thoughtful and responsible luxury experience”.
A bespoke Mice venue
Singapore is set to grow its capabilities to become a premier destination for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (Mice), says Heath, and clients today want spaces that “feel less corporate”. “The renovation reflects that shift.”
Works to the hotel’s John Jacob Ballroom were carried out between March and April 2025, while its five meeting rooms on the ground floor were refurbished from August to September last year.
“Before the renovation, our meeting rooms on level one were more traditional, which served their purpose but didn’t fully reflect how meetings and events have evolved today,” says Heath. “The refreshed spaces are much more flexible, intimate and experience-driven.”
Wider screens and wall-mounted LED televisions in each room ensure a smoother event experience for groups of 24 to 100 guests. Corporate guests and event attendees also enjoy dedicated coffee stations, an operable bar and more intimate seating areas.
These meeting spaces complement the hotel’s larger venues — Caroline’s Mansion and John Jacob Ballroom — which host larger functions and receptions for up to 175 and 400 guests, respectively.
The John Jacob Ballroom, which can seat up to 500 in a theatre-style setting, now boasts two new LED walls, each measuring 9.6m by 5.29m, along with refreshed wall decor and a new carpet palette inspired by citrus and sage.
The ballroom’s chandeliers and famed dual skylights have been retained, as has the layout of its private foyer, which opens towards the hotel’s grand staircase.
Featuring its own private entryway, Caroline’s Mansion is an exclusive event venue that sits adjacent to the main hotel building. Originally an indoor tennis court, it was launched in 2019 with its own private foyer, grand staircase and restrooms.
“We’ve always been a house of celebration, so whether it be large events, corporate events, charity events, social events, weddings — we’ve always been very, very popular,” says Heath. “From a meetings perspective, people are beginning to see the facilities and our goal is to drive that Mice business higher than it has been before.”
F&B gets a refresh
The hotel’s new look also extends to its food and beverage establishments, which have undergone changes that go beyond cosmetic changes.
The hotel’s tea room, patisserie and former steakhouse were closed between March and June 2025, and the latter has reopened as Sophia, an Italian restaurant by executive chef Fabio Granata.
Led by chef de cuisine Angelo Sergio, the restaurant boasts a curated selection of over 70 Italian wine labels, presented behind clear glass in the entry foyer of the “contemporary glasshouse” dining room.
The former Astor Bar underwent a complete makeover in the middle of last year, reopening as the St Regis Bar Singapore, complete with early 20th-century Manhattan flair. An impressive high ceiling showcases the bar’s dual lanterns, and the use of brass, marble and rich woods evokes warmth and intimacy.
A striking birdcage-inspired back bar anchors the space, displaying the spirits behind head bartender Kelvin Saquilayan’s brand-new Time After Time cocktail menu — a journey through five decades expressed through the dual lenses of New York and Singapore.
“We have ambitions,” says Heath of the revamped bar. After all, the St Regis Bar Jakarta was ranked #22 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025.
“I think it was quite purposeful that the elements that are elegant, timeless and still in good condition were kept,” says Heath of the refreshed St Regis, “and you’ll see that around the flooring [and] the stonework.”
A new look, a new feel — “with some familiarity”, he adds. “The hotel has a sense of place, it has a history, it has a reputation; we enhanced that and I think that’s something to celebrate. We’re a piece of the history of Singapore.”
Photos: The St Regis Singapore
