HERITAGE CONSTRUCTED

The old and new are married in this modern age of luxury accommodation.

-  CEDRIC TAN

Perusing the travel journals of a bygone epoch, the attractions of the far east were as invariably tagged to the exotic destinations as the fabled homes away from home along these oriental routes. With the expansion of colonialism came the flourish of trade and commerce and where there are the travelling rich, there will be opulent hotels to cater to their imperial expectations.

Fast forward to the 21st century and the fetish for colonial heritage has remained robust. A string of these alabaster grandees unsurprisingly survived into the modern age, and having been visited by the celebrities of yore-Maugham, Coward, Greene et al their reputations still greatly augmented in this modern era. Many of them have become the mantleplace trophies of various hotel groups. The French group Accor currently has the Raffles brand under its belt, with the original Sarkies-raised Raffles Singapore and Cambodia's erstwhile Grand Hotel d'Ángkor operating as its historic flagships. The central gem on Mandarin Oriental's eastern crown is ostensibly the MO Bangkok, another storied relic that opened its doors as The Oriental in 1876.

The only Asian grand hotel close to the 100-year mark that still maintains its independence and much of its resplendence is The Peninsula Hong Kong. Originally marketed as "the finest hotel east of the Suez", not only is this Italianate landmark still owned by the founding Kadoorie family, it has been renovated multiple times and has spawned a very successful chain of luxury hotels internationally, each with its own distinct style.

OLD IS NEW, NEW IS OLD?