Empire Of The Sun

On a sunny island sits the Hilton Singapore Orchard, the glittery new diamond of the Hilton empire. Here, Cedric Jaccard (partner and creative director at Avalon Collective) and Cedric Nubul (general manager of Hilton Singapore Orchard) discuss the present and future of the luxurious, at times humble establishment we call a hotel.

- Bryan Goh

HI CEDRIC, IN COMPARISON WITH YOUR PAST PROJECTS — HOW WOULD YOU SAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED HILTON SINGAPORE ORCHARD IN THE CONTEXT OF DESIGN?

Cedric Jaccard: Our design approach for all projects is centred on making a bold statement and creating a story that is honest to the brand that we are working with. For Hilton Singapore Orchard, the main consideration was the fact that we were extensively renovating a massive 1,080-room hotel. What is interesting about renovation projects, especially one of such scale and nature, is that we work with something that is existing. The design must therefore be flexible while seamlessly complementing (and not competing) with the existing DNA of the building.

Design-wise, we set out to tell a story of The Orchard Trail Experience by drawing inspiration from the hotel’s location, its history as a spice and fruit plantation and its modern-day status as Singapore’s premier fashion and retail district.

Something we have learned from our experience with other projects is the importance of creating a visual impact. Let me put it this way — if an owner invests capital to renovate their hotel, they would naturally want to ensure that returning guests recognise and appreciate the considerable efforts put into revitalising the space. The onus is on us to help achieve that by creating something people can connect with visually, and to establish a statement from the second they step into the hotel.

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES A FANTASTIC HOTEL TODAY?