Amara Undertakes Its Biggest Asset Refurbishment Singapore Over 20 Years

Amara Holdings, a leading hotel and property developer, is in the final stages of its renovation project for its 38-year-old flagship hotel, Amara Singapore. Located at 100 Tras Street in Tanjong Pagar, the 389-key hotel is expected to be fully revamped and open to the public by September. The renovation project, which has been ongoing for the past 12 months, is set to enhance the hotel’s facilities and services for its guests.

In April, the first phase of refurbishments was completed, which included upgrades to all of the hotel’s rooms and the incorporation of sustainable features such as energy-efficient air-conditioning systems, motion sensor lighting, and in-room filtered water taps. The hotel’s interiors were designed by renowned hospitality design firm Studio HBA, a division of Hirsch Bedner Associates, using inspiration from the eclectic Tanjong Pagar neighborhood. This includes elements from the traditional hawker stalls at Tanjong Pagar Plaza, the heritage shophouses from the 19th century, and the surrounding heritage trees in Duxton Plain Park.

The hotel’s ballroom and function rooms, designed to cater to “bleisure” travelers who combine business and leisure travel, were also renovated and completed in May. According to Dawn Teo, COO of Amara Holdings and the daughter of Albert Teo, the CEO, director, and substantial shareholder of the company, the goal is to make Amara Singapore “the social epicenter of the neighborhood.” The revamped design seeks to capture the hotel’s historical and cultural significance to the Tanjong Pagar area.

Dawn explains that the redesigned Amara Singapore caters to the new generation of travelers who blend work and leisure. It also serves as a central location for meetings, incentives, conventions, and events in the CBD. As a result, the ballroom and meeting rooms were also given a facelift, which was completed in May.

The latest renovations to Amara Holdings’ flagship hotel go beyond just the routine asset enhancement exercise. According to Dawn, it is a reinvigoration of the company’s commitment to luxury and innovation while staying true to its roots as one of the first hotels in Tanjong Pagar to cater to business travelers. This is particularly significant as Amara Singapore was developed and built by Dawn’s grandfather, Teo Joo Lai, in 1986. The hotel’s name, “Amara,” which means “eternity” in Sanskrit, reflects the family’s legacy and commitment to the business.

Dawn, who is the first member of the fourth generation to join the family business, is deeply connected to the project. Her father took over the company after Teo Joo Lai passed away in 1988. Teo Joo Lai’s father, and Dawn’s great-grandfather, Teo Teck Huat, founded the company in the 1930s as a construction company known as Teo Teck Huat Group. The company was responsible for building projects such as the former Cathay Cinema on Orchard Road. Amara Holdings was listed on the Singapore Exchange in 1997 and remains listed today. Recently, a voluntary cash offer by Amethyst Assets, a consortium led by Albert Teo, secured 88.39% of shareholders’ interest, slightly short of the 90% required for a compulsory acquisition and takeover of the company.

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The original Amara Singapore, which opened its doors in 1986, consisted of a 25-storey hotel block and a four-storey retail podium (Amara Shopping Centre). In 2000, the hotel underwent its last major renovation, which also included the addition of a 12-storey corporate office block in 2002. In 2011, the shopping center was revamped and rebranded as 100 AM, featuring popular stores like Muji, Daiso, Don Don Donki, and FairPrice Finest. With several residential developments in the CBD area, the shopping center is expected to see a higher footfall on weekends. Dawn predicts that residential projects such as One Bernam, Newport Residences, and TMW Maxwell will contribute to an increase in visitors to 100 AM.

Amara Singapore is the group’s city hotel, while Amara Sanctuary Sentosa is its flagship resort hotel. The resort, located on Sentosa Island, opened in 2007 and has 140 suites, villas, and a mansion. It recently underwent a comprehensive renovation, which concluded in June and will have an official reopening on July 18. For this refurbishment, the group has chosen to work with the multi-disciplinary design studio Farm, which incorporates contemporary aesthetics with biophilic elements.

Apart from Singapore, Amara Holdings also has hotels in Bangkok and Shanghai. The 250-room Amara Bangkok opened in 2015, while the Amara Signature Shanghai, the group’s first five-star property, opened in 2018. The 343-room hotel, adjacent to 100 AM Shanghai, a 113,021 sq ft commercial complex with an office tower and retail mall, is located in Shanghai’s Puxi district. According to Dawn, the group is “selectively looking” for expansion opportunities in the key gateway cities in the Asia Pacific region.