An immersive garden experience at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay

Text by Janice Seow

Today’s luxury hotels put you right in nature, and the much talked about Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, originally Marina Mandarin, is a latest example that adds to the ever-growing number of Singapore’s iconic ‘garden-themed’ destinations.

Originally designed by the late neo-futuristic American architect John Portman in 1985, the hotel has undergone a redesign by FDAT Architects. The firm has retained the original architecture, but introduced a regenerated design in the form of a garden-in-a-hotel experience.

The hotel also carries many green design features, such as food digesters that minimise waste, water-filtered taps that reduce the need for plastic bottled water, and even an urban farm.

So if you’re looking at a staycation where you get to tread lightly on the environment and luxuriate in nature, read on.

A focus on biophilic design

Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay features a 13-metre-high green wall, and has 2,400 indoor plants that act as a natural air purifier. There’s also a four-storey-high Sky Bridge where you get to experience an immersive treetop walk accompanied by the aria of real live songbirds. It’s almost like you were outdoors.

Conscious living

All 583 guest rooms have been overhauled. Carpets have been swapped for timber flooring (engineered wood) to reduce VOC emissions and optimise air quality. Large bay windows maximise daylight. Motion sensors conserve energy by turning off lights and air-conditioning when guests are not in the room.

Additionally, water-filtered taps have been installed in every room, along with the provision of glass bottles. It is calculated that this can save around 360,000 plastic water bottles a year.

And instead of printed menus, digital concierge Iris is on standby 24/7 should you need to order a meal or request for additional amenities.

Sustainable dining

Peppermint, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, offers a farm to table experience. Some 20 per cent of the herbs and vegetables used at the dining establishment are hand-harvested from the hotel’s rooftop urban farm. It also uses sustainable and locally sourced ingredients.

Green technology

You may not notice them, but Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay incorporates green technology in its design. The solar panels that have been installed are expected to generate 121,000kwh of energy per year. Double-glazed glass ceilings, which help the hotel to optimise chilled water systems and promote energy efficiency, are also estimated to save more than 160,000kwh per year.

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