by Anne Dimon,
From the balcony of my suite on the 64th floor of the Swissôtel, The Stamford, the nightscape view of the Marine Bay District of Singapore is stunning. At 73 stories high, one of the tallest hotels in Asia affords impressive panoramic views.
In the U.S. and Canada, Swissôtel is not, yet, a well known hotel brand. At the moment, there is only one in North America and that’s the Swissôtel Chicago. But in other parts of the world, the name is as common to hotel folk as Fairmont and Four Seasons are to we North Americans. Launched in Switzerland in 1980, there are now over 30 Swissôtels in 15 countries with another dozen or so properties opening up between now and 2018.
The brand upholds Swiss sustainability standards plus their mission statement is ‘From Phuket to Estonia, we strive to rejuvenate, relax and restore our guests, whether they’re on holiday or a business trip,’ and that’s why we’ve included them on our Wellness Travel Tour 2015. They also subscribe to the wellness travel philosophy of helping guest maintain their health and wellbeing when traveling.
Two of the things travellers to Singapore will like about The Stamford is its central location and its connection to Raffles City Shopping Mall which also houses the city’s pristine and efficient subway system – the MRT. It’s also an easy walk to the historical Boat Quay with its traditional riverfront “shophouses” now housing pubs and restaurants offering various cuisines from around the world.
Swissôtel two wellness brands are Pürovel and Vitality
Inspired by Alpine seasons Pürovel is the hotel chain’s signature spa brand. I’ve not yet experienced it and, unfortunately, will not have the opportunity to do so on this trip as the Stamford does not have a Pürovel Spa – only in-room Pürovel amenities and an in-room aromatherapy menu with a selections of six signature blends.
Hotels with physical Purovel spas on site are the following:
– Swissôtel Ankara
– Swissôtel Le Plaza, Basel
– Swissôtel Bremen
– Swissôtel Dresden Am Schloss
– Swissôtel The Bosphorus, Istanbul
– Swissôtel Buyuk Efes, Izmir
– Swissôtel Kolkata
– Swissôtel Krasnye Holmy, Moscow
– Swissôtel Nankai, Osaka
– Swissôtel Tallinn
The Stamford does, however, share a Willow Stream Spa with sister property the Fairmont Singapore. The two hotels are conveniently connected and, along with the spa, also share the 24-hour fitness center, two swimming pools and four on-site tennis courts, where sunrise yoga is offered to guests once a week.
The chain-wide Vitality program includes a selection of fitness equipment available on request to use in your guest room, and a suprisingly extensive Vitality Cuisine in-room dining menu that covers breakfast, all-day dining and mains – with nutritional information and calorie counts. The variety of vegetarian options is plentiful, especially for in-room dining. There’s also an annual Vitality Week in March.
And, for guests who prefer to maintain a fitness routine (or try something new) in the privacy of their rooms, the chain-wide Vitality program includes a selection of yoga and Pilates equipment available on request for in-room use.
Also offered is a surprisingly extensive Vitality Cuisine in-room dining menu that covers breakfast, all-day dining and mains – with nutritional information and calorie counts. The variety of vegetarian options is plentiful, especially for in-room dining. There’s also an annual Vitality Week in March.
Of course, food is the cornerstone of wellness and vitality and beyond the in-room-dining there is no derth of healthy options on menus at 15 food outlets available to guests at the two sister hotels. Among the collection is the intimate Jaan on the list of Asia’s best 50 restaurants of 2014. And, in the Lobby Court a tea menu offers about two dozen from around the world including blends such as Chocolate Mint Truffle Tea from South Africa. For more on Swissôtel, The Stamford
