Singapore’s Edition hotel is a luxurious reprieve that doesn’t feel stifling or too cool | Canada Voices

Singapore’s Edition Hotel has the hallmarks of a scene in Crazy Rich Asians and attracts the kind of crowd who seek Instagram-ready vignettes.

Naturally, it’s located just a few blocks from high-end shopping on Orchard Road (where two- and three-floor Chanel, Cartier and Louis Vuitton boutiques are chock-a-block). The hotel’s rooftop pool offers scenic views of the city, which influencers clamour to show off on their social feeds. The pool’s floor features a transparent oculus, engineered by the same architects behind Singapore’s famous Marina Bay Sands hotel infinity pool. Guests will likely walk past multiple McLarens parked out front and be impressed by staff outfitted in impeccable uniforms with a designer touch.

The mastermind behind the Edition chain’s aesthetic and the hype is hotelier Ian Schrager, who created Studio 54. He pivoted to the hotel business in 1984 and the Edition hotels is a boutique brand that Schrager launched with Marriot in London in 2010. The newest Edition is in Lake Como. There’s one rub. Schrager parted ways with the brand he created in 2022. In an Instagram post he said their Madrid location, opened in spring of 2022, was one of his last projects in the portfolio. Now the hotel group is at the helm of marketing and managing without his hands-on touch. Does his impossibly cool brand of chic reverberate in Singapore, the Edition’s first South East Asian outpost, opened a couple of years after his departure?

Why you should visit

The hotel’s location is steps away from top shopping and eating, however, it is also on a quiet street surrounded by residences and only a short stroll to the UNESCO Singapore Botanic Garden. It’s a boon to have such a well-tended and roomy courtyard garden where you can escape the city’s high-paced vibe, as well as a gorgeous rooftop pool to cool off in after exploring in Singapore’s high and humid temperatures. With 204 rooms, the lobby, restaurant and bars are never chaotic. The Edition will always attract cool hunters, but the good size of its rooms, which begin at 409 square feet, means business guests and families looking for more elbow room are here, too. Notably, the hotel offers rooms with two double beds, which are hard to find in the city.

Breakfast tops the list for a reason to stay, too. According to a recent study from the University of Aveiro, Portugal, more than 50 per cent of four- and five-star hotel visitors consider the morning meal very or extremely important when choosing a hotel. Travellers, the Edition delivers! You can choose from a buffet served with above par pastries and the usual yogurt and cereal, but the better choice is to entertain your taste buds with local delights. Try chongqing noodles with a spicy beef brisket in broth, nasi lemak (that’s coconut steamed rice served with Malay fried chicken and sambal) or lobster laksa instead of your usual bacon and eggs.

The service from the front desk, concierge and restaurant is impeccable, however it’s hard to tell if that’s a result of hotel service standards in Singapore (which are often applauded) or the Edition hotels at large.

Room for improvement

This Edition property celebrates minimalism, the 90s kind that revels in bleached wood furnishings and a neutral palette. The suite-level hallways and rooms are bathed in variations of white, which makes the final effect feel clinical instead of inviting. The décor could be considered dated, however, Pantone’s 2026 colour of the year, Cloud Dancer white, lends it caché. The room design is so clean and minimal – think flushed and recessed doorknobs and switches – that it’s easy to mistake the bathroom door for a closet door, which is uncomfortable when you really have to go in the middle of the night. If your eyesight isn’t 20/20, it can be bothersome to find a light switch, too.

Since you’re in the neighbourhood

You don’t have to spend a lot to get a good meal. Even though Orchard Road attracts luxury seekers, there are hawker-style food courts located in major shopping centres such as Food Opera in ION Orchard and the recently opened Hawkers Street at Tang Plaza. That’s where you’ll find outposts of popular market stalls including Michelin-lauded Hup Hong Chicken Rice and Fei Fei Roasted Noodle.

The takeaway

If you have the budget, the hotel is surprisingly family-friendly with spacious rooms that sleep up to four people. You’ll have to be mindful of influencers making content for their feeds throughout the hotel and maximizing the techno-bright décor of the Lobby Bar, Punch Room and Wonder Room, which are designed to be photo and video-friendly. However, you are in Singapore, where social politesse is the norm, so the disruption is minimal (and entertaining to watch).

It’s worth noting that Marriott Bonvoy top-tier members won’t get all the usual perks. According to the brand’s website, room type is not guaranteed and welcome gifts only include points. There is no option to choose a food and beverage credit or a free breakfast instead.

Overall, the hotel is a luxurious reprieve that doesn’t feel stifling or too cool, which means Marriott’s business travellers and families will feel at ease, too.

The Singapore Edition, 38 Cuscaden Road; standard king rooms start at around $510 a night.

The writer was a guest of the hotel. It did not review or approve the story before publication.