Goodwood Park Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Goodwood Park Hotel (Chinese: 良木园大酒店) is a 235-room hotel
in Singapore
. It is located at Scotts Road
in the Orchard Planning Area, within the Central Area in Singapore's central business district
.
The hotel building was constructed in 1900. The Tower Block was built to house the Teutonia Club for German
residents in Singapore. Subsequently, it was converted into a hotel in 1929. The hotel has since been fully restored.
The Teutonia Club — now the Goodwood Park Hotel — was a venue for high society in the late nineteenth century. The club's original clubhouse
was on North Bridge Road
but it moved to Blanche House on Mount Elizabeth
after only six months. Thirty years later, membership swelled to over a hundred and plans were made to build a bigger clubhouse.
The Teutonia Club decided on a hill
ock on Scotts Road for its new clubhouse. Construction began in 1899. On 21 September 1900, the new clubhouse opened its doors with an extravagant ball
attended by about 500 guests.
Good times at the Teutonia Club lasted until World War I
. The British government in Singapore classified all Germans
as enemy forces and shipped most of them to Australia
. The Teutonia Club was then seized under the Custodian of Enemy Property
.
In 1918, the building was auction
ed off to the Manassah brothers. Ezekiel Manassah managed the property and renamed it Club Goodwood Hall; it opened on 1 February 1922. In April 1929, the Manassah brothers decided to turn it into a hotel. Rooms were added to the Tower Wing, the houses at the rear were turned into suite
s, 14 tennis court
s were laid out and the name of the property was changed to what it is today — Goodwood Park Hotel. It became one of the finest hotels in Asia
, attracting eminent guests.
During the Japanese Occupation
(1942–1945), the hotel ceased operations. Ezekiel Manassah died in Changi Hospital
, a prisoner of the Japan
ese.
After the war, the Singapore War Crimes Court erected a tent on the grounds of Goodwood Park to try military
personnel for war crime
s.
Ezekiel's stepson, Vivian Bath, took over proprietorship of the hotel in 1947. Over the next 20 years, he turned the hotel into one of the finest in Asia once again.
About $2.5 million was spent in revamping the hotel. Renovations were completed in 1963. In that same year, Bath sold the hotel to the Malayan Banking Group
. The Tower Wing was again extensively renovated in 1978. The hotel was extended in the same period to include more guest rooms and a hotel lobby. The interior was practically gutted and fully restored and 17 suites were added on the first floor, including the lavish Brunei
Suite. A new pinnacle
replaced the crumbling original roof
.
Goodwood Park Hotel possesses its own Hall of Fame
. Distinguished guests include celebrities
and royalty
from around the world.
The Tower Block of the Goodwood Park Hotel was gazette
d as a national monument
on 23 March 1989.
restaurant is popular with locals and tourists which has opened a branch at Rochester Park. The hotel lobby was renovated in late 2005 to give it a modern look, from its traditional look. The hotel has a block at the rear of the main building which houses serviced apartments, which is known as Parklane Suites. Also, the hotel has two restaurants and a bar
not owned by the hotel, one is a Japanese
restaurant, that is located next to the hotel lobby. The latter which is a Thai Village restaurant which is located at the annex block. A spa
is located at the annex block. The annex block is a two storey building which housed two Chinese restaurants managed by the hotel, but it has since merged into one restaurant in the main building. The building opened in 1982.
The Goodwood Park Hotel and neighbouring York Hotel (which is owned and managed by Goodwood Park Hotel itself, and last renovated in 2000) is known for its free parking for many years, but in 2006, the Goodwood Park Hotel and York Hotel introduced parking charges for its guests.
, of Swan and Maclaren
. Its architecture
has a High Victorian
flavour, with its turret
s and decorated façade
, with the hotel occupying an imposing site in Scotts Road.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. It is located at Scotts Road
Scotts Road
Scotts Road is a road in Singapore. The Goodwood Park Hotel lies on the road.It is located in the Orchard Planning Area, within the Central Area in Singapore's central business district....
in the Orchard Planning Area, within the Central Area in Singapore's central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
.
The hotel building was constructed in 1900. The Tower Block was built to house the Teutonia Club for German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
residents in Singapore. Subsequently, it was converted into a hotel in 1929. The hotel has since been fully restored.
History
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
was on North Bridge Road
North Bridge Road
North Bridge Road is a road in Singapore north of Singapore River, that starts at the junction of Crawford Street and ends before Elgin Bridge, which the road becomes South Bridge Road. The road is one of the oldest roads in Singapore and was outlined in Raffles' 1822 Town Plan...
but it moved to Blanche House on Mount Elizabeth
Mount Elizabeth
Mount Elizabeth is a massive ice-free mountain, 4,480 m, standing 6 nautical miles south of Mount Anne in Queen Alexandra Range. Discovered by the British Antarctic Expedition and named for Elizabeth Dawson-Lambton, a supporter of the expedition....
after only six months. Thirty years later, membership swelled to over a hundred and plans were made to build a bigger clubhouse.
The Teutonia Club decided on a hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
ock on Scotts Road for its new clubhouse. Construction began in 1899. On 21 September 1900, the new clubhouse opened its doors with an extravagant ball
Ball (dance)
A ball is a formal dance. The word 'ball' is derived from the Latin word "ballare", meaning 'to dance'; the term also derived into "bailar", which is the Spanish and Portuguese word for dance . In Catalan it is the same word, 'ball', for the dance event.Attendees wear evening attire, which is...
attended by about 500 guests.
Good times at the Teutonia Club lasted until World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The British government in Singapore classified all Germans
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as enemy forces and shipped most of them to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The Teutonia Club was then seized under the Custodian of Enemy Property
Custodian of Enemy Property
The Custodian of Enemy Property is an institution that handles property claims created by war. In wartime,civilian property may be left behind or taken by the occupying state. In ancient times, such property was considered war loot, and the legal right of the winner...
.
In 1918, the building was auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
ed off to the Manassah brothers. Ezekiel Manassah managed the property and renamed it Club Goodwood Hall; it opened on 1 February 1922. In April 1929, the Manassah brothers decided to turn it into a hotel. Rooms were added to the Tower Wing, the houses at the rear were turned into suite
Suite (hotel)
A suite in a hotel or other public accommodation, denotes a class of luxury accommodations, the key feature of which is multiple rooms. Many properties have one or more "honeymoon suites", and sometimes the best accommodation is called the "presidential suite".Suites offer multiple rooms, with more...
s, 14 tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s were laid out and the name of the property was changed to what it is today — Goodwood Park Hotel. It became one of the finest hotels in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, attracting eminent guests.
During the Japanese Occupation
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
(1942–1945), the hotel ceased operations. Ezekiel Manassah died in Changi Hospital
Changi General Hospital
Changi General Hospital is a 790-bed hospital located in Simei, eastern Singapore...
, a prisoner of the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese.
After the war, the Singapore War Crimes Court erected a tent on the grounds of Goodwood Park to try military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
personnel for war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s.
Ezekiel's stepson, Vivian Bath, took over proprietorship of the hotel in 1947. Over the next 20 years, he turned the hotel into one of the finest in Asia once again.
About $2.5 million was spent in revamping the hotel. Renovations were completed in 1963. In that same year, Bath sold the hotel to the Malayan Banking Group
Maybank
Maybank , a trade name for Malayan Banking Berhad is the largest bank and financial group in Malaysia, with significant banking operations in Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. The bank also has large interests in Islamic banking through Maybank Islamic Berhad and insurance via its Etiqa...
. The Tower Wing was again extensively renovated in 1978. The hotel was extended in the same period to include more guest rooms and a hotel lobby. The interior was practically gutted and fully restored and 17 suites were added on the first floor, including the lavish Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
Suite. A new pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
replaced the crumbling original roof
Roof
A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
.
Goodwood Park Hotel possesses its own Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
. Distinguished guests include celebrities
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
and royalty
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
from around the world.
The Tower Block of the Goodwood Park Hotel was gazette
Gazette
A gazette is a public journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper.In English- and French-speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name Gazette since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers bear the name The Gazette.Gazette is a loanword from the...
d as a national monument
National Monuments of Singapore
National Monuments of Singapore are buildings and structures in Singapore that have been designated by the Preservation of Monuments Board as being of special historic, traditional, archaeological, architectural or artistic value....
on 23 March 1989.
Today
Goodwood Park Hotel is a member of Preferred Hotels and SRS World Hotels alliances. The hotel is well known for its food and beverage such as its afternoon tea and the Gordon Grill. Its ChineseChinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
restaurant is popular with locals and tourists which has opened a branch at Rochester Park. The hotel lobby was renovated in late 2005 to give it a modern look, from its traditional look. The hotel has a block at the rear of the main building which houses serviced apartments, which is known as Parklane Suites. Also, the hotel has two restaurants and a bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
not owned by the hotel, one is a Japanese
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...
restaurant, that is located next to the hotel lobby. The latter which is a Thai Village restaurant which is located at the annex block. A spa
Day spa
A day spa is a business establishment which people visit for professionally administered personal care treatments such as massages and facials. It is similar to a beauty salon in that it is only visited for the duration of the treatment. Day spas sited in airport terminals are often called airport...
is located at the annex block. The annex block is a two storey building which housed two Chinese restaurants managed by the hotel, but it has since merged into one restaurant in the main building. The building opened in 1982.
The Goodwood Park Hotel and neighbouring York Hotel (which is owned and managed by Goodwood Park Hotel itself, and last renovated in 2000) is known for its free parking for many years, but in 2006, the Goodwood Park Hotel and York Hotel introduced parking charges for its guests.
Architecture
The Goodwood Park Hotel building was built in 1900 to the design of R.A.J. Bidwell, who also designed the Raffles HotelRaffles Hotel
Raffles Hotel is a colonial-style hotel in Singapore, and one of the world's most famous hotels. The hotel was established by the famous Armenian Sarkies Brothers. Opened in 1887, it was named after Singapore's founder Sir Stamford Raffles. Managed by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, it is...
, of Swan and Maclaren
Swan and Maclaren
Swan and MacLaren Architects is the oldest architectural firm in Singapore. Formerly known as Swan and MacLaren, it was the most prominent architectural firm in Singapore when Singapore was a British colony in the early 20th century.-Early history:...
. Its architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
has a High Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
flavour, with its turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s and decorated façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, with the hotel occupying an imposing site in Scotts Road.