The Warehouse Hotel, Singapore

All you need to know

If you love a good comeback story, The Warehouse Hotel along the Singapore River is about as colorful as it gets. Built in 1895 as a “godown” (a traditional warehouse) during the peak of the Straits of Malacca trade, the building originally stored spices, rice, and coffee. However, its riverfront location quickly pulled it into a shadowier world, serving as a notorious hub for underground secret societies, illegal liquor distilleries, and even an opium den.

The building’s wild journey didn’t stop there. In 1986, it underwent a massive glow-up to become the Warehouse Disco, Singapore’s largest and most iconic discotheque of the era. Decades later, local firms Zarch Collaboratives and design agency Asylum stepped in to rescue the dilapidated structure, meticulously restoring it into the stunning 37-room luxury boutique hotel that stands today.

Architecturally, the hotel proudly wears its history. Inside the soaring lobby, you’ll find the original industrial metal roof trusses and exposed brick walls, beautifully contrasted by a striking light installation made from hanging wheels and pulleys—a direct nod to the building’s spice-routing days.

Because the designers strictly preserved the warehouse’s iconic triple-pitched roofs rather than altering them, almost every single guest room has a completely different layout and window placement. Oh, and for a touch of modern luxury, they retrofitted a gorgeous cantilevered glass infinity pool on the side of the property, offering swimmers a literal underwater view of the bustling streets below.