Raffles Hotels & Resorts, commonly referred to as Raffles, is a global luxury hospitality brand that originated in Singapore. Established in 1887 with the opening of Raffles Hotel Singapore, the brand has grown from a single historic property into an international portfolio of luxury hotels, resorts, and residences defined by heritage, personalized butler service, architecture, culture, gastronomy, and old-world glamour. Today, Raffles operates under the French hospitality group Accor.12

As of June 30, 2026, Accor reports that Raffles comprises 25 hotels and 3,905 rooms worldwide.4

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Origins: Singapore, 1887

The history of Raffles began on 1 December 1887, when four Armenian brothers—Martin, Tigran, Aviet, and Arshak Sarkies—opened a modest 10-room hotel in Singapore. The establishment was named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the British statesman credited with founding modern Singapore.12

The original structure was far more humble than the grand hotel it would later become. It started as a bungalow-style building facing the sea, but successive expansions transformed it into an elaborate Victorian-colonial landmark.1

The Sarkies family had prior experience in Southeast Asian hospitality, with hotel interests in Penang and Yangon that helped establish a regional tradition of luxury associated with their name.3

The Golden Age of Travel

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Singapore emerged as a key stopover on travel routes between Europe and Asia. Raffles Hotel positioned itself as an elegant gateway to what Western travellers often termed the “exotic East.”

Its reputation was built upon several distinguishing features:

• Victorian and colonial architecture
• Tropical gardens and verandas
• European-style etiquette
• Asian influences
• Highly personalized service
• Fine dining and cocktails
• Literary and artistic associations

The hotel attracted prominent writers, artists, entertainers, politicians, and other international figures. Its historical guest list includes Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad, Somerset Maugham, Noel Coward, Charlie Chaplin, Ava Gardner, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jackie Kennedy, among many others.12

Consequently, the hotel evolved beyond mere accommodation to become a social and cultural institution in Singapore.

Raffles Singapore remains the spiritual and historical centre of the brand. Recognized as one of the world’s great historic hotels, it is designated as a National Monument of Singapore. The National Heritage Board describes it as the oldest surviving establishment of its type on the island.3

The property underwent significant restoration during the late 20th century. Following an extensive renovation lasting approximately two and a half years, the hotel reopened in 1991, with its appearance carefully referencing its historic early-20th-century character.1

A subsequent major restoration culminated in a 2019 reopening, which preserved the historic character while upgrading the facilities for contemporary luxury hospitality.4

The identity of Raffles is built around a distinctive proposition for a hotel chain: each property is intended to feel like a destination landmark rather than a standardized hotel.

The company describes its hotels as places where “ideas are born, history is made and stories and legends are created.”2

The brand philosophy encompasses several key pillars.

Legendary Service

The most recognizable element of the Raffles experience is its butler service. The service philosophy is described as highly personalized, discreet, and proactive. Rather than simply responding to requests, butlers are expected to understand and anticipate guests’ preferences.5

The brand characterizes this approach as a kind of “gentle breeze”—service that is present without becoming intrusive.6 This distinguishes Raffles from conventional luxury hotel chains.

Heritage

Raffles deliberately incorporates history into its properties. Instead of applying a uniform architectural template, the brand seeks to work with the historical and cultural character of each destination. Examples include:

• Raffles Singapore — Victorian/colonial heritage
• Raffles Hotel Le Royal Phnom Penh — French colonial, Art Deco, and Khmer influences
• Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor — connection with the history of Angkor and Cambodia
• Raffles Europejski Warsaw — a historic Warsaw landmark
• Raffles London at The OWO — housed within the historic Old War Office

The concept is therefore closer to a collection of individual cultural landmarks than a standardized international hotel chain.12

Culture and Art

Raffles positions itself as a cultural brand, not merely an accommodation provider. The company emphasizes fine art, design, literature, local culture, and contemporary creativity. It describes its hotels as both museums preserving historical treasures and “living galleries” where new cultural legacies can be created.5

This cultural positioning is particularly significant for properties located in historic cities.

Gastronomy

Food and beverage form another major part of the Raffles identity. The original Raffles Singapore is renowned for its Long Bar and the Singapore Sling, a cocktail traditionally associated with the hotel and created there in the early 20th century. Historical records date its creation to 1915, attributing it to bartender Ngiam Tong Boon.4

Modern Raffles properties extend this philosophy through restaurants, cocktail bars, chef-led dining, afternoon tea, and destination-specific culinary experiences.1

For its first century, Raffles was essentially synonymous with its Singapore hotel. This began to change in the late 20th century.

1989 — Raffles International

Raffles International Ltd. was established as the hotel management arm of Raffles Holdings, initially focusing on the redevelopment and management of Raffles Hotel Singapore.1

1997 — Cambodia

Raffles expanded beyond Singapore by reopening two historic Cambodian properties:

• Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh
• Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor in Siem Reap

This marked a pivotal moment as the Raffles name began to represent a collection of culturally significant hotels rather than a single property.1

2006–2010 — Middle East and Europe

Raffles expanded into Dubai with Raffles Dubai and subsequently entered other international destinations. In Paris, Le Royal Monceau became associated with Raffles and later emerged as one of the brand’s major European properties.1

2011 — First Resort

Raffles opened Raffles Seychelles on Praslin Island, marking the brand’s first resort and its first property in the Indian Ocean.1

2012 — Philippines

Raffles entered the Philippines through Raffles Makati in Manila, forming part of the Raffles and Fairmont complex in Makati.1

2018 — Warsaw

Raffles Europejski Warsaw opened following the restoration of the historic Hotel Europejski, adding a major Central European address to the portfolio.4

2020 — India

Raffles entered India with Raffles Udaipur, a luxury resort situated on an island in the middle of Udai Sagar Lake.4

2022 — Doha

Raffles Doha opened in Qatar, expanding the brand’s presence in the Gulf and coinciding with the period surrounding the 2022 FIFA World Cup.4

2023 — Major Global Expansion

The year 2023 was particularly significant, with Raffles adding properties including:

• Raffles London at The OWO
• Raffles Boston
• Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain
• Raffles at Galaxy Macau

The Boston opening represented Raffles’ major debut in the United States.4

2024 — Jaipur

Raffles Jaipur opened in Rajasthan, becoming the brand’s second property in the Indian state after Udaipur.4

2025–2026

The portfolio continued to expand with Raffles Sentosa Singapore opening in 2025 and Raffles Jeddah joining the portfolio in 2026. Accor’s June 2026 figures place the brand at 25 hotels globally.4

Raffles is currently part of Accor, one of the world’s largest hospitality groups. The relationship emerged through the corporate history of Raffles International and the later formation of FRHI. Accor subsequently acquired FRHI, bringing Raffles, Fairmont, and Swissôtel into its portfolio.4

This affiliation provides Raffles with access to Accor’s global development, distribution, loyalty, and hospitality infrastructure while allowing it to retain a distinct luxury-brand identity. Importantly, Raffles is positioned within Accor’s luxury segment rather than its upscale or midscale brands.5

As of 2026, Raffles maintains properties across several major regions. Its official portfolio includes destinations in Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, and North America.1

Asia-Pacific

Current destinations include:

• Bali
• Hainan
• Jaipur
• Jakarta
• Macau
• Manila
• Phnom Penh
• Sentosa
• Shenzhen
• Siem Reap
• Singapore
• Udaipur

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Europe

• Istanbul
• London
• Paris
• Warsaw

Indian Ocean

• Praslin, Seychelles

Middle East

• Bahrain
• Doha
• Dubai
• Jeddah
• Mecca

North America

• Boston

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Raffles occupies a specific position in luxury hospitality. It does not compete primarily on the basis of scale; instead, its proposition is based on heritage, exclusivity, personalization, and storytelling.

Raffles sells a sense of place and history as much as it sells a hotel room.

This explains why the brand tends to favour landmark buildings, historically important locations, culturally distinctive destinations, and highly individualized design. The objective is for guests to feel that a Raffles property is intrinsically connected to its destination.

One of the strongest characteristics of the brand is its deliberate use of old-world luxury. This does not necessarily imply that the hotels are old; rather, Raffles attempts to reproduce the atmosphere associated with the grand hotels of the late 19th and early 20th centuries:

• Formal but warm service
• Personal relationships between staff and guests
• Butler service
• Grand architecture
• Elegant public spaces
• Afternoon tea
• Cocktail traditions
• Fine dining
• Literary associations
• Art and culture
• Discreet luxury
• Strong destination identity

The company’s own brand language describes this as “elegance and enchanted glamour.”5

The Raffles Butler is arguably the most important service concept associated with the brand. Rather than treating butler service simply as an amenity for the highest room category, Raffles has made highly personalized service part of its broader brand mythology.

Historically, the concept developed at the original Singapore hotel, where service was intended to be discreet, anticipatory, and deeply personalized. The tradition remains central to the modern Raffles identity.6

This is particularly significant from a branding perspective because it creates a human signature that differentiates Raffles from luxury competitors whose differentiation may focus more heavily on technology, architecture, or wellness.

Raffles Singapore has accumulated an unusually rich cultural mythology.

Literature

Writers associated with the hotel include:

• Joseph Conrad
• Rudyard Kipling
• Somerset Maugham
• Noel Coward

The hotel’s literary heritage remains part of its identity, including the Writers Bar.12

Entertainment and Society

The hotel has also hosted numerous internationally famous entertainers, public figures, and members of high society, helping establish its image as a destination for glamorous travellers.1

The Singapore Sling

Perhaps the most commercially famous cultural artifact associated with Raffles is the Singapore Sling, which has become part of the mythology surrounding both the hotel and Singapore itself.4

There is no single architectural style shared by every Raffles property. Instead, the brand’s design philosophy generally follows a principle of local contextualism: the hotel should respond to the history, architecture, and culture of its destination.

Consequently, a Raffles hotel might be:

• A restored colonial landmark
• A historic European palace
• A contemporary urban tower
• A private-island resort
• A restored government building
• An elaborate palace-inspired resort
• An all-villa tropical retreat

This gives the portfolio a deliberately eclectic appearance. The common thread is luxury + sense of place + cultural narrative, rather than identical architecture.12

From a brand-strategy perspective, Raffles can be understood through five major concepts:

Heritage → the 1887 Singapore origin and historic properties

Service → legendary, discreet, and personalized butler service

Culture → art, literature, architecture, and local traditions

Gastronomy → restaurants, bars, cocktails, and culinary experiences

Sense of place → every property is intended to tell its own destination-specific story

Accor presents these themes through five elements of the Raffles experience: Custodians of Community, Legendary Service, Champions of Culture, Gastronomy, and Wellbeing.2

Raffles holds significance within the international hotel industry because relatively few hospitality brands have successfully transformed the reputation of one individual historic hotel into a global luxury brand.

The original Raffles Singapore became famous first, and the brand subsequently used that reputation as a template for developing additional landmark properties. Its competitive advantage is therefore largely intangible:

• Brand heritage
• Storytelling
• Reputation
• Service rituals
• Historical associations
• Cultural credibility
• Recognition among luxury travellers

Rather than asserting that every Raffles looks the same, the brand’s proposition is closer to the idea that every Raffles has its own story but delivers the same philosophy of service.

1. The history of Raffles: from 1887 to the moment | Raffles Hotels & Resorts
2. Raffles | Accor Group
3. Raffles Hotel
4. Raffles Development Brochure – Q1 2026
5. Luxury Hotels & Resorts – Raffles | all.accor.com
6. Raffles Hotels & Resorts and Assouline Debut Raffles: From Your Butler  | Accor