RAFFLES—A SINGAPORE HOTEL, A HOLMES INVERSION PART 1

THIS CONNECT-THE-DOTS TALE IN PARTS 1 AND 2 today and tomorrow begins with yet another Raffles: Stamford Raffles is described by Wikipedia as “a British colonial official who served as the governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816 and lieutenant-governor of Bencoolen [a Residency of British India] between 1818 and 1824.”

Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, 1781–1826, “largely credited for the founding of contemporary Singapore,” though “the early running of day-to-day operations was mostly done by William Farquhar, who served as the first Resident of Singapore from 1819 to 1823.” Portrait by George Francis Joseph, c. 1817.

“In Singapore,” Wikipedia continues, “his legacy is commemorated by the Raffles’s Landing Site and the use of his name for numerous national institutions. However, his historical role has become a subject of public debate, with critics characterising him as an imperialist. These perspectives argue that celebratory narratives of colonialism can overlook the history of the population that predated his arrival.”

Perhaps another story for another day. However, here we glean tidbits about two other Raffles: one, a hotel; the other, a rascal.

Calendar Pages Flutter….  In 1887 Armenian hoteliers the Sarkies Brothers took over lease of a Singapore beach house built in the early 1830s. 

The Sarkies, clockwise from the top, Arshak, Tigran, and Aviet. Born in Qajar Iran, the brothers were hoteliers throughout Southeast Asia, 1884–1931. Portraits from Wikipedia.

Wikipedia recounts, “… on December 1, 1887, the ten-room Raffles Hotel opened. Its proximity to the beach and its reputation for high standards in services and accommodations made the hotel popular with wealthy clientele.”

A New Building. By 1899, Wikipedia continues, “a new main building was constructed on the site of the original beach house. Designed by architect Regent Alfred John Bidwell of Swan and Maclaren….  the new main building offered numerous state-of-the-art (for the time) features, including powered ceiling fans and electric lights. In fact, the Raffles Hotel was the first hotel in the region to have electric lights.”

During WWII, a Ryokan. On February 15, 1942, Raffles became Syonan Ryokan (昭南旅館, shōnan ryokan), incorporating Syonan (“Light of the South”), the Japanese name for occupied Singapore, and ryokan, the name for a traditional Japanese inn. Wikipedia notes, “… it is said that the Japanese soldiers encountered the guests in Raffles Hotel dancing one final waltz. Meanwhile, staff buried the hotel silver—including the silver beef trolley—in the Palm Court.”

Post-War To Date. Raffles was reclaimed in 1945 during Operation Tiderace by the British Navy. It has had several owners since then. 

Raffles in 1965. Image by Steve Swayne from Maleny, Queensland, Australia from Wikipedia.

Wikipedia reports, “In April 2010, it was reported that a Qatari sovereign wealth fund bought Raffles Hotel for $275 million. In addition to taking over the Raffles Hotel, the Qatar Investment Authority would inject $467 million into Fairmont Raffles Hotels International in exchange for a 40% stake in the luxury hotel chain.”

Raffles today. Image from Raffles Singapore.

Belly Up To The Bar, Ma’am. Wikipedia recounts, “This long drink was reputed to have been developed in 1915 by Ngiam Tong Boon, a bartender at the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel…. It was socially unacceptable for women to drink alcohol in public at that time, so Ngiam made the cocktail look like fruit juice to enable women to drink it.”

Image by Paul2520 from Wikipedia.

Needless to say, others offer different origins of the drink, but Ia mungkin tidak benar, tetapi ia adalah cerita yang bagus; Malay for “It may not be true, but it’s a good story.” (Malay is one of Singapore’s four official languages; the other three, English, Tamil, and Mandarin Chinese.)

Tomorrow in Part 2, we’ll learn of a rascal named Raffles who apparently never stayed at the hotel. However, he had an intimate tie with the world’s first consulting detective. ds 

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2026