Half hotel - half JUNGLE: Inside the showstopping property in Singapore ... trends now
Jo Kessel checks into the new 347-room Pan Pacific Orchard hotel in Singapore to film a structure that resembles a giant game of Jenga. This unique 23-storey hotel has four open-air terraces stacked on top of one another, each designed to integrate with nature. One’s home to a forest, another has a beach, the third is a garden and the fourth (and highest) is all about clouds. Jo has the inside scoop on them all.
Award-winning architect firm WOHA has a reputation for integrating the environment into its designs. And when it set about building Pan Pacific’s newest hotel in Singapore, its aim was to create the latest prototype in sustainable hospitality.
This has been done by introducing greenery to pretty much every nook and cranny.
Knowing this in theory is one thing - seeing it in reality is another. Guests enter via the hotel’s forest - a real 'wow' moment - and this is where I begin the film.
The lush entrance is thick with foliage and there are nearly 100 different species of plants across the property covering 130,000 square feet (12,000 sq m).
Jo Kessel checks into the dramatic hotel Pan Pacific Orchard in Singapore. Pictured: Manicured lawns on the Garden Terrace
The sliding door in Jo's Beach Club Loft (above) opens onto a private patio with direct access to a pool
The hotel is by award-winning architect firm WOHA, which has a reputation for integrating the environment into its designs. Above is a Terrace Suite bathroom
And because this is a green hotel, the forest pond - which is home to a floating bar - is so much more than just water. It’s an eco-pond alive with algae, as is the adjacent giant waterfall.
One terrace up on the 5th floor is my Beach Club Loft. This exclusive duplex accommodation comes with perks including patio doors that open onto… the beach.
An orange wristband (which guests wear as a watch) can be used to open doors in lieu of a key. As for the vista beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, it’s a showstopper.
The dramatic 390ft (120m) columns that tower through the terraces thrive with flora and fauna and attract birds
Bar Florette (which overlooks the lawn) has botanic-themed cocktails. Jo samples the strawberry-themed ‘Garden’ drink
The hotel has 360 photovoltaic (solar) panels that generate clean energy
Foliage covers 130,000 square feet (12,000 square metres), or more than 300 per cent of the hotel
It's the world's first hotel to have built a forest, waterfall, gardens and beach into the high-rise itself. Pictured above is the Pacific Breeze bar
Jo Kessel introduces viewers to the hotel
Each Beach Club Loft has its own walkway and floating sofa, with direct access to the sea. Of course this isn’t a conventional beach, but the pebble wash finish does a very good job of mimicking sand.
And the pool has a standout city skyline view.
The hotel's green credentials are impressive. The dramatic 390ft (120m) columns, which tower through the terraces, thrive with flora and fauna and attract birds.
And the plants - which cover more than 300 per cent of the hotel’s land area - are irrigated by
