First look: Singapore’s Pan Pacific Orchard is a Jenga-inspired oasis

Singapore is no stranger to unique architectural statements and luxury hotels, with the likes of Marina Bay Sands and Raffles well known on the international stage. Opening in May 2023, the upcoming Pan Pacific Orchard could soon join that list.

Designed by WOHA Architects, the team behind the distinctive Crowne Plaza Changi Airport and cliffside Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali, the upcoming 347-room address is unlike any other in the city, like a cross between a botanic garden and Jenga game.

Four soaring open-air terraces bring the outside world into the hotel.

Paying homage to the horticultural origins of its location (Orchard Road was once lined with nutmeg plantations and fruit orchards) it adheres to the concept of biophilic design, which places a strong emphasis on creating connection with the outside world.

With four open-air terraces – Forest, Beach, Garden and Cloud – home to 120-metre high green walls, gardens filled with tropical plants, and even a sand-edged swimming pool beneath a mirrored ceiling, Pan Pacific Orchard embodies the biophilic ethos to a tee.

The Garden Terrace is home to the Pacific Club Lounge, accessible to guests in Club level rooms.

It’s not the first time the Pan Pacific Group has dabbled with the concept in Singapore either. Its Parkroyal Collection, Pickering – over on the edge of Chinatown – is similarly adorned in greenery, which gently cascades down its glass-encased façade.

More than just a destination to relax in nature, the hotel is primed to be a great sightseeing base too. It’s located on the doorstep of Orchard station, and within easy reach of malls including Palais Renaissance, ION Orchard, and Isetan Scotts.

The Beach Terrace features a swimming pool with sandy shore.

Among the Pan Pacific Orchard’s signature rooms are 10 Beach Club Lofts, each with a balcony and direct access to the swimming pool. Details on the remaining 337 rooms are yet to be revealed, though each will enjoy impressive views of the terraces or Singapore skyline.

Check-in is sure to be a memorable experience too, either down amid the cascading water features of the Forest terrace or up at the dedicated Club lobby on the Garden terrace.

When not stopping to smell the flowers, guests can then indulge their sweet tooth with afternoon tea at the signature restaurant on the Forest terrace or engage holiday mode with a relaxing dip and a drink at the Beach terrace pool bar.

The hotel’s crowning jewel: the Cloud Terrace.

Up on the Garden Terrace is a manicured lawn lined with private cabanas, as well as the hotel’s signature bar and the Pacific Club Lounge, which extends from the indoors to out. A pillarless ballroom on Cloud Terrace is expected to become a popular events destination.

Orchard Road’s hotel landscape has seen significant growth and change in recent years, with new additions including Vibe Hotel Singapore Orchard and Pullman Orchard Singapore, not to mention the Hilton Orchard Singapore mega-hotel.

There are more on the way too, including The Standard Singapore and revamped Grand Hyatt Singapore, which is set to reopen in early 2023.

Pan Pacific is a member of the GHA Discovery loyalty program, along with 35 hotel brands including Anantara, Parkroyal, Elewana, Avani and Kempinski.