The Hari is heading to Singapore, with Harilela Hotels confirming that the city-state will become the third home for its design-led hotel brand, joining existing properties in London and Hong Kong.
The new opening, scheduled for spring 2027, will see the Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre transformed into a 326-bedroom luxury hotel. In hotel terms, that is not so much a light refurbishment as a full change of wardrobe, haircut and social circle.
The Hari Singapore will feature a rooftop pool, executive lounge, dining and wellness experiences, and the brand’s signature revolving rota of artwork — a detail that rather neatly tells you where this project intends to sit. This is not aiming to be another anonymous five-star lobby with beige sofas and a piano nobody plays.
A Third Address For The Hari
Harilela Hotels has chosen Singapore as the next step in the expansion of The Hari, positioning the brand across three major international cities: London, Hong Kong and now Singapore.
The Hari London opened in August 2016, followed by The Hari Hong Kong in December 2020. The Hari Singapore will become the third hotel to operate under the brand, extending its reach into one of Asia’s most competitive hospitality markets.
That matters because Singapore is not short of polished hotels. It is a city where service is expected to glide, interiors are expected to behave, and a rooftop pool is hardly enough to make anyone drop their satay. To stand out here, a hotel needs character as well as competence.
The Hari’s pitch appears to be just that: luxury with a pulse.
Tara Bernerd Returns To Shape The Design
British designer Tara Bernerd, whose work has shaped both The Hari London and The Hari Hong Kong, will lead the design vision for The Hari Singapore.
Her brief, according to the details released, is to balance contemporary elegance with a strong sense of place. The interiors are expected to be layered, sophisticated and welcoming, while reflecting the energy and cultural character of Singapore.
That is a delicate assignment. Lean too hard into global luxury and the hotel could land anywhere from Mayfair to Macau. Overplay the local references and the whole thing risks becoming themed. The sweet spot is harder to find: a hotel that feels unmistakably of its city without dressing up like a tourist brochure.
Bernerd’s previous work for The Hari brand suggests the Singapore property will lean towards a clubby, cultured form of luxury — the sort of place where the lighting has been thought about, the art is doing more than covering a wall, and the room does not look as though it was designed by a procurement committee with a ruler and a grudge.
Relaxed Elegance, With A Bit Of Bite
“This hotel, like our sister properties in Belgravia and Wan Chai, will embody relaxed elegance punctuated by eccentricity, wit, culture and genuine heartfelt hospitality,” said the brand’s founder, Dr. Aron Harilela. “Singapore is key to our ambition to evolve The Hari in major international destinations.
It is a telling line. “Relaxed elegance” is a phrase many hotels like to borrow, usually before presenting guests with something so stiff it could pass for a diplomatic reception. The more interesting words here are “eccentricity” and “wit”. Luxury travel has spent years polishing away its rough edges. The better hotels are now putting some personality back in.
For The Hari Singapore, that personality will be central. The brand’s revolving art programme gives the property a cultural thread, while the planned dining, wellness and executive lounge spaces suggest a hotel designed for more than a quick check-in and a room-service club sandwich under a silver dome.
Why Singapore Makes Sense
Singapore is a logical next move for Harilela Hotels. It is international, commercially powerful, culturally layered and deeply familiar with premium hospitality. It also attracts the kind of traveller The Hari appears to court: design-conscious, globally mobile, and allergic to hotels that confuse luxury with silence.
The city’s hotel scene is competitive, but The Hari Singapore arrives with a defined identity rather than a blank corporate face. Its connection to London and Hong Kong gives it immediate brand context, while the Orchard City Centre transformation gives it a physical starting point in a recognised part of the city.
The challenge, of course, will be making the finished hotel feel distinctive. Singapore does not reward half-measures. Everything works there. The trick is to make it sing.
A Family Hospitality Story With Global Reach
The Hari sits within the wider Harilela Hotels portfolio, owned by Harilela Group. Established in 1959, the Harilela Group remains wholly owned by the Harilela family.
The group is the parent company of Harilela Hotels, which owns 15 properties across Hong Kong, China, Asia, Europe and the US.
That family ownership gives the brand a useful point of difference in a hospitality sector increasingly dominated by sprawling groups, asset-light models and hotel names that sound as though they were generated during a board meeting in an airport lounge.
The Hari, by contrast, has room to present itself as personal. The promise is culture, design and service, but with a softer edge: hospitality that feels considered rather than laminated.
The Verdict On The Hari Singapore
The Hari Singapore is still some distance from opening its doors, but the outline is clear enough. A 326-bedroom luxury hotel. A rooftop pool. Dining and wellness. A rotating art programme. Tara Bernerd on design. Singapore as the next global stage.
That is a strong hand, provided the execution matches the intent.
In a city already fluent in luxury, The Hari will need to do more than arrive well-dressed. It will need charm, texture and a certain glint in the eye. Fortunately, that appears to be rather the point.
