 Luxury Hotels: So far Raffles Hotels & Resorts are located in Singapore, the Kingdom of Cambodia, North America, the Caribbean Islands, Germany, and Switzerland. Raffles invites all luxury connoisseurs to experience indulgence at its maximum
level. Raffles is named after the great Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern-day Singapore. In 1819, while working as an agent for the East India Company, Raffles purchased the islands between Malaysia and Indonesia from the Sultan of Johor. He then invited both Chinese and Indians to immigrate to it, which is why Singapore is culturally diverse today. A replica of the bronze statue raised in 1887 to honor Sir Raffles is positioned at the North Boat Quay, which is commonly referred to as Raffles Landing Site. The first Raffles hotel opened in Singapore during that same year. Raffles is affiliated with North America's highly regarded Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.
Condé Nast Traveler placed Raffles Hotel Singapore on its World's Best Places to Stay list from 1995 to 2006. Travel + Leisure placed it on its Greatest 500 Hotels in the World list from 2003 to 2005. Luxury Travel Magazine (Australia) named it second on its Best Overseas Hotel list for 2005. But it goes beyond that. Raffles L'Ermitage Beverly Hills has awards too,
having been issued a Mobil Five-Star Award from Mobil Travel Guides from 2000 to 2006 and the AAA Five-Diamond Award from 2001 to 2006 by the Automobile Club of Southern California. Similar citations have been given to Raffles Le Montreux Palace in Montreux,
Switzerland, Raffles Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten of Hamburg, Germany, and Raffles Resort Canouan Island of
the Grenadines.
Raffles Beijing is scheduled to open its doors at the end of June 2006, and Raffles Dubai's opening is slated for 2007. Construction for new destinations is under way in Thailand, Indonesia and French Polynesia. It is safe to say that each Raffles' location should
have its own article. (There's a subtle clue on what's forthcoming!) Frequent travelers should look into the Raffles Capital program, as membership offers special privileges and discounts. Booking reservations online via Raffles' website also offers distinct benefits.
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