METT’s first Asian outpost blends colonial design with boutique calm and destination dining.
METT has always felt like a Dubai idea of escape. The brand sits within Sunset Hospitality Group, the Dubai-born hospitality operator whose portfolio spans restaurants, beach clubs and hotels, and which launched its first METT property in Bodrum before expanding to destinations including Barcelona and Marbella. That background matters because METT Singapore is the group’s first entry into Asia, and it arrives with the confidence of a brand that understands how its guests like to live now: social, slightly indulgent, and never too earnest.
Perched on a hill within Fort Canning Park, the hotel occupies a restored 1926 colonial building that once served as the administration block of the British Far East Command. You approach through dense greenery, the city’s tempo dropping away with every turn of the driveway, until the columns of the façade appear like a film set. It’s rare in Singapore to find a hotel that feels removed without being remote, with Orchard Road and the CBD close enough to reach in minutes when you want the noise back.
Rooms
The hotel has 84 rooms and suites, and the small scale is deliberate. METT Singapore is a beautifully boutique experience that uses intimacy as a luxury, with interiors that lean into contemporary colonial elements. Canadian designer Jeffrey Wilkes has delivered spaces that feel tailored and calm, with creamy tones, heritage panelling, Art Deco-style sideboards, tropical wallpaper tucked inside wardrobes, and grates over vents that honour the building’s heritage rather than trying to hide it.
My Junior Suite sits comfortably on the first floor, with timber underfoot, high ceilings overhead, and a white marble bathroom that feels part old-world grand and part freshly minted. The bedding is properly plush, the lighting flattering, and the layout practical in a way that many “lifestyle” hotels forget. A separate lounge zone makes it easy to work, entertain, or simply sprawl with room service and a movie. And then there’s the METT signature: a Maxi Bar that goes beyond the usual minibar monotony, stocked with premium pours and cocktail kits that encourage you to shake something up.
The brand’s obsession with personalisation is where the experience quietly wins you over. The monogramming on pillows and face towels, the Singaporean snacks ceremoniously laid out during the nightly turndown service, and the consistency of service touchpoints. It is luxury with a Dubai cadence: polished and a little playful.
Restaurants
Dining is where METT Singapore most clearly announces itself as a Dubai export, not just a reflagged heritage hotel. The headline act is L’Amo Bistrò del Mare, the coastal Italian concept that first made waves in Dubai (including a FACT Dining Awards win for Best Italian – Fine Dining in 2025). Here, you may lose the waterfront views found in the emirates, but the restaurant’s Dubai DNA remains in its relaxed elegance, curved archways and soft nautical hues.
The menu is classic Italian, but with enough finesse to justify the superb setting. Vitello Tonnato showcases tender veal, a silk-smooth tuna sauce, and capers, while the Tagliolini al Tartufo di Stagione is unapologetically rich, made with an extravagant number of egg yolks and finished with seasonal black truffle. A glistening ice display showcases the catch of the day, and the tableside tiramisu provides lashings of mascarpone and a good soaking of strong espresso, resulting in the perfect finale to a memorable meal.
Canning Bar & Lounge plays a different role. By morning, it hosts a bountiful à la carte breakfast before shifting into an elegant social room, the terrace doubling as a private veranda above the city. Afternoon tea is a highlight, while evening gives way to a marvellous mixology programme to help elongate your evenings.
It helps that, outside the hotel, Singapore is one of the world’s great dining cities. Odette and Zén retain three Michelin stars in the MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2025, while Sunset Hospitality Group’s SUSHISAMBA offers sky-high views to compete with those of CE LA VI across the bay. Despite the culinary cohorts, METT’s clear culinary ambition means you do not have to leave the hill to feel like you have eaten well.
Recreation
Wellness here is less spa day, more performance and recovery. METT Singapore’s gym is a serious proposition, housed in a glasshouse-like space looking out to park greenery and the stunning skyline, equipped with Technogym equipment and backed by studio classes ranging from Reformer Pilates to HIIT and TRX. Changing rooms lean into the reset narrative with saunas, steam rooms, and cold plunges, making post-workout recovery easy.
Then there are the pools. In a central city location, two outdoor pools feel like a flex: one geared towards proper laps, the other set up for languid afternoons under cabanas with a drink in hand. It feels like a serene escape, the city noise dulled by foliage and elevation.
When you do want to explore, METT can arrange vintage Vespa sidecar rides that reframe sightseeing as a stylish, wind-in-your-face adventure. The partnership is a thoughtful one, run in conjunction with Singapore Sidecars, a social enterprise that raises funds for cancer research and cancer support groups. Clarke Quay, Kampong Glam and Marina Bay Sands are all within easy reach, while Chinatown is a short stroll away if you’re looking for a taste of tea shops, takeaways, touristy souvenirs, and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum.
What’s next
METT Singapore is a Dubai brand translated into Southeast Asia, but it’s only the start of things to come at this hip heritage hotel. HANU, a modern Korean concept from Dubai with grills, an omakase counter and a highball bar sensibility, is opening soon. Art di Daniele Sperindio will follow, the chef’s signature restaurant built around Italian fine dining with a more intimate, personal edge. Madison House, a private members’ club focused on wellness, culture and community, is slated to open in 2026, bringing an additional layer of lifestyle heft to the hilltop.
The verdict
METT Singapore gets the translation right. It honours the heritage of a historic building while delivering the kind of contemporary, detail-driven luxury that Dubai does so well. The rooms are genuinely liveable, the dining destinations have purpose, and recreation prioritises energy and recovery over predictable spa clichés. Much like its inaugural property in Bodrum, the sense of place is clear and purposeful. As a first Asian outpost, it does not arrive timidly. METT Singapore offers an air of exclusivity, anchored by attention to detail.
GO: Visit www.metthotelsandresorts.com for more information.