Hotel Michael

Designed by Micheal Graves Architecture & Design, Hotel Michael stands as a tribute to the late architectural icon, with a postmodern style that merges Art Deco elements with Graves furniture. His firm created artwork for the public spaces and rooms, along with a custom typeface for the all hotel's graphics. The lobby's glitzy polish and gold-mirrored columns give way to warmer private spaces, with honey-hued rooms covered in maple wood. 

Located in Resort World Sentosa, Hotel Michael is surrounded by a huge entertainment complex filled with hotels, restaurants, shops, casinos, and clubs in western Sentosa Island. The resort is home to Universal Studios and Marine Life Park, and attracts families as well as a younger crowd looking for nightlife. Sentosa Island itself is located a 25-minute drive from the downtown area and is connected to mainland Singapore by the Sentosa Gateway. It is divided into two very distinct parts -- the tranquil, more secluded eastern half (home to golf courses, quiet resorts, and forests) and the younger, massive tourism-oriented western half, home to Resort World. 

Hotel Michael's 476 rooms and suites have views of the harbor or Festive Walk, with a warm palette and patterned carpets made from Graves drawings. Copious honey maple woodwork frames the rooms, from the cabinets to the headboards, and the desks with integrated hutches across from the beds, which are adorned with duck feather pillows. Blue and sandstone-colored murals decorate wall spaces between shelves and above the beds, with designer lamps adding to the golden-hued lighting. Mini-fridges, electric tea kettles, and flat-screen TVs come standard, but Wi-Fi is a pricey extra fee, per device. The marble bathrooms have large walk-in showers with flower-motif mosaic walls.  Suites add wet bars with microwaves and Nespresso machines. 

Though rooms are stylish, they're not quite up to advertised five-star standards, and some are showing wear. Multiple guests have also complained of housekeeping lapses such as missing towels, and service requests can take a long while to be fulfilled. 

As part of the Resorts World Sentosa, guests can access a spa, fitness center, other pools, and restaurants throughout the complex. A free shuttle takes guests to and from ESPA, a massive full-service spa with pools, saunas, and steam rooms. The hotel's own smallish outdoor pool and hot tub are set in a sundeck with a loungers, partially covered by a sculptural metal canopy. For dining, TungLok Heen serves contemporary Chinese helmed by celebrity chef Susur Lee, and the Graves-designed Palio focuses on Tuscan cuisine from seafood pizza to handmade pasta with Italian wine pairings. Michael’s Lounge in the lobby serves cocktails and light snacks.