The idea to develop the Marina Bay area took shape in the 1970s with an envisioned expansion of the existing city centre to accommodate a larger business and financial hub.

What started off as a body of water off Collyer Quay was transformed following several stages of land reclamation work, creating a barren plot that would later give rise to the biggest single development of its time in Singapore – the Marina Centre. This T-shaped development, designed by DP Architects in collaboration with John Portman Associates, was anchored by a four-storey mall, Marina Square, and three hotels including the 38-storey Pan Pacific Singapore.

Contributing to the iconic Marina Bay waterfront skyline today is Marina Centre, Esplanade – Theatres by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, and the iconic Singapore Flyer, bringing life to the vicinity 24/7. This future-driven development has provided the backdrop to Singapore’s F1 night race and plays host each year to Singapore’s New Year Countdown, among other iconic events.

All three hotels that form the Marina Centre complex feature the iconic atrium design that is a signature of the legendary US architect John Portman Jr. The atrium concept has been around since ancient Roman times, where it was featured in entrance spaces and courtyards. It was Mr Portman who brought the concept into public buildings in modern times, his first being the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia in 1967. His strength lies in his ability to create a sense of architectural theatre through the creative use of atriums in the lobby space, using basic geometric forms and by bringing the outdoors into the space through skylit landscaped balconies inside the building. The atrium reveals an understanding of how people move and promotes spaces full of movement and vitality.

In the Pan Pacific Singapore, the enormous atrium space which was the highest atrium in Asia at the time, featured a cloth and brass sculpture suspended from the top of the hotel and cascaded through the atrium space so as to dampen the echoing sound of conversations taking place in the lobby below.

An additional and much-loved feature Portman added were the internal and external glass capsule bullet lifts mounted on the hotel’s internal and external wall. The internal bullet lifts allow guests to take in the spectacular atrium of the hotel whilst the external offer a breath-taking view of Singapore as the capsules scale the building up to the 38th floor.

When Pan Pacific Singapore held its soft launch on 21 November 1986, it started as it intended to go on, by innovating to deliver the ultimate guest experience. General Manager Mr Manfred Haeger recognised that, by harnessing satellite technology, the launch didn’t have to be limited by geographical location. So, with Australia targeted as a key market for the hotel, the launch was beamed live to a venue in Sydney, Australia to an audience of more than 150 Australian travel industry leaders as well as members of the press. Mr Haeger assured his audience that the hotel's location was ideal for Australian travellers, with the shift in focus and traffic already taking place away from the Orchard Road belt and into the newly reclaimed Marina Bay area.

In a hotel there will always occasions when an associate finds misplaced or forgotten guest valuables and ensures that they were returned to its rightful owner. However, two notable cases made the newspapers due to the high value of the items found in the Pan Pacific Singapore.

In October 1988, chambermaid Tan Lee Eng was cleaning room 3004 after a Japanese guest had checked out when she came across $120,000-worth of gems simply sitting in an ashtray. Madame Tan, who had only been with the hotel for seven months at this point, recounted that at first she thought the gems to be fake because they were so big. But suspecting they may be valuable, she put the stones into an envelope and immediately took her find to the housekeeper. The guest was subsequently reunited with the jewels.

In January 1995, a similar incident happened at La Patisserie, the hotel’s pastry shop, when a guest left a bag behind containing $50,000 in cash and a cheque for $1 million. A part-time waitress on duty at the time, Ms Jennifer Lim, discovered the forgotten bag and immediately reported it to her supervisor, Mr Alex Lim. By the time the guest had realised his error and rushed back to the shop only five minutes later, Mr Lim had already taken it to security for safe keeping until they could call his room later that day.

Valentine’s Day each year from 1991 till 1999 was a huge undertaking for the hotel. Each couple would be whisked up to the 37th floor in the hotel’s iconic bullet lift to take in the magnificent Singapore skyline by night as they dined, only to return to the 3rd floor to be served the next course from the hotel’s various restaurants such as Japanese restaurant Keyaki; Cantonese restaurant Hai Tien Lo and the then-Chateaubriand Grill Room.

This innovative $1468+++ package became the talk of the town, and included a night’s stay in the honeymoon suite with breakfast in bed; and this creative dining concept continued until the New Year’s Eve of 1999.

Another pioneering move for Pan Pacific Singapore was the introduction to its catering service of a first-of-its-kind yacht charter package in 1999, where the hotel’s guests were able to charter Windsong, an 18-metre-long yacht, for trips out to sea. Depending on the duration and time of charter, fees ranged between $550 and $1,100 all inclusive, with catering services optional at an additional fee.

Multi-million dollar project commissioning boutique interior design firm FBEYE International to upgrade guest rooms.

A multi-million dollar swimming pool renovation served to further enhance the guest experience, complete with water features, lush greenery, private lounging spaces and a children’s wading pool, as well as a brand-new poolside bar.

Fast forward to present day, the Pan Pacific Singapore is now one of the most famous hotels in Singapore, with luxurious accommodation, a notable club lounge in Singapore reputed to be amongst the best hotels’ executive floors, superior event solutions and award-winning restaurants to offer to business and leisure travellers alike.