Goodwood Park Hotel

The landmark Goodwood Park Hotel is more than a century old, having survived two World Wars. Built in 1900 as the Teutonia Clubhouse for the German community here, it is designed after a Rhineland castle. Its turret is charming and distinctive.

A closer look at the ornamental trimmings. In 1929, the former owners, the Manasseh brothers, turned it into a five-star heritage hotel. Many members of the glitterati have stayed here including the Duke of Windsor, later the Prince of Wales of England. The hotel is noted for its famous English Afternoon Tea.

The hotel's present owner is the family of the late Mr Khoo Teck Puat who bought over the hotel in 1963. One of his sons, Mr Eric Khoo, is a critically acclaimed movie-maker who has won several awards for his Singapore-made films. His latest film, My Magic (2008), was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, receiving a standing ovation. An earlier film, 12 Storeys (1997), was the first Singapore film to take part in the Cannes Film Festival. In contrast to his being born with a silver spoon, all his films including Mee Pok Man (1995) and Be With Me (2005) deal with the underdog and the grittier side of life.

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