Visitors to Singapore are now spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a distinctive, quirky hotel to stay in.

There was a time when finding a boutique hotel – or an abode with character – was like looking for a needle in the haystack.

Now boutique-y hotels are everywhere in Singapore. Here's a rundown of boutique hotels that opened in 2009 and will open in 2010 in Singapore for the next time you visit.

The Club:

Located on Club Street where wealthy Chinese tycoons were known to meet for leisure back in the day. Opening second quarter of 2010, it will occupy four heritage shophouses and feature 22 stylish rooms. The area has an eclectic community of creative agencies, specialty shops including Singapore's first Espressamente illy® café. Designed by the Ministry of Design (MOD), The Club will welcome guests with a larger-than-life statue of the discoverer of Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles. Interior design also promises to be sophisticated and cutting-edge yet retain a distinctly local feel. According to MOD, "No two rooms will be the same."

Wangz Hotel:

A sleek property with a modern and distinctive façade opening in 2010 in the Tiong Bahru district, which is fast becoming the boutique hotel enclave of Singapore. The hotel's cylinder-like shape is intended to invoke a sense of calm while rectangular-shaped horizontal windows offer expansive views of Singapore's cityscape and bringing in an abundance of natural daylight to this seven-storey, 41 rooms oasis.

Other features – floor-to-ceiling glass windows, luxuriously-appointed bathrooms with Molton Brown amenities, pillow menus, in-room rain shower facilities, a fitness centre, complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access throughout the hotel and in-room safes. And personal iPod docking stations available in each room.

klapsons:

Opened October and nestled in an office tower in the Central Business District. Probably the smallest boutique hotel in the city-state, klapsons is designed by Milan-based, contemporary design forerunner, William Sawaya & Moroni. A stainless steel sphere that is 16 feet in diameter serves as the hotel's reception and check-in point. Guests are then guided through klapsons' collection of celebrated furniture pieces, which include a "Glacier" bench by acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid and custom designs by William Sawaya & Moroni.

Each of the 17 rooms feature a quirky open-concept shower where guests can shower right in the middle of their room, just a few feet from the bed, which comes with a customized pillow menu. Also has a sky-garden that offers panoramic views of the Singapore port.

Hotel Nostalgia:

Opened in September, a boutique hotel in Tiong Bahru that offers old world charm and 50 upscale rooms housed in two refurbished shophouses and a newly-developed annex building. Inspired by the art-deco of the hotel's location, artist Andre Tan created a series of pieces to reflect the colonial history of Singapore and Tiong Bahru, which now adorn the walls of Nostalgia. Rooms at the hotel have two main themes, "Lush" and "Colonial". Features: Personalised stationery sets and customized Tiong Bahru heartland food tours can also be arranged upon request.

The Quincy Hotel:

At Mount Elizabeth – an all-inclusive boutique hotel (believed to be an industry first in Singapore), which opened in early 2009 in the heart of Orchard Road. Rates include complimentary limousine pick-up from the airport, three meals a day, evening cocktails, minibar snacks, Wi-Fi Internet access, local calls and laundry (up to two pieces per room night).

Quirky designs include a distinctive façade made of dark grey metal anodized steel and shimmering windows; illuminated torsos in the unisex lavatories; elevators with changing messages; and an illuminated, glass-enclosed pool cantilevered from the 12th floor with color-changing LED lights dotting the deck. Guests receive personalized hand-drawn sketches of themselves (pending photo availability) as well as photos of the Guest Services team upon arrival in order to facilitate requests. Quincy's doors only open for hotel guests with room key cards, adhering to a no-open lobby policy.

Other top boutique hotels include the following:

Hotel Re!:

Converted from what used to be Singapore's tallest school building back in 1971 to this 12-storey hotel. Opened in 2008, Hotel Re!'s rooms and corridors are decorated in bold colors of lime green, hot pink, yellow, orange, purple, gold, silver and bronze.

Retro-inspired furniture and glittery mosaic-tiled bathrooms filled with L'Occitane amenities are other hallmarks of the property, located within walking distance of the Central Business District and Chinatown.

Hotel 1929:

The first boutique hotel by lawyer turned hotelier, Lik Peng Loh, offering 32 rooms in the former red-light district of Chinatown, where neighbouring buildings are now used for offices, art galleries and small eateries.

Hotel 1929 also features a "historical corridor" where guests can have a peek into Singapore's history as they walk through a display of black and white archival photos of the island nation from the early 20th century.

New Majestic Hotel:

Hotel 1929's sister property, just a few minutes away on Bukit Pasoh Road.

The 30-room New Majestic Hotel occupies three heritage shophouse units with art-deco styles.

 Each room is individually designed and features original works of art by acclaimed Singaporean artists such as Andre Tan, Wykidd Song, Glen Goei and Daniel Boey.

The Scarlet:

A small but dramatic 80-room hotel bathed in hues of red, black and gold featuring sensual themes and suites called "Passion", "Splendour", "Swank", "Lavish" and "Opulent".

Hotel packages at The Scarlet include "Untamed Hearts" for couples, "Bonding Babes" for the ideal all-ladies night out on the town, and "Cougar, Come Prey" ladies nights at the hotel's in-house lounge.

Bold.

Naumi:

A 40-room property ideal for business travelers that features The Naumi Signature Bed and a Ladies-Only Floor attended to by female-only staff.

Yeoh Siew Hoon, one of Asia's most respected travel editors and commentators, writes a regular column on news, trends and issues in the hospitality industry for 4Hoteliers.com.

Siew Hoon, who has covered the tourism industry in Asia/Pacific for the past 20 years, runs SHY Ventures Pte Ltd. Her other writings can be found at www.thetransitcafe.com

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Photos courtesy of the individual hotels featured in this article