The Westin Singapore is back, at a coveted location not far from where it first commanded attention in the Lion City. It is difficult to resist the glamour of Singapore with its fine cuisine, shopping, sightseeing and the famous integrated resorts with their casinos.

A six-hour direct flight will help you escape Beijing's haze to Singapore's fresh air and year-round balmy weather.

To make the visit more satisfying, one of the best places to stay is at The Westin Singapore, which re-opened in November last year after 12-year absence.

"We always look for the right opportunity, location and partner. It took us some time to find our ideal combination and reopen the Westin in Singapore," says Brian Povinelli, global brand leader of Westin Hotels and Resorts and Le Meridien.

Located at Marina Bay, the luxurious fringe of Singapore's central business district, it is the first integrated hotel in the country within an office building. It has the highest hotel lobby in Singapore, and the 305-room hotel offers fabulous day and night views of Marina Bay and the financial district from vantage points on the 32nd to 46th floor.

"We couldn't ask for a better location," says Lance J. Ourednik, general manager of the hotel.

The hotel rubs shoulders with skyscrapers housing international financial and investment companies and banks, including Google's business headquarters for Asia-Pacific.

"The global corporations are basing themselves in this part of the city. The Singapore government is planning more development here, too. It's a great place to be," he says.

Public transport is very convenient because the hotel is just a few minutes way from the underground. In future, train lines under expansion will connect the hotel to the northwestern and eastern regions of Singapore, where the Zoo and the airport are located.

Embracing the Westin brand's promise "for a better you", the hotel offers excellent services and facilities to make guests leaving feel better than when they arrived.

All guestrooms, decorated in natural earthy colors, maintain a balance of work and pleasure. Guests will enjoy the comfortable Westin Heavenly Bed, with lush sheets, down cushions and a patented pillow-top mattress.

Rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing guests an expansive view of nearby scenic spots such as Chinatown and the Sentosa Island, home to various attractions including the Universal Studios Singapore theme park.

The hotel also helps guests explore the city with a digital destination guide, Westin Finds From Afar, launched in collaboration with travel media brand Afar. The site offers information on local favorites, such as restaurants and bars, must-see sights and options for different itineraries.

After a long day out, Westin offers a recharge with its SuperFoodsRx dishes, which refers to dishes made from nutritious and healthy ingredients. Then you can jump into the infinity pool overlooking Marina Bay on the 35th floor.

Ourednik says the hotel's core guests are business and corporate clients, but there are some leisure guests over the weekend as well.

The hotel is smoke-free, and it also the first hotel in Singapore to have cooking oil waste converted into diesel. All vehicles used by the hotel have been converted so they can run on the bio-fuel.

"It is the right thing to do and we hope it will become a trend in Singapore," he says.

(China Daily 03/08/2014 page13)