South East Asia: Singapore - Spicing up its image.

While renowned for being Asia's top convention city, Singapore is now drawing attention to its range of incentive opportunities and its lively nightlife. Yasmin Razak reports.

Jay-walkers, chewing gum addicts and fans of the pungent durian fruit perpetuate the myth that Singapore is a sterile city with arcane laws. However, scratching beneath its pristine veneer reveals a destination brimming with culture, incentive opportunities and excellent local service.

Indeed, Singapore oozes five-star appeal, as clearly demonstrated by its portfolio of hotels, which includes the Conrad Centennial, several Shangri-La properties, a Ritz-Carlton hotel and a Mandarin Oriental. The latter is currently undergoing a massive refurbishment and is scheduled to reopen in December 2004 with hopes of positioning itself as one of the destination's leading properties.

On the island of Sentosa, the Sentosa Re-sort & Spa is receiving a boost from its association, from June 2004, with the Small Luxury Hotels group. Meanwhile, back on the mainland, the boutique market is growing with the whimsical Hotel 1929 on Keong Saik Road and the Scarlet, which are both due to open by the end of the year.

Singapore's service and accommodation have combined in the past to make the destination Asia's number one convention city …