Grungy to gorgeous: Millennial hotelier rewrites Selegie story with Varel Singapore

SINGAPORE – A millennial hotelier is reshaping a dodgy corner of Selegie Road.

In April, Vinson Keefe Anggasaputro, 32, opened the Varel Singapore as a chic sanctuary, replacing the ill-reputed Selegie Centre where police would raid underground lounges and massage parlours.

Much earlier, the neighbourhood was known for a different illicit hustle. In the 1800s, fierce Bugis pirates planted a lookout stronghold on the slopes of the Selegie-Mount Sophia area, wielding “seligi”, or fire-hardened spears, to plunder ships.

This twilight domain clung to its grungy edge across the centuries until the enclave slowly transformed with shiny entrants like the mega mixed-use development One Sophia that replaced the weathered Peace Centre and Peace Mansion; the modern mall Tekka Place; and now, the design-led Varel.

Varel, managed under Marriott International’s Tribute Portfolio brand, mirrors the changing fortunes of Selegie and also Anggasaputro’s own shape-shifting ethos as a serial entrepreneur. The Chinese-Indonesian next-gen builder has navigated ventures as diverse as bubble tea and bringing in puppies from South Korea.

These ventures came naturally, as he was born into a business family in Surabaya, where his father established the leading adhesive tape manufacturing group Nachindo.

Varel is a portmanteau blending the family members’ names: Vinson, father Andrie and mother Erlin. Vinson has two older sisters.

The youngest Anggasaputro, a Singapore permanent resident married to a South Korean homemaker, now channels his corporate agility into Varel to explore a novel sense of hospitality. 

He tells The Straits Times: “Tribute Portfolio hotels have an independent spirit. They are premium, but not hyper-luxury. I thought that suits the location perfectly.”

Rates start at $269 a night, depending on the dates, room types and promotions.

When he was a child, the enclave represented safety rather than grit. 

Moving from Indonesia to Singapore when he was around four years old to escape the turbulence of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and 1998 race riots, he discovered Selegie’s appeal in the sensory wonders of Swee Choon Tim Sum Restaurant and Little India.

He was also anchored in the heartland of Singapore.

Playing five stones with his Ghim Moh Primary School classmates on Racial Harmony Day, chilling in their neighbouring HDB flats or foraging for saga seeds after classes, Anggasaputro absorbed a hyper-local Singaporean upbringing that became inspiration for the design soul of his 128-room hotel.

These personal memories are transposed onto the upscale hotel and the Hathaway Autograph restaurant, which serves elevated South-east Asian cuisine.

The guest-room lamps are a stylised play on traditional dim sum baskets, for instance.

Playful, interactive touches abound. He never conquered the game of five stones during Racial Harmony Days, however hard he tried. “So now I set it as a challenge for guests,” he says with a grin.

Besides the oversized cushions shaped like five stones in the lobby, there are smaller, playable sets for guests.

Carpet patterns allude to Indonesia’s simpler three-ingredient chendol that uses gula melaka, coconut milk and “dawet”, or green tapioca jelly strands.

The saga seed colours the hotel: Giant crimson sculptures of it flank Varel’s entrance, the Saga Bar is named after it and the lift lobby’s ceiling takes an imaginative cue from its husk.

“I brought the saga seed to Varel to celebrate Singapore’s success in achieving decades of racial harmony, which is not an easy task,” he says, recalling the school days of competing with friends from different ethnicities to collect the seeds.

Where magical fireflies live

Then he tells a firefly story from his childhood. During Chinese New Year, his family would visit his father’s home town in Malang, a two-hour drive from Surabaya.

“When we arrived at Malang, especially after rainy days, fireflies would swarm the car and it was so beautiful,” he recounts.

“Fireflies make me think of arriving safely, cosiness and the comfort of my family. So that translates to Varel, which delivers comfort and makes guests feel safe and warm.”

Firefly motifs are woven into front-of-office uniforms. Meanwhile, the tiny lights on the Balinese frangipani-fringed rooftop terrace represent fireflies subtly hidden in the foliage.

FDAT Architects has reinterpreted Anggasaputro’s childhood stories into contemporary design elements that feel connected to Selegie and Singapore.

The firm’s director Francis Goh tells ST: “Vinson shared many childhood memories of Singapore and South-east Asia. We realised that memories are often anchored to everyday objects. However, simply displaying these objects would reduce them to nostalgic artefacts from another era – rare pieces that no longer belong to everyday life.”

He adds: “Instead, we wanted to reinterpret these familiar references into contemporary design elements, giving them renewed relevance while allowing the memories they evoke to continue through architecture.”

During the design stage, the FDAT team began by walking through the neighbourhood, searching for inspiration from retro metal grilles, traditional bird cages, rattan baskets, saga seeds and other everyday elements that shaped the identity of old Singapore. 

“We explored how their forms, proportions and textures could be reimagined as architectural and functional elements,” Goh says.

For instance, the traditional scissors gate found in provision shops inspired the partition screens within the guest rooms. 

FDAT’s signature nature-first adaptive reuse projects and biophilic designs include the Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay with its “garden in a hotel” concept. Varel, too, is lushly green with a series of tropical gardens woven into the architecture.

Ultimately, Varel sits within “one of Singapore’s most layered urban districts”, directly opposite the historic Ellison Building and surrounded by conservation shophouses.

“Rather than creating a building that turns inwards, we wanted the architecture to participate in the neighbourhood,” he says.

The open podium, tropical pavilions and garden spaces encourage a visual and spatial connection between the hotel and the street, he notes. 

“We hope the building contributes to Selegie as another chapter in its continuing evolution.”

Goh concludes: “Good architecture should not compete with its surroundings, but should respect the existing urban fabric while adding something meaningful back to the city. Rather than becoming an isolated hotel, Varel seeks to become part of the neighbourhood’s everyday life.”

Anggasaputro, too, creates connections with the community. Guests are encouraged to step outside and experience old-school dining at Selera Restaurant, which serves the best goreng pisang, in his opinion.

Old Chang Kee Coffee House, also at Varel’s doorstep, serves hearty local mains like ABC soup and Hainanese stews, alongside the beloved fried curry puffs.  

Within Varel, Hathaway Autograph’s menu includes family-inspired dishes like The Black Gold Soup Rawon ($32), created with Australian Angus short rib, buah keluak broth, salted egg and kaffir lime.

The restaurant, with al fresco terraces on either side overlooking the enclave, is from The Grange Collective, which he acquired in 2023. The portfolio includes the street-front Vernacular Coffee, an all-day cafe. Cyclists, dog owners, students and neighbours routinely pop by.

In July, the cafe launched its first “Vernacular After Dark” pop-up with night-time bites and brews in the semi-open sheltered space outside, to further connect to the community.

On that relaxed Friday evening in July when ST visited, human resources professional Jovvin Chang, 48, lingered there with former colleagues, enjoying wine, beer and small plates like duck sliders and “sio bak”, or crispy roast pork belly.

Visiting cosy Varel for the third time, she says: “It feels less like a hotel than home.”

She likes its location, adding: “It’s good for foreigners to see the other side of Singapore. Little India is nearby, and that’s a place I introduce to my non-Singaporean colleagues on quick business trips here. 

“Marina Bay Sands is our signature. But there are other sides of Singapore to explore for a different taste of our culture.”

Anggasaputro, who is hovering at the pop-up, views it as one prototype among his plans for community bonding.

He will use the spot as a community space and bring in local artists, wellness and fitness brands, heritage groups, pasar malam-inspired food booths and more, whether from the enclave or beyond.

If the idea succeeds, the monthly activations can ramp up to every weekend.

Also, in the next year, the rooftop area with its little infinity pool and bar can become a wellness highlight with sunrise yoga and healthy cocktails. “It’s about creating moments of calmness in the city,” he says.

Also on the radar is a Varel House platform, which will bring travellers, neighbours and creatives together. Members have access to curated experiences such as private dining, artist talks, cultural collaboration and wellness sessions. 

“These are local partnerships because we want people to feel connected to the community,” he says. “We can bring Selegie culture to life through curated experiences.”

Three places to discover in Selegie-Mount Sophia

The enclave is precious to Anggasaputro because it has retained its character with heritage shophouses, longstanding eateries like Selera Restaurant and places of worship. 

“This is a richness that many districts have already lost because they are too commercialised, like Chinatown,” he says.

He names three neighbourhood spots dear to him that Singapore residents can also discover.

Niven Road: Cinematic, multi-era scene

The intimate residential street is lined with conserved shophouses spanning multiple architectural eras from the 1840s to the post-war years. Still half-hidden to many Singaporeans – and perfect for the ’Gram – Niven Road evokes a sense of past and present generations.

A few shophouses exude a cinematic vibe, Anggasaputro notes, reminiscent of a Wong Kar Wai film. The director, who is behind works such as In The Mood For Love (2000), is famed for his moody, melancholic exploration of memory, unfulfilled longing and everyday life in mid-century Hong Kong.

Anggasaputro also highlights 50 Niven Road as one of the oldest shophouses. “It is very simple and boxy, unlike the others.” Built in the Early Shophouse style (1840s to 1900s), this functional two-level structure stands out among its flashier, more ornate Late Style and Art Deco siblings.

“The idea is for people to walk around and imagine who once lived there,” he says. “Part of luxury is to explore a neighbourhood that retains its original character and usage.” 

Ellison Building: Race days, Rex Cinema

Ellison Building, a colonial landmark commissioned in 1924 by Romanian-Jewish businessman Isaac Ellison for his wife, is a century-old structure with a curved facade, twin rooftop domes and a Star of David displayed on the pediment.

It was a vantage point for colonial governors to watch horse races across the enclave on the visible Race Course Road.

Its rooftop was leased to display illuminated movie signage for the adjacent Rex Cinema.

Anggasaputro says: “Just like Ellison Building, we would like Varel to be a long-time landmark by respecting the past.”

Lasalle College of the Arts: Artistic energy

Lasalle is among the creative anchors in the enclave that may be intertwined with Varel’s future, as Anggasaputro hopes to involve the neighbouring arts schools and creatives for upcoming weekend pop-ups and other experiences at the hotel. 

Varel belongs to the Bras Basah.Bugis creative cluster that houses the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and School of the Arts, while creatives in the vicinity are as diverse as tattoo artists and the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society.

In that light, partnerships are possible, for instance, with Lasalle’s specialised schools focusing on fashion, music, dance and design.

“Selegie has always attracted creative minds,” Anggasaputro says. “Having arts schools nearby really brings energy, ideas and young talent into the neighbourhood.”