2025 has been a pretty tremendous year for Secret Life of Fatbacks. Apart from providing coverage on several major new luxury hotels in the region (including Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, The Ritz-Carlton Bangkok, Raffles Sentosa Singapore, Waldorf Astoria Osaka, Patina Osaka and Fairmont Tokyo), I also (re)checked into a whopping twenty-two local hotels, including extensively-renovated properties such as Grand Hyatt Singapore and The St. Regis Singapore as part of research and preparation work for the upcoming 2026 Ultimate Guide to Singapore Hotels (a long-overdue update to the 2020 Ultimate Guide to Singapore Hotels).
As 2025 draws to a close, I share my picks for the winners of the inaugural 2025 Fatback Hotel Awards for the following categories, based on the hotels the site covered within the past twelve months:
Most Anticipated Opening
Most Beautiful Hotel
Most Underrated Hotel
Best Club Lounge
Favourite Hotel Room
Favourite Hotel Memory
MOST ANTICIPATED OPENING
Winner: Aman Nai Lert Bangkok (Corner Suite)
Opened in April 2025, the 52-suite ultra-luxury hotel is set within the tranquil Nai Lert Park in the upscale residential Phloen Chit neighbourhood. The hotel bears the unique distinction of being the only Aman property to reference a person – in this case Lert Sreshthaputra or Nai Lert, the late entrepreneur and visionary whose family owns both the land the hotel is situated on as well as the Aman venture in Bangkok itself.
As far as Bangkok ultra-luxury hotels go, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok redefines the genre and pitches within a different league altogether with spellbinding storytelling, a noticeably invigorated approach towards its F&B offerings, a decidedly guest-friendly approach in its programming and stellar hardware all round. It could simply be a Thailand hospitality culture thing, but my hope is that Aman Nai Lert Bangkok heralds a shift towards a similarly guest benefit-focused approach for future Aman offerings (including the upcoming Aman Singapore).
MOST BEAUTIFUL HOTEL
Winner: Patina Osaka (Deluxe Room King with Osaka Castle View)
The hotel has the scale and swagger of a luxury hotel but eye-catching artistic sensibilities you would expect from a boutique property, with gorgeous set pieces and artworks everywhere: a video wall installation on the ground level by filmmaker Takashi Makino depicts the changing seasons; a 52-metre installation of twisted wood made using wood scraps from local factories suspends dramatically from the ceiling of ground level restaurant P72; an enthrallingly beautiful indigo-dyed staircase connects tea house Nijiri and cocktail concept Sonata Bar & Lounge, the latter doubling up as the area where guests are registered upon arrival on the 20th level; one of Sonata’s rooms boasts a 1,500-pound wall backdrop incorporating vintage Japanese speakers; and vinyl lounge The Listening Room by OJAS‘s combination of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Osaka Castle, creamy and white shades as well as snazzy-looking audio equipment gives the place a luxurious, futuristic zen vibe.
For the uninitiated, Patina is an emerging brand from Capella Hotel Group. Patina Osaka is Patina’s first urban hotel after the launch of the brand’s first ever property in the Maldives, with upcoming Tianjin and Sanya properties in the pipeline. Whilst Capella delivers a more traditional, culture-focused take on luxury, Patina’s promise of “transformative luxury” places emphasis on individuality and deep connection, both with one’s self as well as your surroundings.
MOST UNDERRATED HOTEL
Winner: QT Singapore (QT Balcony Suite)
Offering a spacious balcony facing Robinson Road, the 80sqm QT Balcony Suite is a stately, luxe-residential affair. This is no ordinary suite – symmetrical tall windows on both sides of the French doors, a whirring ceiling fan and warm accent lighting on the ceiling accentuate just how high the ceiling is. Stripped of the chic, contemporary stylings of the suite – think assertive ruby and olive shades, geometrical design flourishes, sexy curved couches – the space would befit tense, secret conversations between top political animals in a White House-based series by Shonda Rhimes.
For the uninitiated, QT Hotels & Resorts is a subsidiary of the Sydney-based Event Hospitality and Entertainment which owns and operates brands in the entertainment, hospitality and leisure sectors, mainly within Australasia. There are QT hotels in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra as well as Wellington, Auckland and Queenstown in New Zealand.
BEST EXECUTIVE LOUNGE
Winner: Four Seasons Hotel Singapore (Club Room)
Offering breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktail presentations, the Executive Lounge at the Four Seaons Hotel Singapore is possibly the best executive lounge in Singapore with superlative service, Ruinart champagnes, wines and delicious Copenhagen sparkling tea available all day, impressive a la minute breakfast offerings, a bowl of cherries always available on the counter as well as very premium canapes and nosh from the kitchens of the hotel’s award-winning restaurants during evening cocktail service.
Breakfast was an a la minute affair, with options such as Signature Smashed Avocado Toast, Two Cage-Free Eggs Any Style with Chicken Sausage or Pork Bacon, Jiang-Nan Chun Signature Dim Sum, Wonton Noodle Soup and Kaya French Toast. My favourites were the boldly spicy Singaporean Chilli Crab Omelette, the creamy-fatty Wagyu Steak and Egg as well as the smoky Homemade Carrot Cake with X.O. Sauce. If you ask nicely, the club team is also able to accommodate orders for unique dishes from the adjacent Pool House, notably the American, Chinese and Singapore Breakfast Sets as well as the deeply fragrant Pandan Kaya Toast.
Evening cocktails feature premium canapes such as Mediterranean Seared Scallops, Caviar with Blinis, Smoked Duck Pizza Bites, Pork Katsu with Teriyaki Sauce, Chicken Tikka, Katayfi Prawn with Wasabi Mayo, Smoked Duck Breast in Pickled Chilli and Plum Sauce and Thai Crab Salad alongside hearty proteins such as Chinese Style Braised Duck with Hoisin Sauce, Butter Chicken and Beef Rendang. Everything was gob-smackingly delicious and luxurious. The Baked Sambal Snapper with Calamansi was like if Newton Circus met Mandala Club, while on my second evening at the club, they were serving unlimited baby servings of NOBU’s signature Miso Cod with Pickled Onion (!). It was an incredible selection.
As the sun retreated for the night along with the other guests, during the remaining 30 minutes before the end of evening cocktails that quiet Sunday evening, the entire space felt like my own posh residence, with personal chefs coming out from time to time to refill the NOBU miso cod canapes while I would often saunter to the refrigerator and help myself to generous pours of Ruinart champagne, Copenhagen sparkling tea and NOBU-exclusive Matsuhisa Private Selection Chardonnay. It was glorious.
For this category, the club lounge very narrowly edges out The Ritz-Carlton Club at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore.
FAVOURITE HOTEL ROOM
Winner: The Fullerton Hotel Singapore (Loft Suite)
My 109sqm Loft Suite was one of the hotel’s eight Loft Suites which were recently renovated and relaunched in 2022, with refreshed interiors courtesy of hospitality design consultancy Aston Design. With its towering ceiling, double levels and leafy verandah which is flanked by 6-metre Doric columns on either side and which offers panoramic bay views of the Marina Bay area, the Loft Suite is pretty something to behold. The verandah experience will differ depending on when you are outside – daytime is best enjoyed with sunglasses on and a champagne in hand while smouldering (or giving presidential waves) to the hoi polloi on the roads below, while nighttime seems more suited for red wine-led lounging and heart-to-heart talks with the illuminated Marina Bay Sands as the backdrop. Either way, the atmosphere is undeniably regal.
The suite’s moniker may suggest a cosy upstairs nook for sleep, but the space plays more like a two-storey apartment. The lower level comprises a work desk, dining table, minibar and central sofa seating area, with a Harman Kardon bluetooth speaker available to provide the relevant romantic or chill soundtrack, while the bedroom, wardrobe and bathroom are located on the upper level. The bed faces the soaring French doors, with bedside automatic controls to open and close the curtains and facilitate that magical, Emily In Paris-esque “glorious sunshine slowly fills the dreamy suite” moment when you wake up and stretch.
FAVOURITE HOTEL MEMORY
Winner: InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort (Heavenly Penthouse)
Soaring high on the Sky level at one of the highest points of the resort, the 170sqm rooftop One-Bedroom Heavenly Penthouse boasts a wrap-around garden terrace and heated private plunge pool commanding panoramic views of the ocean, jungle and surrounding mountains. Tall windows flood the interiors with an abundance of natural sunlight from multiple sides of the penthouse, with the combination of lush greenery outside and the colourful flora and fauna imagery that adorn the living room lending to the tropical wildness feels of the proceedings.
My time in the Heavenly Penthouse happened to coincide with an unusually cold and blowy spell, which unfortunately meant I did not get to spend time on the sunbeds or enjoy drinks and snacks at the swim-up counter. However, I was astounded by how comfortable soaking in the heated infinity pool was in spite of the weather conditions, even after nightfall. It was pretty surreal being in warm 28-30°C in the midst of blustering winds high in the peninsula sky.
Another reason why this may be a favourite hotel memory: Bleeding Love songstress Leona Lewis once stayed at the very same penthouse.
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