Singapore: Marina Bay Sands hotel
It’s a huge hotel (2,500 rooms) and the lobby has the atmosphere of a train station. People coming and going at all times of day and night.
Although not many train stations would have a massive Antony Gormley sculpture suspended from the ceiling.
After some initial issues with the room they had given us (we ended up doing three room changes before we got what we had booked), we were finally allocated a room which had a great view over the Marina. The coloured seating you can see at the right hand side is for the National Day Parade.
National Day is actually the 9th of August, but for weeks before hand (eight weeks, I believe) they hold full-scale ‘rehearsals’ or previews every Saturday night. We happened to be there on one of those Saturday nights and watched the stands fill with school children.
Plus, of course, no National Day rehearsal would be complete without fireworks.
