In tiny Singapore, lack of space breeds innovation. A case in point is the New Majestic, a 21-room, 9-suite hotel that also showcases local contemporary art in rapidly gentrifying Chinatown. In the lobby, a rainbow of hanging glass orbs draws the eye to an exposed-concrete ceiling from the original 1928 structure. On the second floor, windows built into the bottom of the pool let swimmers see what's for dinner at the trendy Majestic restaurant below. Standard rooms feel compact, but even they are adorned with artwork and have sparkly glass-tiled bathrooms. Of them, five concept rooms have been handed over to some of Singapore's boldface names. The most exciting of the suites are Heleston Chew's, with its witty anamorphic ceiling message entitled "I Am Upside Down Because of You," and Lee Mei Ling's, with its mixed media fantasy landscapes.
When to go: The equatorial heat never abates, but avoid steamy July and August.
Which room to book: Attic Suites have two cast-iron claw-foot tubs set side by side (doubles, $150–$350).