Editing Raffles Hotel (section)

==== Origins and Founding ====
Raffles Hotel was founded by the '''Armenian Sarkies Brothers''' — Martin, Tigran, Aviet, and Arshak — who already operated several successful hotels in Southeast Asia. They named the hotel after '''Sir Stamford Raffles''', the founder of modern Singapore.

When it opened in '''December 1887''', Raffles was a modest seaside bungalow with just 10 rooms, located along what was then Singapore’s shoreline at Beach Road. Over time, it grew into a grand colonial estate that attracted high society, adventurers, and dignitaries from every corner of the world.

By the early 1900s, it had become '''the center of social life in Singapore''', famous for its ballroom events, tropical verandas, and reputation as a retreat for the refined traveler.
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