Katong Park Hotel, now closed, was one of Singapore's oldest hotel. It used to be located along Meyer Road. According to Singapore Infopedia, It was owned by several people since it was built in the early 1960s, the hotel was known by two other names, Ambassador Hotel and Duke Hotel, before getting its latest name, Katong Park Hotel, in 1992. It was sold to make way for a residential project in the late 1990s.
But on the other hand, according to an advertisement in the Singapore Constitution Exposition Jan-Feb 1959, the hotel was known as Embassy Hotel Ltd. Its address was 46 Meyer Road, Singapore 15 (Opp. Katong Park).
According to Singapore Infopedia, Katong Park Hotel was built in early 1960s. But then the advertisement was found in the souvenir magazine the Singapore Constitution Exposition in the Jan-Feb 1959 issue. From the picture above, the hotel looked full-fledge with all the hotel facilities and function rooms in place. It could be built in the later part of1950s.
Later it was known as the Ambassador Hotel. No body could throw light on why there was a change of names. From what I conjecture, it could be the confusion of the word ‘Embassy’. Travellers might think that was an embassy of a country. Thus it was changed to Ambassador Hotel. The Ambassador Hotel was acquired in 1982 by Teo Lay Swee, a hotelier, for S$ 29.5 million.
According of some of my older colleagues, they say that they used to frequent the Niteclub to drink and to dance. This place was strategically located many nearby schools such as Tanjong Rhu Boys’ and Girls’ Schools, Tanjong Rhu Primary School, Haig Girls’ and Boy’s School, Tanjong Katong Girls’ School, Tanjong Katong Technical School, Dunman Secondary School, Duman Government Secondary School, Broadrick Primary and Secondary Schools, Tun Seri Lanang Secondary School, Maju Secondary School, Kallang Primary School and a few mission schools around, it was very convenient to hold their annual dinners in this hotel.
Opposite this hotel is the famous Katong Park – a lover’s haunt in the 50s, 60s and 70s. At weekends, swimmers used to swim there, parents with children tow patronised the facilities there as well as to enjoy the sea breeze and the scenery of the sea and ships that parked out there. During curriculum time, teachers and pupils from nearby schools brought their pupils there for their Nature Study lessons.
At night, the cafeteria served mouth watering, satay and fried Hokkien mee.
Teo Lay Swee who also owned the Cockpit Hotel from 1983 to 1997, renamed the Ambassaor Hotel to Duke Hotel.
After he purchased the Ambassador Hotel, he renamed it as Duke Hotel. The hotel went into a rough patch due to stiff competition from newer hotels that sprung up in the eighties. Despite undergoing revamp of the management style, the hotel patronage continued to decline. In 1992, Mr Teo sold the Duke Hotel for S$30 million to a Macau-based Chui family.
