Located in the heart of historic Tanjong Pagar, Six Senses Maxwell opened in December 2018 to a chorus of supporters eager to celebrate its commitment to heritage, conservation, and a minimal-waste philosophy. I recently visited the hotel for some R&R but was pleasantly surprised to receive a lesson in sustainable tourism at the same time.

Set in a row of refurbished shophouses, the hotel is committed to responsible restoration practices and places emphasis on simple, minimalist living. It combines sustainability and reconnection with tourism, evident in everything from the Zen welcome you receive upon arrival to restaurant menus focusing on healthy dishes made from local and organic produce wherever possible. Less than 200 metres away is Maxwell’s sister property, Six Senses Duxton, which opened in early 2018. Together, Maxwell and Duxton become Six Senses Singapore, showcasing their unique commitment to responsible restoration, conservation, eco-solutions, and connection with the local community. General Manager, Murray Aitken is passionate about his staff getting behind the Six Senses philosophy. “Most of our hotels are in remote areas, so it’s difficult to get waste picked up,” he said. “So, we use eco solutions – they are biodegradable, natural and work better than conventional practices.”

This philosophy is not lost on his staff. I spent an afternoon with them making cleaning enzymes to help further reduce the hotel’s ecological footprint – an exercise not only in using non-toxic cleaning products, but an exercise in “practising what you preach,” too. “You have to make a psychological connection,” Aitken said as I asked him how he motivates the staff to want to do good and do what is possible. “When they understand that, they will want to get on board.” (Pictured: cleaning enzymes being made.)

A walk through the hotel with marketing executive, Timothy showcased the truth in Aitken’s words. “Most hotels leave piles of fruit in your room which are often thrown away if they’re not eaten,” he said as we inspected the Merchant and Terrace rooms. “But we have chosen to leave just one piece of fruit to remind you to be mindful about choice.”

This sense of mindfulness permeates your stay at Six Senses Maxwell. Over breakfast one morning in Murray’s Brasserie, I chatted with Arin – a member of the hotel’s restaurant staff – about sustainable tourism in Singapore. “It’s difficult for locals to stop using plastic, so we are trying to do things that will help stop that,” she said. “The government wants the hospitality industry to be responsible and to encourage Singaporeans, so this hotel doesn’t use straws, or have plastic bottles or plastic toothbrushes in the hotel rooms. We use glass bottles, and our toothbrushes are made from cornstarch.”

Both Maxwell’s and Duxton’s restaurants operate on a no-waste philosophy, too. Executive Chef, Ian Mancais oversees the hotel’s entire food and beverage operation, having championed Green Key initiatives around the world. He believes that environmental responsibility must exist as a key pillar for the hospitality industry. Drinking water is bottled on-site in reusable glass bottles. The process makes use of state of the art mineralisation machinery that produces nano-artesian water from existing water piping networks. This eliminates the need for transportation of raw water and provides guests with stable water quality that has zero carbon footprint. Meals are prepared without preservatives and MSG. Ingredients are sourced locally wherever possible, and even the tea in the rooms comes from a local tea supplier.

Wood-paneled and inspired by European cuisine, its name derives from the former well-known Murray Terrace Food Alley that was once located on the ground floor; and the cluster of 14 shophouses on Cook Street, parallel to the hotel. It is here that breakfast is served from an a la carte menu focusing on health, wellness and reducing the waste produced from buffet-style dining. Choose from grass-fed meat, sustainable seafood and organic poultry and delicious vegetarian options. Pair your dish with a world-class wine list. If you happen to be there for breakfast, order the crab cake eggs benedict and a hot pot of Puer tea supplied by the family-run Yixing Juan teahouse located just around the corner.

This fully curated social space is a library-cum-bar that actually loans out books to hotel guests. Serving up light breakfasts and sharing plates alongside a full bar service, Cook and Tras’ warm atmosphere welcomes guests and locals to dine, relax and reconnect over a drink or two. The menu reads like a leather-bound classic from the library shelves, complete with chapters and Humphrey Bogart quotes, reminding you that “the problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind.”

If there is one place in the hotel where you want to savour a late-night drink, it’s from the impressive collection of spirits sitting on the shelves in Garcha’s. This small bar is a manifestation of the owner’s (Garcha Hotels) appreciation of tradition. Add to that an appreciation of quality, and you’ll understand why small batch and artisanal whisky, tequila, gin, rum and vodka are served on an after-dinner drinks trolley directly to your table.

One way to escape the Singapore heat is to head to the hotel’s rooftop edible garden and bar that serves an organic-centric menu. It’s here that guests can relax by the lap pool with a drink or two and a view of Singapore’s historical shophouses. Once the garden has matured, guests will be able to pick produce and request specially-made drinks from the bar staff.

With a Baroque-inspired interior and views to the outdoor alfresco area, Rose Lounge and Bar is where you can sit back and admire the elegance with a signature Rose Bellini. Red velvet seating is complemented by bottles of champagne, spritzers, and white and rosé wines in a setting that celebrates reconnection with others in a simple luxury setting.

Located in nearby Six Senses Duxton, Yellow Pot restaurant is named after the giant yellow pots that decorate the moody interior. It is the home to authentic and innovative Chinese cuisine that is void of MSG and preservatives, complemented by an adjacent antiquarian-themed bar, Escape to Kaifeng, which serves up a cocktail of the same name (which, if you’re interested, is made from Tanqueray gin and chrysanthemum cordial by resident mixologist, Angeline).

But sustainability isn’t just confined to your hotel room. The hotel puts guests in touch with local tour operators so that they have a better understanding of the area’s heritage. Take the Chinese Tea Appreciation tour, for example. A visit to local Yixing Xuan Teahouse is a cultured lesson in the Chinese tradition of tea drinking, as well as a shining example of how Six Senses Singapore works with the local community. It is a win for the hotel, who offers its guests fresh tea leaves in-room and during all meal times; and a win for the teahouse who are the beneficiaries of long-term employment provided by the hotel. “The hotel brings all its media guests to see me,” the tea merchant said as I sipped my fourth cup of Oolong. “They want the greater world to know they are serious about their values.”

Another cultural immersion experience is a food appreciation tour. Just across the road from the hotel is the Maxwell Food Center, one of the most famous hawker centres in Singapore. Many hawkers are second- and third-generation owners who inherited their parents’ businesses and traditional recipes. Six Senses arranged a food appreciation tour with a local guide, who puts food into a cultural context. From Chinese noodles and Indian biryani to satay beef and Nonya cuisine, a tour with Alice from Jane’s Tours is a tour into Singapore’s food history.

Six Senses Maxwell is a haven not only for tourists but for locals, too. Even the brand’s logo speaks to sensuality: a pyramid of six blessings are defined as Six Senses. At the base of the pyramid is sight, sound and touch followed by taste and smell; at the apex is intuition. In a world of increasing work hours and growing stress levels, we become blind to what really matters in life and forget to appreciate what is around us. So, in its own unique way, Six Senses is showing us how sustainable tourism should operate – beginning with the rejuvenation of the guest and ending with the renewal of the earth. The writer was a guest of Six Senses Maxwell in Singapore.