Capella Sentosa: inside the Singapore hotel hosting the Trump-Kim summit

The Capella resort is located on a former
colonial outpost whose name means peace and tranquility

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After speculation about locations from Mongolia to the DMZ,
earlier this month it was announced that the milestone summit will
take place on Sentosa, a small resort island off the southern tip
of Singapore, connected to the mainland by a road bridge.

Sentosa’s geography is likely to have played a
part in its selection as the meeting point for the two leaders,
providing isolation from the outside world and a natural barrier to
any unwanted interlopers.

The choice of location also has a symbolic
significance – Sentosa means “peace and tranquility” in the Malay
language, CNN reports.

Where will they meet?

Tomorrow morning, Trump and Kim will leave their
respective hotels – Sentosa’s Shangri La resort for Trump, the
five-star St. Regis hotel on the mainland for Kim – to meet at the
Capella hotel resort, on the southern coast of the
island.

The hotel, designed by London architects Foster
+ Partners, opened in 2009 on a 30-acre site which was formerly
part of a colonial-era coastal defence station.

The decor of the resort is a fusion of Asian and
Western influences, an apt background for Trump and Kim’s historic
meeting.

Two red-roofed bungalows once used to house
British army officers stationed at the lookout still remain on the
hotel grounds, where they are used as a reception.

The sprawling resort is home to a variety of
meeting venues, from a Grand Ballroom to more ordinary conference
rooms.

“Each meeting venue features spacious pre-function
areas for entertaining activities such as a cocktail reception
before dinner or tea breaks between meetings,” according to the
hotel.

If Trump and Kim fancy unwinding further between
talks, there is also direct access to a private beach. The pair,
both keen golfers, could also continue their discussions over a
round at one of Sentosa’s two golf courses.

What are the security arrangements?

Given the air of mistrust between the
participants and the high stakes on the table, security will be
naturally be a top priority at the summit.

The safety of the two leaders and their
entourages has been entrusted to the Singapore police force’s elite
Gurkha Contingent.

Drawn from the top performers at the British Army’s
Gurkha recruitment camp in Nepal, the Gurkha
Contingent protect high-ranking officials, guard strategic sites
and lead counter-terrorism operations.

Meanwhile, the area around the Capella has gone into near
lockdown ahead of the arrival of Trump and Kim – an incongruous
sight amid the luxury resorts and tourists attractions, says
Time.

“Police officers at security gates sweep
incoming vehicles for bombs, as the tangled curls of the next-door
Universal Studio’s rollercoaster loom overhead,” says the magazine,
while high metal fences have been erected along pavements near the
hotel.