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

Tomorrow, the Capella hotel on Sentosa Island, off the coast of Singapore, will play host to a historic meeting between US president Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
Why Sentosa?
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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
October 9 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Thursday’s political cartoons include common political ground over the Epstein files, a new pledge for ICE agents, Bad Bunny, and more
-
Five policies from the Tory conference
In Depth Party leader Kemi Badenoch has laid out the Conservative plan for a potential future government
-
A House of Dynamite: a ‘nail-biting’ nuclear-strike thriller
The Week Recommends ‘Virtuoso talent’ Kathryn Bigelow directs a ‘fast-paced’ and ‘tense’ ‘symphony of dread’
-
Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s plan
Speed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
-
US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sites
Speed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
-
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s new Gaza peace plan
Speed Read At President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they agreed upon a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of Taiwan
In the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdown
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
The dark history of myths about immigrants eating swans and pets
In the Spotlight Nigel Farage has mimicked Donald Trump and peddled tropes and rumours that have long been used to ‘dehumanise’ immigrants
-
What would happen if Israel lost America’s support?
Today’s big question Loss of US backing could be a ‘catastrophe’ for Israel
-
Charlie Kirk, Jimmy Kimmel and free speech
Talking Point TV host’s cancellation and Trump administration’s threats to media have led to accusations of Maga hypocrisy