Located at the junction of Havelock and Outram Roads, the Glass Hotel was opened in November 1985 after numerous delays. Initially called the Hotel Nikko, the property was renamed prior to its opening after the Japan Airlines Development Company terminated its management contract. Developed on an Urban Redevelopment Authority site by the Harapan Group headed by Indonesian tycoon Hendra Rahardja (the man behind the Meridien Hotels in Singapore), the hotel was eventually managed by Pacific Hotels International. The 550-room property was housed in a unique circular tower made of tinted glass and featured special suites with attached swimming pools. The hotel was bought over by businessman Ong Beng Seng’s Hotel Properties Ltd in 1988 and relaunched as the Concorde Hotel in 1991 after a $12.5 million renovation. Following a change in management to the InterContinental Hotels Group, the hotel was rebranded as the Holiday Inn Atrium Singapore in 2005. The renaming of the Le Meridien Hotel at Orchard Road as the Concorde Hotel in 2008 caused much confusion amongst taxi drivers, who often mixed it up with the Holiday Inn Atrium property.
