Merlion Hotel

Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi has transformed Singapore's most famous landmark, the merlion, into a one-bedroom hotel as part of the Singapore Biennale 2011 Open House art project. The lion/fish was dreamed up in 1964 by the Singapore tourist board as a symbol for the city representing a mix between 'singapura' ('lion city') and the sea where Singapore's history was based. Later, in 1972, it was turned into a statue on Marina Bay and has since become a main feature of the city.