Joseph Conrad's association with Raffles goes back to the Hotel's earliest days.

As a young seaman, Conrad visited Singapore several times and was on his last visit in late 1887 when Raffles Hotel opened its doors for business. Although Conrad stayed at the Seamen's mission a few blocks away from the Sarkies brothers' new Hotel, it is said that he walked the shaded avenues between the two establishments to have a look at Singapore's latest hostelry. In his novel, "End of the Tether", Conrad describes a hostelry that is "as airy as a birdcage". This is often thought to be a description of Raffles. Among the memorabilia on display in the Joseph Conrad suite is an original Conrad autograph.