Officially dedicated by Chile's President, His Excellency, Mr Eduardo Frei, the commemoration of the Pablo Neruda Suite at Raffles pays tribute to the life and works of Pablo Neruda, one of Chile's most influential contemporary poets and 1971 winner of the Nobel Prize for literature.

The Pablo Neruda Suite features many mementoes of his life and works. Among these are photographs of the great poet and his best-known writings, including The Heights of Macchu Picchu, The Book of Questions and The Separate Rose. A highlight of the decor is a rare wood-block print of his poem "Ode to The Wood".

Born in 1904, Mr Neruda began writing poetry at the age of 10 and was already a famous name by the time he was 20. His most widely-read book, Viente poemas de amor y una cancion desesperada (Twenty Love Poems and Song of Despair) is still popular today.

Neruda was named Consul of Chile in Singapore in 1931. During his 5-year term in Asia, Neruda also represented his country in Rangoon, Ceylon, Batavia and Java. His first visit to Singapore from Colombo marked his first visit to Raffles Hotel, a welcome retreat from a long journey. Recalling fond memories, he penned, "We headed directly for Raffles Hotel. There I sent my clothes, not a small load, to the laundry, and then sat on the verandah. Lazily, I stretched in an easychair and ordered one, two and even three ginpahit."