Hotel hospitality to travellers have been a feature of the earliest civilizations. In Greco-Roman culture and ancient Persia, hospitals for recuperation and rest were built at thermal baths. Japan's Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, founded in 705, was officially recognised by the Guinness World Records as the oldest hotel in the world. During the Middle Ages, various religious orders at monasteries and abbeys would offer accommodation for travellers on the road. The precursor to the modern hotel was the inn of medieval Europe, possibly dating back to the rule of Ancient Rome. These would provide for the needs of travellers, including food and
Sembawang Hot Spring of Hot Water" in Malay. Soft drinks firm Fraser & Neave (F&N) acquired the site in 1922, and set up a bottling plant at nearby Semangat Ayer to tap the mineral water, which they labelled Seletaris. During the Second World War, the spring's flow was temporarily interrupted when a bomb fell near the well during a Japanese air raid over Singapore in 1942. After the fall of Singapore, the Japanese military seized the place and converted it into recreational thermal baths (onsen). The hot spring was frequented by gamblers in 1960, who took "good luck" baths before the start of