Alexandra Road site draws six bids
Top bid of $288.4m made jointly by Wing Tai Holdings, United Engineers
Business Times, The (Singapore)
December 28, 2007
Author: Uma Shankari

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/5192/picture1tm3.jpg

A RESIDENTIAL site at Alexandra Road saw a bullish six bids and a top bid of $288.4 million - or $639 per square foot per plot ratio (psf ppr) - at the tender's close yesterday.

The top bid for the 92,100 sq ft site was jointly put in by Wing Tai Holdings and United Engineers (UE).

Other bidders include familiar names such as Singapore's Hong Leong Group, GuocoLand and Frasers Centrepoint, as well as mainboard-listed Lafe Technology, which designs and manufactures computer magnetic heads.

'This price is bullish and shows that developers have not lost their appetite for good quality plots of land,' said Ku Swee Yong, director of marketing and business development at Savills Singapore.

The site is conveniently located along Alexandra Road and less than five minutes' walk away from Redhill MRT station.

Nicholas Mak, director of research and consultancy at Knight Frank said: 'The relatively high level of developers' interest and the strong bids reflect that developers are still bullish on the Singapore property market in 2008.'

Leonard Tay, director of research at CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), pointed out that the top bid is 31 per cent above the reserve price of $489 psf ppr and 83 per cent above the price of $350 psf ppr paid for the adjacent The Metropolitan site in November 2005.

'This price of $639 psf ppr will translate into an estimated breakeven price of about $1,000 psf for the future condominium project to be built on this site, and it is likely that units will sell between $1,100 and $1,200 psf,' Mr Tay said.

Sub-sales of units at The Metropolitan are currently at around $900-1,100 psf, CBRE said.

The 99-year leasehold site has a maximum gross floor area of 451,400 sq ft. The site could yield about 360 to 400 condominium units, said Knight Frank's Mr Mak.

Market watchers said that the upcoming development could see strong demand from occupiers of older private residential projects - especially home owners who had benefited from collective sales.

There might also be some potential for upgraders from the HDB estates in the vicinity, as HDB flats in the Bukit Merah and Queenstown area typically sell for among the highest prices in the HDB resale market, CBRE's Mr Tay said.

According to HDB's data for the third quarter of 2007, five-room flats in Bukit Merah have a median resale price of $530,000, while five-room and executive flats in Queenstown have median resale prices of $603,000 and $719,000 respectively.

Wing Tai and UE's bid is 6 per cent higher than the second highest bid of $602 psf ppr put in by Lafe Technology.

The partners' bid is also 28 per cent higher than the lowest bid of $501 psf ppr put in by GuocoLand.

Copyright, 2007, Singapore Press Holdings Limited

Alexandra Road site draws six bids
Top bid of $288.4m made jointly by Wing Tai Holdings, United Engineers
Business Times, The (Singapore)
December 28, 2007
Author: Uma Shankari

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/5192/picture1tm3.jpg

A RESIDENTIAL site at Alexandra Road saw a bullish six bids and a top bid of $288.4 million - or $639 per square foot per plot ratio (psf ppr) - at the tender's close yesterday.

The top bid for the 92,100 sq ft site was jointly put in by Wing Tai Holdings and United Engineers (UE).

Other bidders include familiar names such as Singapore's Hong Leong Group, GuocoLand and Frasers Centrepoint, as well as mainboard-listed Lafe Technology, which designs and manufactures computer magnetic heads.

'This price is bullish and shows that developers have not lost their appetite for good quality plots of land,' said Ku Swee Yong, director of marketing and business development at Savills Singapore.

The site is conveniently located along Alexandra Road and less than five minutes' walk away from Redhill MRT station.

Nicholas Mak, director of research and consultancy at Knight Frank said: 'The relatively high level of developers' interest and the strong bids reflect that developers are still bullish on the Singapore property market in 2008.'

Leonard Tay, director of research at CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), pointed out that the top bid is 31 per cent above the reserve price of $489 psf ppr and 83 per cent above the price of $350 psf ppr paid for the adjacent The Metropolitan site in November 2005.

'This price of $639 psf ppr will translate into an estimated breakeven price of about $1,000 psf for the future condominium project to be built on this site, and it is likely that units will sell between $1,100 and $1,200 psf,' Mr Tay said.

Sub-sales of units at The Metropolitan are currently at around $900-1,100 psf, CBRE said.

The 99-year leasehold site has a maximum gross floor area of 451,400 sq ft. The site could yield about 360 to 400 condominium units, said Knight Frank's Mr Mak.

Market watchers said that the upcoming development could see strong demand from occupiers of older private residential projects - especially home owners who had benefited from collective sales.

There might also be some potential for upgraders from the HDB estates in the vicinity, as HDB flats in the Bukit Merah and Queenstown area typically sell for among the highest prices in the HDB resale market, CBRE's Mr Tay said.

According to HDB's data for the third quarter of 2007, five-room flats in Bukit Merah have a median resale price of $530,000, while five-room and executive flats in Queenstown have median resale prices of $603,000 and $719,000 respectively.

Wing Tai and UE's bid is 6 per cent higher than the second highest bid of $602 psf ppr put in by Lafe Technology.

The partners' bid is also 28 per cent higher than the lowest bid of $501 psf ppr put in by GuocoLand.

Copyright, 2007, Singapore Press Holdings Limited

This plot, though smaller, is better. It is further away from the MRT (though not that far), and there may be a chance in future a development come up in front of it and shield the MRT noise.

Mountbatten Road office site draws top bid of $15m
Straits Times, The (Singapore)
Money
January 10, 2008

THREE bids were lodged yesterday for a transitional office site in Mountbatten Road released to ease the current tight supply situation in the office market.

The modest result was still a better showing than the single bid placed for a transitional office site put up for tender in Tampines recently.

Mezzo Properties, a small real estate development and construction firm controlled by directors Lim Kim Hong and Lim Huixing, topped the Mountbatten Road tender with a bid of $14.89 million or $69.2 per sq ft (psf) of gross floor area. Superbowl Land came just behind with $14.8 million or $68.7 psf, with Soilbuild Group Holdings well back at $10.93 million or $50.77 psf.

Mezzo's bid is below the Tampines bid of $80.65 psf.

Knight Frank director of research and consultancy Nicholas Mak said the price was lower mainly because the site does not boast facilities nearby while Tampines is a regional business centre.

Cushman & Wakefield managing director Donald Han said the lower price reflects the short window of six to 12 months in which to get the building rented before a large office supply comes onstream in 2010.

The site has a 15-year lease and a maximum permissible gross floor area of 20,000 sq m or 215,278 sq ft.

The Mezzo directors also participate in the property market via other firms. Last October, they topped a public tender for an industrial site in Sin Ming Lane with a bid of $68.9 million.

Copyright, 2008, Singapore Press Holdings Limited

8th February 2008

New mid-rise hotel development next to the Gallery Hotel
http://ssc.singapenguin.net/08/080208_robertson_quay_hotel01.jpg

Now at ground level:
http://ssc.singapenguin.net/08/080208_robertson_quay_hotel02.jpg

hmmm.. no branding/name yet?

hmmm.. no branding/name yet?

A company linked to CDL is the developer of the site:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=10570832&postcount=32

This site in Little India is now on the confirmed list.

URA launches tender for hotel development at Race Course Road/ Bukit Timah Road

27 Feb 08

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) launched the hotel site at Race Course Road / Bukit Timah Road for sale by public tender today.

The land parcel at Race Course Road / Bukit Timah Road is one of the two hotel sites to be sold through the confirmed list under the Government Land Sales Programme for the first half of 2008.

Land Parcel at Race Course Road / Bukit Timah Road

The hotel site is located above the Little India MRT station and within the Historic District of Little India, which is a famous tourist destination, well-known for its vibrant street life. As the future hotel development on the site is directly connected to the Little India MRT station, hotel guests will find it very convenient to travel to other parts of the city and the rest of the island via Singapore’s extensive MRT network.

The land parcel has a site area of about 0.9 ha and a maximum permissible gross floor area of 31,440 sqm. Details of the land parcel and location plan are given in Annexes A-1 & A-2. More details on the land parcel are available on URA website at http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/RaceCourseRd-BukitTimahRd/intro(L).html.

Other details

A tender period of about twelve weeks will be allowed for the site. The tender will close at 12 noon on 21 May 2008. Selection of the successful tenderer will be based on the tendered land price only.

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/RaceCourseRd-BukitTimahRd/images/intro(L).jpg

THE LAND PARCEL is located within the Little India Historic District and at the fringe of the Bras Basah.Bugis Arts and Entertainment Precinct. The land parcel can yield a gross floor area of about 31,400 sqm and is an excellent site for a medium-sized hotel development.

The future hotel development can capitalise on the popularity of the Historic District of Little India with regional and international tourists. It will add to the critical mass of hotels that are already located in the district, and enhance the district's attractiveness as a must-see tourist destination in Singapore.

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/RaceCourseRd-BukitTimahRd/images/unique.jpg

GATEWAY TO LITTLE INDIA

The Little India Historic District is rich with cultural heritage and home to a number of national monuments and colourful temples, located amidst a charming maze of quaint shophouses.

The district's street-life is constantly abuzz with vibrant activities from shops plying traditional crafts and souvenirs, to Mustafa Centre, an internationally renowned tourist attraction, which offers a wide array of both modern and traditional goods and services 24 / 7. The streets in Little India are also lined with restaurants offering ethnic Indian and other exotic cuisines that would tempt the taste buds of the most discerning food connoisseurs and tourists.


This unique setting will make the hotel particularly attractive to tourists who are keen to explore and immerse in Singapore’s rich ethnic Indian culture.

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/RaceCourseRd-BukitTimahRd/images/gateway.jpg

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/RaceCourseRd-BukitTimahRd/images/landparcelmap645.jpg

any takers? i dun think there will be any high profile compaies going for it... that location is not lst class.

any takers? i dun think there will be any high profile compaies going for it... that location is not lst class.

There's quite a number of hotel reserve sites in District 8 with no takers. I wonder if this would attract any good bids.

I think when a site is on the Confirmed List, URA is confident that there will be enough interest in it, or has an objective to get the site developed.

This site will be integrated over the NEL Little India Station, which the govt had put in additional costs to pre-load. Hence the priority to get such sites developed. Also, I think its location is just nice. Close to the area, yet not in the madness of Serangoon Rd. Race Course Rd also has a cluster of Indian restaurants. Tekka Market is also building a temporary replacement nearby.

Based on recent reports, it seems that Singapore is facing a shortage of mid-low end hotels. This site might help.

New mid-rise hotel development next to the Gallery Hotel
http://ssc.singapenguin.net/08/080208_robertson_quay_hotel01.jpg



more info:

Leng Beng breaks the mould with business budget hotel

21 Apr 08

No frills property at Mohamed Sultan Rd offers high-tech facilities

(SINGAPORE) A 'business budget hotel' may sound like a contradiction in terms. But hotel and property tycoon Kwek Leng Beng is finalising just such a concept - and it's aimed at executives who don't want the frills but who do require high-tech amenities in their rooms.

The first such hotel here will be a 370-room property that will open at Mohamed Sultan Road early next year. It is being developed by Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C), the London-listed hotel arm of City Developments Ltd (CDL), which in turn is the listed property arm of Singapore's Hong Leong Group.

Elaborating on the new concept, Mr Kwek, executive chairman of Hong Leong Group, said: 'It is high-end and I have called it 'high-end budget', so it sounds like a contradiction. But I would like to clarify. This niche is aimed at executives who want no frills but require high-tech amenities in their rooms which must meet certain standards, four-star or even up to five-star; they do not need the grand ballrooms or large function rooms or F&B outlets that may add to their bills unnecessarily.'

Yesterday was a proud day for Mr Kwek, 67, as he witnessed the official opening of St Regis Singapore, which will be his flagship hotel in Singapore. 'We have many hotels around the world - M&C has 112 - but none as luxurious as this one. Normally, it takes a hotel about three years to stabilise earnings. However, for St Regis Singapore, I'm confident we can stabilise in a year's time.'

The 299-room hotel, said to be worth about $1.2 million a room, as well as the next door 173-unit St Regis Residences, were developed by a joint venture involving CDL, Hong Leong Holdings Ltd and TID Pte Ltd. TID is a partnership between the Hong Leong Group and Japan's leading real estate company Mitsui Fudosan.

To date, 157 of the 173 units at St Regis Residences have been sold.

'The planning for a branded hotel and residences concept in the same development took about five years,' Mr Kwek said.

'I am quite excited, because this development was not acquired, but conceptualised and built from scratch.'

Mr Kwek started the group's first hotel, what is now known as Copthorne King's, at Havelock Road, in 1970. 'When I was younger, I was bolder. In the early 1990s, the international hotels sector was competitive but it is very much more so today. There are more and bigger private equity funds among the major international players. The financial landscape is also much more different than when we went international over 14 years ago, or when we opened our first hotel more than 30 years ago.'

Mr Kwek acknowledged that the opening of the two integrated resorts will boost Singapore's meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions business and pose a challenge to existing hotels and upcoming ones, but the market segments they cater to are not necessarily the same.

'They will help make Singapore a tourism hub and ensure that Singapore is a key destination,' he said. 'Not forgetting that we have the new giant aircraft A380, and the increased popularity of budget airlines, so Singapore will have increasing numbers of visitors.'

He also said that talent is a key challenge ahead for the Singapore hotel industry. With India and China opening up, their hotels are taking up a significant portion of the global hotel talent.

'Labour cost, which is a concern by itself, is bound to increase,' he said. 'In Singapore, because land is scarce, construction costs are high, and prices of building materials such as steel are also rising, so there is a challenge if one plans to build budget hotels, a sector which will be much needed here.'


By KALPANA RASHIWALA

9 storeys only heh..... cmon...u can do better than tat

^^

Urban design control...most developments near the river in that area are lowrise, with taller buildings allowed further back. Gallery Hotel itself is not that tall.

Transitional office site in Newton draws 8 offers

25 Apr 08

UOB Kay Hian tops bullish bidding for attractive plot next to MRT with $34m offer

http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/image/20080425/ST8643780864378001_01_0001.jpg

A PRIME transitional office site in Newton attracted eight bids by the close of its tender yesterday, a clear reminder that demand for office space remains high.
The surprise top bidder was not the usual developer, but brokerage UOB Kay Hian. It offered $34 million, or $242.5 per sq ft (psf) of gross floor area, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

This was 16.5 per cent higher than the second bid, an offer of $29.2 million, or $208 psf, from Sun Venture Investments.

Property experts said UOB Kay Hian could be relocating some of its back-room operations from the financial district or expanding its office space.

Other bidders for the tender launched on Feb 28 include Scotts Development, Hersing Corporation and Sim Lian Land.

Mezzo Development trailed the field with a bid of $11.9 million, or $85 psf, for the 93,461 sq ft site.

Market watchers said the 15-year leasehold plot's attractive location next to the Newton MRT station fuelled the bullish bidding.

Mr Nicholas Mak, director of research and consultancy at Knight Frank, said tight office supply and strong demand have sustained the growth in rentals.

For the first quarter this year, average Grade A office rentals in Raffles Place reached $17.63 psf per month - much higher compared with monthly gross rentals of $6 psf to $8 psf in the Scotts Road area.

Companies leasing the Newton site, which can yield a maximum gross floor area of about 13,000sq m, could reduce their occupancy costs, yet still enjoy a strategic location, said Mr Mak.

He noted that the top bid is the highest average price paid for a transitional office site since the initiative was launched in July last year to address supply concerns.

Earlier this year, the Government chose not to award the tender for a similar office site in Aljunied because the only bid was too low. Mezzo Development had offered $7.8 million, or $38.35 psf.

Mr Ku Swee Yong, Savills Singapore's director of marketing and business development, said that if UOB Kay Hian relocates to the Newton site, it could gain by renting out its offices at UOB Plaza.

But Mr Mak reckons that the site will be used for expansion purposes. He added that the site could be merged with an adjacent land parcel, also a transitional office site. The tender for this plot closes on April 30.

As a result, the bidding for this site is expected to be relatively less aggressive.


By Jessica Cheam

what does it mean by transitional? that means short term?

yah like 15 years

what does it mean by transitional? that means short term?




Reminds me of Excelsvr who is MIA.Phew!

Another transitional office site at Newton

Transitional office site gets top bid of $226 psf ppr

1 May 08


THE Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has closed the tender for a transitional office site at Scotts Road/ Anthony Road - receiving a top bid of $32.99 million.


This works out to be $226 per square foot per plot ratio (psf ppr) for the 97,284.1 sq ft site which has maximum permissible gross floor area of 145,926.2 sq ft.

Four bids were received with the highest bid coming from Sun Venture Investments, a subsidiary of interior design and build firm DB&B Developments Pte Ltd. Its bid was 3 per cent higher than the next highest bid of $32 million from Scotts Development Pte Ltd.

DB&B chief executive Billy Siew Kim Leng said that if it is awarded the site, it intends to lease the building fully. Already, Mr Siew said that it is talking to two potential tenants who may lease the entire building.

While Mr Siew did not say who these might be, a check with the DB&B website reveals that its current clients include ABN Amro Bank and Korea Development Bank.

If awarded, this will be the first development project for DB&B. Still, Mr Siew said this is the normal progression in terms of 'vertical integration' for its business.

He also said he was bullish on the office sector and is setting its sights on a monthly rental of $9.50 psf.

Cushman and Wakefield managing director Donald Han agreed that the site could eventually attract big companies. 'I think corporations would be favourable to an address like this.'

He also said that as long as the locations were good, there would still be developers interested in such sites. 'The entry level is low so it would be good for new developers,' he added.

The potential over-supply of new office space after 2010 is not likely to affect demand for this site either. Savills Singapore director (marketing and business development) Ku Swee Yong said: 'The future supply is likely to be more spaced out than originally expected due to construction delays.'

Even so, Mr Ku estimates that rentals for transitional office space in the Scotts Road area is more likely to be around $7 psf a month.

While the DB&B's bid is about 7 per cent lower than the top bid for the neighbouring transitional office site last week, Knight Frank director (research and consultancy) Nicholas Mak believes it is very likely that the government will award this site to DB&B, 'taking into consideration that this average price of $226 psf ppr is slightly higher than the price paid for the first transition office site at Scotts Road last August'.

He added: 'In an effort to ease the office space crunch, up to now, the government has awarded four transition office sites, which could yield about 650,000 sq ft of office space.'


By ARTHUR SIM

Wonder what will the building look like.. Hmmm

Short, lowrise and nothing too elaborate, given the allowable GFA and short term lease of 15 years, I'm guessing.

15 years seem abit short. Do they have the option to renew or something?

I remember seeing that the future plans for the area around Newton MRT was to have a fringe centre, something like a smaller-scale Novena.

Perhaps after 15 years when the transit office sites return to Govt they will redevelop the area to its full potential, after all, Newton station will become an interchange.

No takers at all for hotel site in Little India

22 May 08

This is the first time in 7 years a govt land tender has failed to draw any bids: URA

By Fiona Chan, Property Reporter

A HOTEL site on top of the Little India MRT station had yet to attract a single offer by the time its tender closed yesterday.
This is the first time in seven years that no bid has come in for a government land site, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said.

It released the 0.9ha plot at the junction of Race Course Road and Bukit Timah Road for sale in February, touting it as a parcel located within a historic and vibrant tourist destination.

Property consultants offered several reasons for the lack of interest in the site, ranging from its less-than-desirable location in Little India to the cheerless mood prevailing in the property market.

Mr Colin Tan, the head of research and consultancy at Chesterton International, suggested that the Little India site failed to draw bids because of the area's 'image problem' and the crowds.

'The hotel sector is one of the brightest spots in the market, so I see no other reason the site should have no bids,' he said.


But Mr Ku Swee Yong, the director of business development and marketing at Savills Singapore, said the problem might lie with 'budget' hotel plots.

'Because of higher construction costs, it's getting tougher to generate good profits for three- and four-star hotels,' he said.

Prospects for the hotel industry remain strong, with visitor arrivals expected to rise because of the upcoming Formula One Grand Prix and the integrated resorts.

But even the hotel sector could be affected by the overall gloomy market sentiment, said some experts.

'The last time we saw no bids for a site was when the market was very weak; it's usually a sign of poor sentiment,' said Mr Nicholas Mak, the director of research and consultancy at Knight Frank.

'The overall property market is getting more uncertain, and developers or investors may think that it's too risky to commit right now.'

He also suggested that the market could be saturated with hotel sites. Since January last year, the URA has sold five parcels and made seven more available for applications from interested parties.

The Little India site is one of two hotel plots on the URA's 'confirmed list' of land sales for the first half of this year, which means the site was launched for outright sale rather than put on the 'reserve list' for developers to indicate interest.

All eyes are now on the other hotel site on the confirmed list, at Balestier Road, which was launched for outright sale in March. The tender closes on July 16.

Market watchers said the lack of response to yesterday's tender could lead the URA to put fewer sites on the confirmed list next month, when it announces its land sales programme for the rest of the year.

The last time a URA site closed without any bids was in February 2001, when two residential plots in Lengkong Empat and Geylang drew no interest at all.

I remember seeing that the future plans for the area around Newton MRT was to have a fringe centre, something like a smaller-scale Novena.

Perhaps after 15 years when the transit office sites return to Govt they will redevelop the area to its full potential, after all, Newton station will become an interchange.

Speaking of interim offices, Phase ZRo is now under demolition. These type of "temporary" buildings (it is built out of containers). But here we're talking about full size proper office blocks. Hmm

JTC launches hotel-in-biz park tender

12 Jun 08


(SINGAPORE) A hotel within a business park? That may soon become reality, as JTC Corporation launched a concept and price tender yesterday for the development of an integrated business park facility with retail and hotel components in Changi Business Park (CBP).


The 4.7-hectare Plot 61 is a 'Business Park - White 40' site. Forty per cent of the total gross floor area of 1.26 million square feet will go towards 'white' or commercial activities.

Retail activities will take up 45 to 60 per cent of the 'white' space, while the balance will be set aside for a hotel. 'It would seem that there is a deliberate effort to ensure that a hotel will be built on the site, adding a complementary element to the predominantly business park use at CBP,' said executive director of CBRE Research, Li Hiaw Ho.

According to the tender document, bidders may opt for either a term of '30 years with an option for a further term of 30 years', or 60 years.

JTC said that it launched the tender to meet rising demand for business park space and amenities in CBP. The working population in the park could rise from 6,000 to 20,000 by 2011.

The integrated development would house firms in the high-technology, high value-added and knowledge-intensive industries. CBP is already attracting backend operations from financial institutions.

According to Knight Frank's senior manager of industrial business space Chow Kok Seng, rents in CBP can range from $3.50 to $6 psf.

He believes that the site may attract three or more bids from private developers, and Soilbuild Group Holdings could be one of them. The firm has developed Eightrium @ CBP, and recently won a JTC award to build, own and operate a stack-up factory at Tanjong Kling.

He also notes that private developers may offer bids ranging from $130 to $167 psf.

Observing that Plot 61 is larger than a previous site which was awarded to United Engineers in Q4 2007, Mr Li said that 'Plot 61 is likely to draw bigger developers which have the experience with large mix-used developments.'

The design concept probably needs to have a 'wow' factor because JTC may want the development to be a showcase, according to Chesterton International's head of research and consultancy Colin Tan. Therefore, he does not expect the award to be based solely on the bid price.

CBRE Research's Mr Li is optimistic on the integrated development's appeal. 'The proposed hotel would be able to draw guests that are working on a short-term basis in CBP or at Changi Airport, as well as participants of events held in the Singapore Expo,' he said.

Interested developers have up to August 19 to submit their proposals.


By EMILYN YAP

19 June 2008

Government land sales programme for private residential, commerical and hotel developments for the second half of 2008

The Ministry of National Development (MND) today announced:



a The Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme for private residential, commercial and hotel developments for the second half of 2008; and
b The non-GLS supply of private residential, commercial and hotel space from various projects by Government agencies in the second half of 2008, which is in addition to the GLS supply.



Opening Up of New Growth Areas



A highlight of the GLS Programme is the offer of 2 new sites which will help to transform the Jurong Lake District and Kallang Riverside into attractive destinations for work, live and play, in line with the recently unveiled draft Master Plan 2008.



A new white site at Jurong East Street 13 will help to kick-start the development of the commercial hub at Jurong Gateway. Another new site is a hotel site at Kallang Riverside, a new waterfront lifestyle precinct by the edge of the city.



In total, 13 new sites have been added to the GLS Programme for the second half of 2008. These 13 sites comprise 6 residential sites, 3 commercial sites, 3 hotel sites and 1 white site. 26 unsold sites from the first half 2008 GLS Programme and 1 unsold site from the second half 2007 GLS Programme1 will be carried over to the second half 2008 GLS Programme (see details in Appendix 1).



The GLS Programme for the second half of 2008 will therefore consist of 40 sites comprising 21 residential sites, 6 commercial sites, 11 hotel sites and 2 white sites. These sites can potentially yield about 7,960 private residential units, 400,000 sqm Gross Floor Area (GFA) of commercial space and 5,750 hotel rooms. The total supply has been assessed to be sufficient to meet the demand for various types of properties over the medium term.



The unsold hotel site at Race Course Road / Bukit Timah Road from the first half 2008 GLS Programme, will be removed2. The original intention was for the successful tenderer to build underground pedestrian links that will connect to the nearby Rapid Transit System (RTS) station in conjunction with the hotel development. However, as the site was not awarded, the links will now be built by LTA. URA will review when the site can be released through a future GLS Programme, taking into consideration LTA’s schedule for the works.



Confirmed List for Second Half of 2008



A total of 8 sites will be sold through the confirmed list in the second half of 2008 to facilitate their early development to meet various planning objectives.



Out of the 8 confirmed sites, 6 are new sites and 2 are sites carried over from the reserve list in the first half of 2008. The 6 new sites are:



a 3 commercial sites at North Bridge Road / Stamford Road, Mohamed Sultan Road and Mountbatten Road;



b 2 residential sites at Yio Chu Kang Road / Seletar Road and Sembawang Greenvale Phase 3; and



c 1 hotel site at Bukit Chermin Road.



The 2 sites which are carried over are:



d the Executive Condominium (EC) site at Punggol Field / Punggol Road; and



e the residential site at New Upper Changi Road / Tanah Merah Kechil Avenue.






(See Appendix 2)



The 1.45-ha North Bridge Road / Stamford Road site comprises the existing Capitol Theatre, Capitol Building, Stamford House and Capitol Centre. Capitol Theatre, Capitol Building and Stamford House have been gazetted for conservation. The sale of the site will facilitate the restoration of the conserved buildings and add vibrancy to the area through the introduction of new entertainment, retail and hotel uses. The successful tenderer will have the flexibility to demolish Capitol Centre and erect new buildings on the site. A minimum quantum for hotel use will be stipulated for the site to meet the demand for hotel rooms. More details will be announced when the site is released for sale in December 2008.



The 2 commercial sites at Mohamed Sultan Road and Mountbatten Road will be tendered out on 15-year leases for the development of transitional office space. URA has successfully sold 5 transitional office sites since August 2007. These developments can be built quickly within a year and hence can meet the needs of businesses which require office space urgently.



The new residential site at Yio Chu Kang Road / Seletar Road will replace the smaller commercial & residential site at the same location which was in the reserve list of the GLS Programme for first half 2008. URA has received market feedback that a larger residential site with a small component of commercial space is more attractive than the original smaller commercial & residential site with a limited number of residential units. URA has included the surrounding vacant land to form a larger land parcel for residential use for sale under the GLS Programme for second half 2008. A minimum quantum for commercial use will be stipulated for the site to facilitate the development of shops and eating establishments, to serve the residents in the surrounding housing estates. More details will be announced when the site is released for sale in November 2008.



The 3-ha hotel site at Bukit Chermin Road, located next to Keppel Club, comprises four black and white bungalows set amidst a hilly terrain. The sale of this site for hotel development is timed to coincide with the completion of the Labrador Nature and Coastal Walk nearby in 2011. Together, the Bukit Chermin hotel development and the Labrador Nature and Coastal Walk will enhance the attractiveness of Singapore’s Southern Ridges and Southern Waterfront as a premier leisure and recreation destination.



The sub-divided landed housing parcels at Sembawang Greenvale Phase 3, which will be sold by auction, will continue the momentum of development of the Sembawang Greenvale landed estate. URA has so far successfully sold 23 landed housing parcels in Sembawang Greenvale since October 2007. The sale of such sub-divided landed parcels will allow smaller developers and individual home-owners to participate in the Government Land Sales Programme.



The residential site at New Upper Changi Road / Tanah Merah Kechil Avenue and the Executive Condominium (EC) site at Punggol Field / Punggol Road are located near RTS stations. The sale of these sites will expedite the development of land around the RTS stations and help to increase the ridership catchment for the rail system. In addition, placing the EC site on the confirmed list will help to build up Punggol New Town and provide more affordable private housing options for home owners.



The confirmed list sites will yield about 1,120 private residential units, 50,000 sqm GFA of commercial space and 700 hotel rooms.

Reserve List for Second Half of 2008



A total of 32 sites will be placed on the reserve list for the second half of 2008. These sites will provide flexibility for the market to adjust the supply to meet demand. The 32 sites will comprise 24 sites carried over from the first half 2008 GLS Programme, the unsold site at Choa Chu Kang Road / Woodlands Road from the second half 2007 GLS Programme and another 7 new sites. These 7 new sites comprise:



a 1 white site a Jurong East Street 13;



b 2 hotel sites at Kallang River and Short Street; and



c 4 residential sites at Serangoon Avenue 3, Yishun Avenue 7 / Canberra Drive, Hillview Avenue and Dakota Crescent.



(See Appendix 2)



The white site at Jurong East Street 13 will help to kick-start the development of the commercial hub at Jurong Gateway and is in line with the broader vision to develop the Jurong Lake District into an attractive destination for business and leisure. To facilitate the development of new office hubs outside the Central Business District and to provide more choices of location for businesses, a minimum quantum for office use will be stipulated for the site. More details will be announced when the site is released for sale in November 2008.



The hotel site at Kallang River will set in motion URA’s plans to transform Kallang Riverside into a new waterfront lifestyle precinct by the edge of the city. The hotel site at Kallang River will have a unique beachfront location and will be in close proximity to the city centre as well as the future Sports Hub.



The 4 new residential sites on the reserve list will provide more choices for private housing on different parts of the island. The Hillview Avenue site, which will be sold with a minimum quantum for commercial use, will also help to inject amenities, such as shops and eating establishments, to serve the residents in the area.



The 2 new hotel sites will add to other hotel sites on the reserve list, thus providing a wide variety of hotel accommodation to cater to a range of visitors and to meet the growing demand for hotel rooms.



The second half 2008 reserve list of the GLS Programme will have a total potential supply of about 6,840 private residential units, 350,000 sqm GFA of commercial space and 5,050 hotel rooms.

I think the new sites to watch should be the Capitol buildings redevelopment site and the large hotel site next to the Kallang River. The rest are quite ordinary.

I think the new sites to watch should be the Capitol buildings redevelopment site and the large hotel site next to the Kallang River. The rest are quite ordinary.

Yeah. The Capitol site would be the most interesting site in the CBD. The list for the next 6 months has muted down from past announcements, understandably.

However, the site next to Parkview should be launching soon (in June), and it should provide sufficient projected office space for the rest of the year.

http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/graphics/2008/pr08-62a40.pdf


Isn't the site currently occupied by some grand huge colonial warehouses? :(
Heritage gone again

They can be seen here beside the river in this pic by hya.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h204/hyapic01/Kallang.jpg

Maybe they can retain the facade at most, because I cant imagine any hotel being built there otherwise!

The future of Kallang. This would be the first site released in the area after the Masterplan was revealed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/rotpics03/kallang.jpg

They are the only reminders of Kallang's past as a maritime industrial area.

Looking carefully thru the new list again, I can't help but to notice that several sites in the Reserve List, which were "not triggered" and are "already available", have excellent locations and connectivity. Examples include the Outram Road/Eu Tong Sen Street site, Bishan St 14, and Tampines Grande/Concourse, and for that matter all the hotel sites that are in relatively central locations. Has URA really priced the sites out of the mass market or is the market really quite bad? Then why all this talk about having insufficient supply of residential apartments/hotel rooms, which inflates current prices, and then raising the barrier for new entrants (e.g. budget hotel oeprators) into the market?

Hiap Hoe puts in top bid of S$73.3m for Balestier Road hotel site

16 July 08

SINGAPORE : Property developer Hiap Hoe has put in the top bid of S$73.3 million for a hotel site at Balestier Road and Ah Hood Road.

The price works out to S$172 per square foot per plot ratio for the 99-year leasehold site.

Consultants CB Richard Ellis said the bid is relatively low compared to other hotel sites.

The site has a maximum gross floor area of 425,942 square feet, which can potentially yield some 675 hotel rooms.

A hotel built on the location can capitalise on the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall which is located nearby.

An upcoming Zhongshan Park, spanning 4.6 hectares, will be within the proposed development.

4,844 square feet of space in the public park can be used for outdoor refreshment areas and tea pavilions.

All in, there were three bids for the site, with Garden City Hotel bidding S$53 million, while Park Plaza put in an offer of S$35 million.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority will announce the award of the tender later.


By Victoria Jen, Channel NewsAsia

Second state property in Changi offered for hotel use

11 Aug 08

A SECOND state property, which is part of a former military camp in Hendon Road, in Changi, is put up for public tender on Monday for dedicated hotel use.

The site has a land area of 9,666 square metres, slightly larger than a football field with a gross floor area (GFA) of 5,097 square metres. It comprises two blocks of three-storey buildings and a covered shed.

The tenancy, with a guide rental of $28,500 a month, is for an initial term of three years. renewable up to 2018, said the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) on Monday.

SLA said the land is well suited for hotel use as the Changi area is being transformed into an exciting destination for locals and tourists alike with its wide ranging leisure, recreational and lifestyle attractions.

It is also conveniently located next to a park connector, a walking route along Netheravon Road from Cranwell Road to Changi Village, and the Changi Point boardwalk.

More buzz can also be expected with the introduction of motor sports near the Changi Beach Park, as announced by the Government.

The first state property that has been converted for hotel use is at No. 175A Chin Swee Road.

Today, it is a boutique business hotel called 'Hotel Re!' with 140 rooms. It officially opened for business in mid-May with an initial occupancy rate of around 50 per cent.

Since last year, SLA has awarded four state properties - in Lorong Bekukong, Turnhouse Road and the former Changi Hospital) - in the Changi area for adaptive commercial re-use after receiving strong response.

Two of them are now restaurants while the former Changi General Hospital at Halton Road is being transformed into a spa resort. The groundbreaking will take place next month and the development is expected to be ready by next year.

The Government, on its part, has upgraded the car parks at Changi Village and provided additional car park lots at Turnhouse Road.

Mr Teo Cher Hian, director of Land Operations (Private) Division, said: 'SLA is offering a number of the vacant State properties for adaptive re-use such as hotels and lifestyle attractions in line with the government's vision for Changi Point as an attractive and rustic seaview hotel, resort and recreational destination'.

'This latest property will add greater buzz and vibrancy to the Changi area'.

According to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), leading hoteliers have expressed keen interest in this property.

Ms Caroline Leong, Director, Travel Services & Hospitality Business, STB said: 'The STB encourages the development of different types of accommodation to add to the hotel mix available here.

'With its lush greenery and historical charm which the old military barracks lend, a hotel development on the former Changi Camp site will provide an ideal alternative to visitors who prefer staying amidst a rustic environment'.

According to STB, mid-tier and economy hotels enjoyed healthy average room occupancy rates of 85 per cent and 87 per cent respectively in the first six months.

Straits Times

i foresee there will be no takers. hows the new airport hotel doing anyway?

I actually think that Changi has a lot of potential as a niche enclave. It already has resorts there and a hotel should be quite a suitable use for this area.

Some pics by babystan03

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/ylstan04/Changi%20Chalet/DSCF1547.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/ylstan04/Changi%20Chalet/DSCF1544.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/ylstan04/Changi%20Chalet/DSCF1542.jpg

There are lots of interesting old buildings that should be re-used to tap on Changi's rustic charm. Think this one was already tendered out.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/ylstan04/Changi%20Chalet/DSCF1557.jpg

More pics here:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=520532

The site will be really scenic, especially on the top.

Anyone who has been to the higher floors of Old CGH for that "thrilling and haunting" experience would know how beautiful the scenery is from up that hill.

This also means the Commandos are moving out of Hendon already since I been up there during route march and it gives a birds eye view of the entire camp.

The site will be really scenic, especially on the top.

Anyone who has been to the higher floors of Old CGH for that "thrilling and haunting" experience would know how beautiful the scenery is from up that hill.

Yep, the sea view from Old CGH hill is quite calming and pretty. I used to spend several days on the higher floors dozing and resting in those days when it wasn't so "haunting".

26 Aug 08

URA reserve site at Short Street for hotel development is now open for application

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) today released the detailed sales conditions for a reserve site at Short Street for hotel development. Developers interested in purchasing the site can now apply to URA for it to be put up for tender.



The site at Short Street is one of the two new hotel sites which are scheduled for release for application on the reserve list under the Government Land Sales programme for the second half of 2008.

Bras Basah.Bugis District

- A Hub for the Arts, Culture, Learning and Entertainment

The Short Street hotel site is situated within the Bras Basah.Bugis district. The district is home to a synergistic cluster of arts, culture and education facilities. It boasts of three museums, a city university, the national library and two arts schools, one more scheduled for completion by end of this year. These facilities have transformed the area into a dynamic educational and entertainment destination that is attractive to both tourists and local visitors.

Land Parcel at Short Street


With a land area of about 0.12 ha, the Land Parcel located within the Bras Basah.Bugis District can generate a maximum permissible gross floor area of 4,077 sqm and is ideal for boutique hotel development. The proposed hotel development at Short Street will reinforce the existing hotel belt which includes the Hotel Inter-Continental, Rendezvous Hotel and Albert Court Hotel.



Hotel guests will also enjoy convenient access to the Central Business District, the shopping street of Orchard Road and the convention and hotel hub at Marina Centre via the Bugis and Little India MRT Stations which are located about 10 minutes away by foot.

Established Hotel Hub

The Bras Basah.Bugis area is fast becoming an established hotel hub with a wide range of hotels, including the Hotel Inter-Continental, Rendezvous Hotel and Albert Court Hotel. The hotel site at Short Street will further reinforce the attractiveness of the Bras Basah.Bugis district as a choice location for tourists looking to stay in the heart of the city.

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/ShortSt/imagesothers/200/rendezvous%20300.jpghttp://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/ShortSt/imagesothers/200/albert_court_hotel_300.jpg

Shopper's Paradise

Hotel guests will be spoilt for choice with the myriad of retail options and tourist attractions in the Bras Basah.Bugis district. The pedestrianised Albert and Waterloo Malls offer tourists a unique shopping experience with a lively mix of outdoor bazaar-oriented activities and events all year round.

Bugis Junction and Bugis Village, located just a short 10 minutes walk away, are popular shopping destinations offering hip and fashionable products for shoppers of all ages. The Iluma, the upcoming Urban Entertainment Centre at Victoria Street, which is scheduled for completion by end of this year, will further add to the exciting mix of thematic shopping and dining experiences.

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/ShortSt/imagesothers/200/Waterloo-Mall.jpghttp://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/ShortSt/imagesothers/200/bugis_junction_fountain_2002.jpghttp://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/ShortSt/imagesothers/200/iluma_03.jpg

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/ShortSt/imagesothers/locationplan.jpg

Hotel site at Short Street now available

27 Aug 08

DEVELOPERS interested in a hotel site in Short Street can apply for it to be put up for tender, after the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) released detailed sale conditions.

The 0.12 hectare site is one of two new hotel plots on the reserve list under the second-half 2008 Government Land Sales (GLS) programme.

The site, in the Bras Basah/Bugis district, has a maximum permissible gross floor area of 4,077 sq metres (43,884.4 sq ft) - smaller than others released this year.

Cushman and Wakefield managing director Donald Han believes it will attract smaller developers and new entrants to the market.

The owner of neighbouring Albert Court Hotel may feel compelled to bid, he said.

He reckons that if the site goes up for public tender, bids could range from $350 to $400 psf per plot ratio (psf ppr) - a quantum of $15.4-$17.6 million.

Knight Frank director (research and consultancy) Nicholas Mak also sees bids in this range.

'Based on planning details and the neighbourhood, a boutique hotel development with an ethnically artistic design is deemed suitable,' he said.

For instance, a developer could put up a Peranakan-style building similar to Albert Court Hotel.

Earlier this month, URA received a committed bid of $51 million or $249.6 psf ppr for a reserve list hotel site at Kallang and Jellicoe roads.

Also this month, URA awarded a hotel site in Balestier Road to HH Properties, which put in the highest bid of $172 psf ppr.

There are now nine hotel development sites on the GLS reserve list.

According to URA, the reserve list for H2 2008 provides for potential supply of 5,050 hotel rooms, including a white site at Outram Road.


By ARTHUR SIM
Business Times

RC: I can't find info on the former barrack's tendering on SLA website

There is info if you look under Press Releases:

http://www.sla.gov.sg/htm/new/new0201.htm

Former Hong Wen School building to be turned into boutique hotel

4 Sep 08

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/imagegallery/store/phpPCPo9i.jpg

SINGAPORE: The Little India district, better known for its budget accommodation offerings, is set to welcome a new boutique hotel by the end of 2009.

The four-storey building once housed the Hong Wen School and later, the Buddhist Welfare Association. It was awarded conservation status in 1989.

While the ornate tiled facade will remain untouched, the interiors will soon be transformed into a 29-room luxury hotel with a themed decor on every floor.

The developers, who are also behind two other conservation boutique hotels in Chinatown, are confident they have got a hit on their hands.

Lok Lik Peng, director, KMC Holdings, said: "Places like Kampong Glam, Little India and Chinatown are historic districts of Singapore. And to me, they are perfect locations for boutique hotels because they tell a story about the cultural history of Singapore."

By Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia

Some of the hotel sites sold earlier are making progress, including these:

Hotel at Unity Street (beside UE Square) - awarded August 2006

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j67/RCSSC/hotel10a.jpg

Hotel at Mohamed Sultan Rd (beside Gallery Hotel) - awarded November 2006

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j67/RCSSC/hotel10b.jpg

Hotel at Merchant Road - awarded October 2007

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j67/RCSSC/hotel10c.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j67/RCSSC/hotel10d.jpg

Gosh, I hope nothing will happen to the mosque!

the area is quite small for a hotel...must have squeezy rooms :(

the area is quite small for a hotel...must have squeezy rooms :(

The land used to be a carpark.

@redstone - the mosque is not affected.

I believe its the oldest mosque here, Mas. Kg Melaka. Hope it will be preserved.

I hope PMB changes its principle. Some of the oldest places of worship have very small/simple buildings. Hope they would be preserved as well, not just places of worship with big buildings.

I believe its the oldest mosque here, Mas. Kg Melaka. Hope it will be preserved.

I hope PMB changes its principle. Some of the oldest places of worship have very small/simple buildings. Hope they would be preserved as well, not just places of worship with big buildings.

I'm surprised that this location would be home of the oldest mosque. If so, it is seriously underrated. The minaret doesnt seem that old, but those houses in its compound look older. They should be conserved.

I'm surprised that this location would be home of the oldest mosque. If so, it is seriously underrated. The minaret doesnt seem that old, but those houses in its compound look older. They should be conserved.

http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_688_2004-12-27.html

:)

IHG Introduces All New Hotel Brand To Asia Pacific – Hotel Indigo
IHG's Fifth Brand in the Region Offers Unique Hotel and Ever-Changing "Collectable" Experience.
Friday, October 17, 2008



InterContinental Hotels Group



Leading hotel group IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) launched its fast growing lifestyle Hotel Indigo® brand to the Asia Pacific region. The brand is set to excite upscale travelers looking for something beyond traditional hotel offerings.

Hotel Indigo will be IHG’s fifth brand in the region after InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts and Holiday Inn Express.

Since opening the first hotel in Atlanta in the United States in 2004, Hotel Indigo® quickly won recognition for its differentiated design philosophy, its ability to generate consistently high guest satisfaction and returns for hotel owners.

Hotel Indigo will first make its appearance in key Asia Pacific cities including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo to cater to guests who are looking for enriching destination experiences.

“Hotel Indigo really meets the needs of the next generation of customers in Asia Pacific who demand a stylish, individual hotel experience without pretentiousness,” said Peter Gowers, chief executive of IHG Asia-Pacific. “Each Hotel Indigo has its own unique character – a blend of style, natural elements and the distinctive flavor of the local area. With the launch of Hotel Indigo, there is now a new way for guests to experience Asia-Pacific’s major cities and a new path for real estate developers to regenerate properties with their own creative flair.”
IHG conducted extensive consumer research in Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo to understand travelers’ insight and needs about lifestyle hotels versus traditional corporate style hotels, what consumers truly would appreciate in order to clearly differentiate the Hotel Indigo proposition. The results clearly showed that Asia-Pacific travelers show great interest in style and design, and appreciate individual character.

Hotel Indigo will be a unique co-creation of IHG and the hotels’ owners. An element fuelling its global growth is the Interpret Indigo™ design concept, which delivers on its promise to be non-traditional. Driving the brand’s ability to offer unique product design from location to location, Interpret Indigo™ is a key differentiator of Hotel Indigo that appeals to owners and the development community alike.

The design concept allows prospective developers the opportunity to creatively interpret the hotel design in order to capture and reflect the local character and culture of its location while maintaining brand identity. For example, Hotel Indigo London Paddington will incorporate local architectural influences from the well-known Paddington Station, including murals of ornate metalwork and in-room artwork that is reflective of London.

As a result, no two Hotel Indigo will look alike. Like an individual acquiring collectables, each hotel experience in Asia Pacific will become a ‘collectable’ experience – leading guests to wonder what the next Hotel Indigo will look and feel like.

Another Hotel Indigo signature will be its intimate service – engaging, intuitive, and particular to the locality. To ensure that the customers are intrigued with changing experiences, public spaces like the lobbies will be transformed regularly throughout the year through the use of the latest audio, visual and scent technology.

Hotel Indigo is quickly expanding across the globe, with 19 locations open and more than 60 in the pipeline. It participates in IHG's Priority Club® Rewards which is the industry's largest guest loyalty program with more than 39 million members. For more information on Hotel Indigo, please visit www.hotelindigo.com.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, over 4,000 hotels and more than 590,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognized and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites® and Hotel Indigo®, and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards with over 39 million members worldwide.

IHG has more than 1,700 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create 150,000 jobs worldwide over the next few years.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.

Park's Clarke Quay hotel to open in March


23 Oct 08

It will cater to businessmen, independent travellers


SINGAPORE-BASED Park Hotel Group's third hotel here, Park Hotel Clarke Quay, will open in March next year.


The company has spent $130-$150 million developing the 336-room hotel and will position it as a four-star business establishment. However, its proximity to Clarke Quay is also expected to make it attractive to free and independent travellers.

'The group's growth has been achieved mainly through acquisitions, so we are excited about our first new-built property,' said Park director Allen Law. 'We have plans to acquire 10-12 more hotels in the next few years, mainly in the Asia-Pacific region.'

Park also said yesterday it has acquired a third hotel in China - Grand Park Xian - as well as its first in Japan.

'Japan is one of the key markets we are looking at and we hope to acquire more in the future,' said Mr Law. The group will take over its new hotel in Xian on Nov 1.

Park now operates its own hotels, but plans to extend its management arm to other hotels.

Although the local tourism industry is seeing fewer arrivals, Mr Law is optimistic about the new hotel here.

The company does expect a slowdown, but business is unlikely to be affected too badly, he reckons.

Park now has six properties. Its other two hotels in Singapore are Park Hotel Orchard - previously Crown Hotel - and Grand Plaza Park Hotel City Hall, formerly Grand Plaza Parkroyal Hotel.

The group was a participant in the inaugural ITB Asia trade and travel show yesterday.

The event provided 'a platform to expand our brand awareness in Asia and beyond,' said Park's senior vice-president Mohd K Rafin.

Other participants included hotel chain Best Western, which is looking to showcase its properties in Asia, as well as promote its intended expansion into South-east Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand.


By NISHA RAMCHANDANI


Business Times

Where is it?

Its the site under construction I posted on the previous page. Located at the junction of Unity Road / Clemenceau Ave.

http://www.parkhotelgroup.com/images/phcq_pic_homepage.jpg

http://www.parkhotelgroup.com/phcq/phcq00_index.html

Looks nice. I like the roofs. And they do have balconies too. looks very merchant court hotel aka venetian style.

i think it looks out of place. and the pool is too near to the road...a lot of fumes n noise

i think it looks out of place. and the pool is too near to the road...a lot of fumes n noise

Nothin will ever be out of place if you want a mix of towers and design. Design mixed by themselves and that creates that unique scene. We cannot always have square blocks looking building. Eggheads, Circle, Pointed tops or even crooked design are able to fits just anywhere. Although i do agree with that the pool is too near the road. They should have had it at a better frontage. But on the other hand, from that side, they will have a commanding view of the river.

I don't like that, it looks like something out of Disneyland.

Very... whimsical. More suited for Las Vegas or Sentosa

Actually considering the very varied architecture of the Robertson Quay/ Upper Boat Quay area, I'd say it fits quite perfectly. The Swissotel Merchant Court, Riverside Point also have this kind of look. The area feels upmarket, sophisticated but relaxed at the same time, and reminds me of those European kind of apartment estates.

Just love Robertson Quay, there are simply too many buildings that stand-out there that one fails to see the extraordinary; Gallery Hotel, and some other buildings' whose name I can't recall.

Crowne Plaza checks in at Changi

06 November, 2008
SINGAPORE – Crowne Plaza Changi Airport has gone from strength to strength following its opening in May this year.

The 1970s Asia-styled, 320-room hotel, which has direct access to Changi’s new Terminal 3, has set itself apart as a new meetings space for travelers.

The sleekly modern nine-story hotel includes Bar 75, which offers three distinct zones – chill out, entertainment and live sports TV action.

For meetings business, there are eight meeting and event rooms accommodating from eight to 250 guests.

There is Wifi connectivity throughout the hotel, including the Lobby Lounge where guests are encouraged to conduct casual business meetings or check emails.

Together with access to Terminal 3, guests can reach Changi Terminals 1 and 2 via the automated train service, or take the MRT from Changi Airport station to downtown Singapore.

URA releases hotel site at Bukit Chermin on the reserve list today

27 Nov 08

http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/text/2008/pr08-112.html

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/BukitChermin/images-others/BtChermin-overseekeppelharb.jpg

Located along a beautiful coastline with panoramic views of Keppel Harbour, the 3ha hotel site with a maximum permissible gross floor area (GFA) of 10,000 sqm is envisaged to be developed into a distinctive lifestyle hotel. In addition to accommodation facilities, the proposed hotel development is planned to include offerings of lifestyle programmes and services that will cater to discerning international visitors. This will add value and strengthen the appeal of Singapore as a premium tourism destination.



Apart from its attractive location, the site also has a unique setting due to the presence of four charming pre-war Black and White bungalows set amidst lush greenery (see Annex 2). New buildings with panoramic views towards the harbour can be constructed, interspersed with the existing bungalows, to create a unique waterfront development. An artist’s impression of one possible concept of the proposed development is shown in Annex 3.



The site’s hilly setting within an exclusive corner of the Southern Waterfront presents a tranquil environment for the discerning traveler. Yet it is only minutes away from the entertainment and recreational amenities available at VivoCity, Sentosa and Mount Faber.

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/BukitChermin/images-others/BtChermin-intro(MA).jpg

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/BukitChermin/images-others/BtChermin-prewarbungalows.jpghttp://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/BukitChermin/images-others/Bt-Chermin-portmasterhse.jpghttp://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/BukitChermin/images-others/BtChermin-interportmaster.jpg

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/BukitChermin/images-others/BtChermin-recnatureenclaves.jpg

OLD-WORLD COLONIAL CHARMS

The site also has a unique asset in the form of four charming pre-war Black & White bungalows. These conserved buildings can be adapted for suitable uses as part of the hotel development.

The combination of conserved and new buildings presents exciting opportunities for a distinctive hotel development with interesting building forms interspersed among the lush greenery.

With these unique attributes, the site is well suited to be a quality hotel appealing to well-heeled visitors.


RECREATION AND NATURE ENCLAVES

Located next to the recreational and nature enclaves at Mount Faber and the future Labrador Nature and Coastal Walk, Bukit Chermin enjoys easy access to the coastal promenade along the Southern Waterfront.

The future Labrador Nature and Coastal Walk will provide seamless links to the Southern Ridges which connects to Telok Blangah Hill Park, Mount Faber Park and the Harbourfront precinct.

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/BukitChermin/images-others/BtChermin-hendersonwaves.jpghttp://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/BukitChermin/images-others/BtChermin-alexandraarch.jpg

URA releases reserve-list hotel site for application

28 Nov 08

Market watchers don't see any takers until at least mid-'09


THE Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) yesterday released for application through the reserve list a plum hotel site at Bukit Chermin flanked by Keppel Club and the Reflections at Keppel Bay condo project.


Despite the site's attractive location in hilly terrain along the coast, some market watchers do not expect takers to emerge until mid-2009 at the earliest, given the grim property investment climate.

Any eventual bids for the 60-year-leasehold plot will be assessed under a dual-envelope system, taking into account concept and land price. The 3 ha plot is expected to yield about 50-70 hotel rooms/ villas.

The plot was initially on the second-half 2008 confirmed list but was moved to the reserve list late last month.

Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels executive vice-president Chee Hok said it is difficult to pin down the site's value because of a combination of substantial construction costs expected for the project, the tight funding market and higher returns sought by potential investors given the current situation in the hotel business as operating profits trend down.

The site may be triggered for launch by investors towards second-half 2009, Ms Chee said. 'At least business sentiment should be a lot clearer by then.'

Cushman & Wakefield Singapore's managing director Donald Han also puts the earliest trigger date for the site at mid-2009. Hopefully by then, too, construction costs will have come down, which might also entice investors to apply for the site's release, he said.

URA said: 'The release of the site for a distinctive lifestyle hotel development will enhance the attractiveness of the Southern Waterfront and Southern Ridges.'

With panoramic views of Keppel Harbour, the plot, which has a maximum permissible gross floor area of 107,639 sq ft, is envisaged to be developed into a lifestyle hotel, URA said.

The site includes four pre-war black-and-white bungalows that are now leased for housing but will have to be restored and adapted for new uses by the successful tenderer. New buildings with panoramic views towards the harbour can be built, interspersed with the exiting bungalows, to create a unique development, URA said.

Developers interested in bidding for the site can make an application to URA accompanied by an undertaking to bid a minimum price. If this price is acceptable to the state, the plot will be launched for tender. Tenderers have to submit their concept proposals and bid prices in two separate envelopes. The concept proposals will first be evaluated against criteria including business and development concepts.

At the second stage, the price envelopes of proposals with acceptable concepts will be opened and the site will be awarded to the tenderer with the highest bid among those with acceptable concept proposals.


By KALPANA RASHIWALA

Business Times

Can anybody asked Banyan, Aman or GHM hotels to take a stake at the developments.???

spikeshamz - the possibility is as good as a distance zero.

These respectable resort developers are famous for creating a truly inspiration and unique hotel for the most discerning visitors.

Just look again at the artist picture and note the stupid "elevated board walkway" skirting around the waterfront. This elevated walk board is under the initiative of the Southern Walkway project.

It practically kills any would be serious reputed Hoteliers.

once they built something high up; those bridges would be out of sight. it will only be the envy of those passers by to have a taste of the good life...

the only thing i think would be a put off for these developers is the reality of singapore climate and the view around there, nothing like a real beach resort i guess.

The site is surrounded by Keppel developments. Perhaps they might be interested in this site?

Still, if this site can be packaged as a tropical city getaway with some history thrown in, it might appeal to some that actually like this kind of experience. But the real deal is probably in the hotel itself. The location near the Sentosa IR might be a plus too...

http://photos-e.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v1949/242/104/562216614/n562216614_1803868_4937.jpg
The new shopping centre in Tampines
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1803869&id=562216614

Boutique hotels see near full occupancy rates

12 Mar 09
By Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: Small is apparently beautiful for Singapore's hotel industry in these uncertain times.

Boutique hotels with fewer than 100 rooms do not seem to be seeing the tourism blues, with some seeing near full occupancy rates in the past few months, even without slashing prices.

Size does not matter for boutique hotel Naumi, even though it has only 10 storeys of 40 rooms.

Naumi, set up in 2008, has seen about 75 to 80 per cent occupancy rates for the past few months, despite falling tourist arrivals in Singapore.

Its strategy is to boost its share of leisure travellers by working with tour operators. Naumi plans to increase its share of leisure travellers to 30 per cent from the current 20 per cent. The rest of its guests are regulars or corporate clients.

Hotel manager of Naumi, Hamant Rai, said: "We have actually a very small inventory, but if you have identified key operators and you just give those allocations - not in the numbers that a large-scale hotel can, but in the numbers that we can manage - then it is actually a bonus for us.

"Although the corporate clientele has gone down a little bit for us, but the growth factor in the leisure clientele that is coming on board has helped us to sustain our occupancy rates, compared to last year."

With the growth potential, Naumi plans to open two more boutique hotels in Singapore in the next three years.

Bar operator Harry's also plans to go into the boutique hotel space here.

Tour agent CTC Travel is also looking to do the same, after setting up a boutique hotel in the old French Quarter of Shanghai by end-March.

Observers say the growth in boutique hotels can make Singapore a more attractive destination.

CEO of Tourism Management Institute, Loi HP, said: "It is important, in any big city, especially a big one like Singapore, which is multicultural, (to have) boutique hotels because they add variety to the hotel scene, just like in London and New York.

"Boutique hotels have about 50 rooms or even less, and that's where they can give very personalised service. You'll be surprised that some top executives, they prefer to stay in these boutique hotels.

"What is important is how you price the strategy for a boutique hotel vis-à-vis a bigger hotel or a mid-tier hotel so that it gives you the advantage."

Most hotels say they are very reluctant to slash prices, but some have already done so in light of falling occupancy rates.

Observers say hotel rates in Singapore are likely to fall by about 20 per cent by the end of this year since tourism numbers are expected to slide further.

The Naumi Hotel (former Metropole)

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j67/RCSSC/naomi.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j67/RCSSC/naomi2.jpg

New hotel offers flat rate

25 Mar 09

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_354416.html

http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/image/20090325/Quincy1.jpg

TO stay ahead of others in these tough times, a new hotel is offering a flat rate that includes room stay, airport transfers, three meals a day plus cocktails every evening.
Quincy, a new 108-room boutique property on Mt Elizabeth, held its grand opening on Wednesday morning.

The Far East hospitality hotel had its soft opening in February and has been achieving average monthly occupancy of 76 per cent.

It kicked off with a rate of $198++ for its opening month and has since raised it to $208++.

About 80 per cent of the clientele are corporate guests, with a small minority of leisure guests.

Quincy is one of at least eight new hotels opening this year, against the backdrop of a global economic downturn.


http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/image/20090325/Quincy2.jpg

http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/image/20090325/Quincy3.jpg

http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/image/20090325/Quincy4.jpg

Nice....

I would love to see a Dream hotel opening up in Singapore...

Far East embarks on rebranding exercise for hospitality arm

25 Mar 09

SINGAPORE: Far East Organisation has launched its first-ever major rebranding exercise for its hospitality division.

The property developer plans to rebrand its stable of 17 hotels and serviced residences in Singapore under new names.

This was announced on Wednesday as Far East officially opened its first boutique hotel at Mount Elizabeth Road.

Under the first phase of the rebranding, Far East will introduce a new "Village" brand of hotels and serviced residences in the third quarter of this year, comprising up to eight of its existing properties.

The rebranding exercise, which will take a few years to complete, means that some properties will get minor facelifts, while others will take on new names.

Raphael Saw, director of Hospitality Operations, Far East Hospitality, said: "We're looking at this whole array of products that we have in different locations, different kinds of products and how to better communicate that to our customers."

Some of Far East's properties include Albert Court Hotel, Orchard Parade Hotel, Golden Landmark Hotel, as well as the Orchard Scotts Residences and Regency House.


http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/417702/1/.html

URA to launch the tender for the reserve site at Short Street in two weeks' time

2 Apr 09

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced today that it has accepted an application from a developer to put up the hotel site at Short Street for public tender.



The land parcel was made available for sale through the reserve list system on 26 August 2008. Under the government’s reserve list system, the government will put up a reserve site for public tender if it receives an application from a developer who commits, by signing an agreement and paying a deposit of 5% of the bid price, to bid for the site at or above the minimum price which is acceptable to the government.



URA has received an application from a developer who has committed to bid at a price of not less than $8,800,000.00 for the land parcel at Short Street. In accordance with the procedures of the reserve list system, URA is making public this price. However, the identity of the applicant will not be released.



URA will launch the public tender for the site in about 2 weeks. The launch date will be announced later. The tender period for the land parcel will be about 8 weeks.



Land Parcel at Short Street



With a site area of about 0.12 ha, the land parcel at Short Street can generate a maximum permissible gross floor area of 4,077 sqm and is ideal for boutique hotel development. The site is located within the Bras Basah.Bugis district which has a synergistic cluster of arts, culture and education facilities.

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/ShortSt/imagesothers/locationplan.jpg

Looking from the graph above,they seem to be planning something massive on the former central police station site.

Yupp it is part of the rochor corridor that has been planned in the developpement.

By the way, I wonder anybody know who put the tender for S$8,8 million dollars. I hope it will be an arty farty design boutique hotel as it is just infront of lasalle and not far from nafa and sota as well. Fit tha area well.

Lianhe Zaobao. 01 April 2009
zbNOW (p 3) reported that concept artist Feng Zhu will set up the FZD School of Entertainment Design here, which is a collaboration with 3dsense Media School. Feng had previously worked with Hollywood directors like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron. Classes at the school are scheduled to begin this month.
报道／林方伟 摄影／李白娟
　　与Steven Spielberg（史提芬司匹堡）及James Cameron（詹姆斯卡梅伦）等美国大导演合作过的好莱坞华裔概念设计师朱锋（Feng Zhu），来狮城设立“FZD娱乐概念设计学校”（FZD School of Entertainment Design）。学校本月开课，与本地著名的私立3dsense媒体学院（3dsense Media School）相辅相成。

　　朱锋将授传绘图课及概念娱乐设计，3dsense则提供动画及数码媒体课程。有朱锋扶持一把，本地才华出众的年轻人，或能更轻易踏入好莱坞门槛。

　　今年32岁的朱锋生于美国洛衫矶，毕业于加利福尼亚柏克莱大学建筑系。他之后转入美国鼎鼎大名的Art Center College of Design修读工业设计，以骄人的成绩攻入“娱乐设计”这行，交出亮眼的成绩单。

　　毕业后，他加入德州一家Origin Systems电玩公司（现已改名，就是著名的Electronic Arts电玩公司），成为他们的首席概念设计师，设计出Wing Commander游戏系列。

　　当年只有19岁的他，一有工作时，每天就能赚1000至5000美元，让他意识到设计真能赚钱！他的游戏作品，也让他成为这个圈子内最炙手可热的设计师。

　　2002年，更大机会来了。他受George Lucas邀请，加入他的Skywalker Ranch美术部门，为他的“Star Wars，Episode III”设计概念图。他每个星期都得想出新点子，画出新草图，维持了一年，也让他学会画得快、精、准。

　　他之后还跟Spielberg合作，为他监制的“Transformers”画概念图。 与此同时，他还率领了一队设计师，制作了“Superman”、“The Lord of the Rings”，及James Bond的电玩游戏系列。

　　此外，他也在2004年开始为James Cameron的新戏设计概念草图，特别设计出天马行空的概念汽车。这部片子还未完成，可见好莱坞制作一部片子有多严谨耗时。

　　与3dsense建立了合作关系后，原先已在北京开设电玩设计公司的朱锋，决定来新加坡开办学校，在亚洲培养生力军。第一学期在本月开课，一年共有三个学期，每学期收25名学生，学费是每年2万5000美元。

By the way, I wonder anybody know who put the tender for S$8,8 million dollars. I hope it will be an arty farty design boutique hotel as it is just infront of lasalle and not far from nafa and sota as well. Fit tha area well.

Maybe the owner of the Albert Court Hotel? If they got the land they might do an extension. The location is very convenient and attractive, and rich with interesting buildings:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3221/2913924709_07678f66db_o.jpg

Title : Tampines 1 will open this Thursday with full tenancy confirmed
By :
Date : 06 April 2009 1934 hrs (SST)
URL : http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/420533/1/.html

SINGAPORE: Tampines 1, Singapore's newest shopping mall, will open on April 9 with full tenancy confirmed.

The S$450 million mall will join two others, Tampines Mall and Century Square in that area.

Located beside the Tampines MRT station, the six-storey mall will have 172 tenants.

More than 75 per cent of its tenants will open this Thursday. These include IT shop Challenger, Japanese clothing giant Uniqlo, and Topshop.

The mall is hoping to attract the over 200,000 people living in Tampines and others in the wider eastern region of Singapore. - CNA/vm

Thursday, 26 March 2009 16:42
http://www.mylifestylemap.com/images/stories/Men/Fashion/Uniqlo/243-056224-05A-0903.jpg
09.04.09 - Mark this date down in your planners, for this is the date when UNIQLO marks its foray into Southeast Asia with the opening of its very first store in Singapore at Tampines 1. For those of you whom have never heard of the brand nor bought any of their apparels, bear with us while we dig deep and hard for the ten reasons why it has garnered such a loyal following around the globe.

1. As Japan’s number ONE casual wear brand, UNIQLO provides customers with true excellence and innovation in casual wear, from the design and functionality to the fit and color.

2. Two factors are essential in any UNIQLO product: Quality and Uniqueness. Not surprisingly, their name actually comes from a portmanteau of the words “unique” and “clothing”. Through the use of world-class raw materials and a commitment to every stage of the creation of its products, they also ensure that the customers are paying for apparels of the high quality.

3. Providing fashionable basics for three groups of customers: Men, Women and Children, UNIQLO is set to give Giordano, Muji and Gap, a run for their money when the first store opens in April.

4. UNIQLO Singapore is the 4th store in Asia, after huge successes in China, Hong Kong and South Korea. Judging from the excitement on internet forumsover their latest buys at UNIQLO Hong Kong or the never-ending online sprees for UNIQLO items, the opening of UNIQLO Singapore is set to drive up the intensity of their following even more.

5. Five main collections have been spied from the UNIQLO Singapore website, namely the UT 2009 T-shirt collection, the innovative Bra Top for ladies, stylish polos for all, Men’s denim collection in five different fits: Easy Fit, Natural Fit, Regular Fit, Slim Fit and Denim Skinny and last but not least, four different fits of Original Wash, Natural Fit, Style-Up and Denim Skinny for the Women’s denim collection.

6. With prices starting from only $69.90 for both the Men’s and Women’s denim collection, its set to provide tough competition for high-fashion labels like Topman, Topshop, Zara and Pull & Bear. Borne from the finest denim, local fashionistas can choose from a wide range of flattering and stylish fits in a wide variety of colors and washes at reasonable prices.

7. Some UNIQLO fans have professed to wearing nothing but UNIQLO’s apparels for 24/7. Especially with the UT Project Project launched in 2007. A new innovative store concept designed by UNIQLO creative director Kashiwa Sato of a futuristic convenience store for t-shirts, each t-shirt style is packed into clear plastic canisters resembling tennis balls cans and placed on open shelves, making the shopping experience virtually self-service. Also, limited-edition collections of t-shirts designed by renowned artists, designers, photographers and musicians including Nobuyoshi Araki, Kim Jones, Peter Saville, Gareth Pugh and many more are introduced weekly in-stores.

8. The Uniqlo Designers Invitation Project saw the invitation of womenswear Phillip Lim, Alice Roi, Tina Lutz and Marcia Patmos of Lutz & Patmos, Kino, and GVGV; and men’s wear designers Halb, Satoru Tanaka, and Alexandre Plokhov of Cloak to each design capsule collections of eight looks for Spring/Summer 2007. Four other invited designers/labels for 2009 include boutique owner Steven Alan and Shipley & Halmos for Women’s Wear while Opening Ceremony and Gilded Age will be designing Men’s Wear. (Will UNIQLO Singapore bring these 4 collections in for its opening? We wait with bated breath)

9. On April 9th, be ready to brave sun and rain to wait in queue for the long-awaited opening of UNIQLO at Tampines 1, located between Tampines MRT station and Tampines bus interchange. Contrary to previous reports that said UNIQLO would open its first store in Ion Orchard, the 8,700 sq ft store in Tampines 1 was chosen to coincide with their plan to have the first store here in Spring 2009. Instead, the 10,000 sq ft in Ion Orchard slated to open in June will be the second store in Singapore.

10. Fashionable, Comfortable, High Quality, Innovative, Unique, Impressive Array of Apparels, Huge variety of basic pieces to mix-and-match, Functionality, esp its proprietary HEAT-TECH and cashmere clothing, Exclusive Designer Capsule Collection and most importantly, Affordable.

So, there you have it, be at Tampines 1 on 9th of April for the official opening of UNIQLO and create your own unique style... at a recession-friendly price.

http://bp1.blogger.com/_YlvEjlIelzk/R6EHMrgwktI/AAAAAAAAIho/ycN96DukJrA/s400/1.jpg

$450m shopping mall to add to Tampines bustle

With two other malls, it will make town hub an even stronger shopping destination

THE popular suburban haunt of Tampines is set to get a fresh injection of retail buzz when a new $450 million mall, now under construction, opens for business early next year.

SETTING ITSELF APART: While its anchor tenants may be familiar brand names, Tampines 1 will strive to be different by bringing in new retail concepts to tie in with its ‘young, savvy and lover of all new things’ theme.

The arrival of Tampines 1 on the scene will alleviate a shortage of shopping space in the crowded town hub, where rents in two existing malls have risen over the years, industry sources say.

The new mall’s manager has already signed up anchor tenants. It is now 40 per cent leased and is expected to be fully leased by May, said AsiaMalls Management (South East Asia).

Located beside the Tampines MRT station, it will complement two existing malls, CapitaMall Trust’s Tampines Mall and Asian Retail Mall Fund’s Century Square.

Tampines 1, due for completion later this year, sits on a 91,000 sq ft site and has shops spread over five storeys and one basement. It will have 203 carpark lots.

The mall has a net lettable area of 260,000 sq ft, which makes it smaller than Tampines Mall’s 323,000 sq ft but bigger than Century Square’s 210,000 sq ft.

When combined, the three malls will make Tampines an even stronger shopping destination, according to Knight Frank’s deputy managing director, Mr Danny Yeo.

Popular suburban malls, such as those in Tampines, can command relatively steep rents due to their high levels of traffic.

This trend is growing now that the Housing Board has stopped building neighbourhood shops, as shoppers prefer to frequent bustling suburban malls, said Mr Yeo.

He added that ground-floor rents in Tampines suburban malls could fetch between $35 and $50 per sq ft (psf) a month.

That range is relatively high for outlying shopping centres, given that ground-floor rents in main shopping malls along the Orchard Road shopping belt go for about $45 to $70 psf on average.

While Tampines 1’s anchor tenants may be familiar brand names, such as Cold Storage, the mall will strive to be different by bringing in new retail concepts to tie in with its ‘young, savvy and lover of all new things’ theme.

One of them is a fitness club and spa that will come complete with a swimming pool.

The BEYS fitness club and spa by the Amore Fitness group will take up about 17,500 sq ft of space on the fifth floor.

Cold Storage supermarket, which will be fitted out to the tune of $3 million, will occupy almost 14,000 sq ft of the basement.

This outlet will focus on high-quality fresh food and offer more than an ordinary heartland supermarket, said the mall manager.

For instance, it will have the largest range of smoked salmon and Alaskan seafood and will offer ready-to-eat steamed lobsters and shucked oysters.

Times The Bookshop is another key tenant, while Challenger, the information technology superstore, will take up 6,100 sq ft on level four.

Challenger used to be a tenant at DBS Tampines Centre that, together with Pavilion, have been torn down to make way for the upcoming mall.

Asian Retail Mall Fund II bought the two sites for nearly $289 million. Its total investment in the mall has reached $450 million, including land cost.

Apart from new retail concepts, Tampines 1 will also offer new architecture elements, such as a European-inspired Sunken Plaza and double-floor retail shops, said the mall’s assistant general manager, Ms Stephanie Ho.

One of these duplex units - on levels four and five - will be taken up by Japanese restaurant chain Sushi Tei.

Source : Straits Times

^^
I think there's a limit to the amount of retail space that a 5million population can support.I certainly hope that we can grow to 20million(more global presence/recognition/self-sustaining economy/less dependence on the volatile export industry/more market presence/more opportunities for local entrepreneurs),but experts are saying that 6.5million is the ideal number.I have a feeling that as technology/design improves,that number will be raised.Juz look at hong kong,a country very similar to us,they currently have a 7million population and have a pretty decent standard of living.

With the advanced education system we have,a larger population means a bigger talent pool.Example:a 3million population could produce 1 Fandi Ahmad,a 20million population can potentially produce 6 Fandi Ahmads.We might have a better chance of qualifying for the world cup.Haha :P

20 million people? We'll need to claim Johor as well as the Riau Islands to accommodate so many people.

Think the absolute maximum Singapore could be able to handle is 12 million. We've quite alot of undeveloped unprotected land.

Within the political boundary of Singapore, 20 million people sounds ridiculous. However if a city can be seen as exerting an economic sphere of influence around it, then the population catchment of influence surely exceeds its official population and that does include Johor and other neighbouring regions.

^^ guys, Singapore is just 40 years old. should we assume boundaries will remain static till the end of the world? We have few huge nearly remote islands around, after all... there's been cases of a country buying land abroad, like Alaska for instace.

12m is possible for our area, but it means every open square, every public space and majority of parks being build up. Hope it never happens

@wonuraimo, HK is actually very very different. We share similar history, but everything ranging from demographics to geography and architecture is vastly different.

HK is bigger, more mountainous and hence the build up area is actually smaller than Singapore. But then, ever since they closed Kai Tak they have virtually no height limits, a reason behind their new towns looking like Toa Payoh on steroids and holding higher population. Even if the restrictions in Singapore are lifted, I wouldn't want our new towns to look like HK's. There, you go mountains and have huge open spaces around, probably thats why people there don't go nuts of the crowds. If Singapore looked like that, we'd all flip, cos we have no authentic wilderness. Views from Mt Faber are good and refreshing just because buildings around are short.

6.5m is a agreeable limit for population on this island.

^^
When I said 20million,I wasn't referring to hard-core local singaporeans,but rather the amount of people who come here to work/spend $$ to boost our economy.And that is very possible given that Singapore is seen as the "capital" of South-East Asia.Indonesia itself is the world's 4th largest country with a 237m population.Thailand has 64m,Philippines has 96m,Vietnam has 87m.When we add everything up,ASEAN has a total of 600m people,and a total nominal GDP of US$3,431billion,which places us 3rd,behind Japan and US but ahead of China and Germany.If we ever merge our economies,we will definitely have a strong global presence,and Singapore will face a potential 600m visitors over the years,and our economy will rocket.I think we all get the picture now.Either have a huge population to support a rocketing economy,or have an aging/shrinking one and a declining economy.Which will you choose?

^^ Be careful when you mention these things, like Singapore being the capital of ASEAN. Some may not like hearing such things, and as such, are best left unsaid.

^^
That's why i put "capital" in quotes,to phrase it as a name rather than a noun,and to detract the word from its original meaning.It's a technique that reporters use.

If Singapore looked like that, we'd all flip, cos we have no authentic wilderness. Views from Mt Faber are good and refreshing just because buildings around are short.


Actually there is a core within the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve that consists of protected virgin rainforest.

^^ Yes, but its not enough. Bukit Timah can get quite populated on the weekends. Also, its enjoyable to walk in the forests (cos Bukit Timah is nothing more than an elevated forest) cos we have unobstructed sky most of other times. Imagine, if we were covered up everywhere - CBD (this one is quite understandable), forests, heartlands all made of 50 floor HDBs and Condos, well, I rather can't imagine living like this.

Hope we just do not try turning Singapore into HK or vice versa cos its pointless. Unless we have a really diverse landscape to speak of, so we can offset the urbanity.

^^
What abt ppl living in HK,Chicago,NYC,Shanghai,London,Tokyo,Paris?I know the latter 3 don't have much of a skyline,but they're all cramped up with miles and miles of city grids.Ever ask them what they think?

^^ I just said HK has a vast getaway. They are surrounded by quite remote islands, coasts, highlands.

For the other cities, they all have way way more space AROUND their cities than we do. And we should consider that and rather keep average density INSIDE the city lower than they do.

No, I haven't ask them. But I can imagine that despite having better skylines, their living standards doesn't necessarily have to be higher than ours.

IMO, Chicago isnt the best comparison, their CBD is size of out entire Downtown Core but remainder is mainly low-rise suburbs.

^^
When I said 20million,I wasn't referring to hard-core local singaporeans,but rather the amount of people who come here to work/spend $$ to boost our economy.And that is very possible given that Singapore is seen as the "capital" of South-East Asia.Indonesia itself is the world's 4th largest country with a 237m population.Thailand has 64m,Philippines has 96m,Vietnam has 87m.When we add everything up,ASEAN has a total of 600m people,and a total nominal GDP of US$3,431billion,which places us 3rd,behind Japan and US but ahead of China and Germany.If we ever merge our economies,we will definitely have a strong global presence,and Singapore will face a potential 600m visitors over the years,and our economy will rocket.I think we all get the picture now.Either have a huge population to support a rocketing economy,or have an aging/shrinking one and a declining economy.Which will you choose?
I totally agree with this point of view. What we should be is like the "Manhattan" of South East Asia where everybody wants a piece of the pie. A place where once looks to achieve their dreams and future. Although to become this, we need to really have god transportation connection to all the neighboring islands. Not only in terms of flights but also, ships, ferries, bridges and tunnels. We should open up our economy to them and let trades go freely. Of course, they will be some disadvantages such as high cost of living and bad influences from the foreign people but this is how cities like Manhattan, Tokyo, KL, Paris, London, flourished. They depends on the intern market to grow. And because of that, they can be less infected f the global happenings around them.

^^
Yes indeed,we should make Singapore more accessible to our surrounding neighbors like Johor,Batam,Bintan and Medan.We can build bridges/underground trains to link everything up.I believe it's good to envision a more connected ASEAN,where everyone comes to appreciate differences and with that,we can prosper together.

we should consider that and rather keep average density INSIDE the city lower than they do.

No, I haven't ask them. But I can imagine that despite having better skylines, their living standards doesn't necessarily have to be higher than ours.


One indicator would be to consider Quality of Life rankings of the cities and note how Singapore compares to those cities and why.

Perhaps govt should start this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_National_Happiness

So that everything would not just be in blind pursuit of monetary or materialistic gains.

http://bp1.blogger.com/_YlvEjlIelzk/R6EHMrgwktI/AAAAAAAAIho/ycN96DukJrA/s400/1.jpg

$450m shopping mall to add to Tampines bustle



New mall lacks parking lots

11 Apr 09

SALES manager Jerry Ang took 45 minutes to park his car at the new Tampines 1 mall on Saturday.

'I feel cheated, I shouldn't have wasted my time here. I'll have to think twice before driving here next time,' said Mr Ang who came with his wife.

They were not the only ones fuming.

A Sunday Times check of the $450 million mall at 2pm on Saturday revealed a long queue of cars along the narrow Tampines Central 1, with some drivers pounding car horns out of exasperation.

Tampines 1 may cost all of $450 million and boast tenants like Japanese street-style label Uniqlo but it also has a small number of parking lots - just 203.

In contrast, the other two malls in the vicinity, Tampines Mall and Century Square, have 680 and 308 lots respectively.

Opened last Thursday, Tampines 1 has seen about 120,000 people thronging it each day.

Ms Stephanie Ho, general manager of AsiaMalls Management which owns and runs the mall, said there are 'sufficient parking options' as it is beside an MRT station and bus interchange, and close to two other malls and HDB estates.

But shoppers arguably expect to park at the mall itself and many who turned up on Saturday, unaware about the limited lots, were left frustrated.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_362497.html

Perhaps govt should start this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_National_Happiness

So that everything would not just be in blind pursuit of monetary or materialistic gains.

GNH is just way to subjective to me. Even more than usual statistics.

People are responsible for themselves in streaking a balance between their own spendings and working time, which is the main factor of unhappiness of developed world.

I prefer Govts not to care too much about MY level of happiness, if you guys get my point...

^^
Yes indeed,we should make Singapore more accessible to our surrounding neighbors like Johor,Batam,Bintan and Medan.We can build bridges/underground trains to link everything up.I believe it's good to envision a more connected ASEAN,where everyone comes to appreciate differences and with that,we can prosper together.

Id love Singapore to be well interconnected with its surroundings, but I doubt any of our neighbors would participate in such a project. Indonesia has no money and Malaysia.. well, u kno...

Well, its a beautiful vision, but great interconnection ironically requires great monitoring and law enforcement co-operation. Thats what Europe failed at with Shengen, at least since the new EU.. Ex-Asian Tigers would probably be good working together, but it will take a loong time till Malaysia, Indonesia and rest of SEA beyond Singapore are ready for it.

Frankly, EU and Shengen-like union of S. Korea, Taiwan, HK and Singapore is something i wouldn't mind..

S'pore to see an additional 10,000 4 and 5-star hotel rooms by 2012

13 Apr 09

SINGAPORE: Singapore is expected to see among the largest growth in hotel room numbers compared to other markets in the region.

Over 23,000 new four and five star hotel rooms are expected to come on stream in key Asian cities such as Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore by 2012.

Some 10,000 will be in Singapore. That's nearly 39 per cent growth over Singapore's current numbers.

Despite the economic slowdown, real estate services firm CB Richard Ellis said demand for these new rooms is expected to be strong.

One of the reasons for this is an expected 20 per cent drop in room rates this year due to the slowdown which could attract more consumers.

Experts said that Singapore hotels ran at as much as a 90 per cent occupancy rate in 2007 and an 80 per cent occupancy rate in 2008.

This caused a limited availability of rooms at times which may have resulted in potential guests being turned away.

The additional capacity will help to serve this problem in the long term.

Others said events such as the 2010 Youth Olympics and the opening of the Integrated Resorts at the end of this year will also attract additional tourists to Singapore.

Donald Han, managing director of Cushman and Wakefield (Singapore) said that the Integrated Resorts could also prolong the average tourist visit by one more day.

Robert Mcintosh, executive director, CBRE Hotels, Asia Pacific, said: “In terms of stability Singapore looks very good because of the tourism drivers of the IR, and new facilities. It has also got a good infrastructure and a very strong marketing.

Other countries vary in the way they are going to be able to respond. Some small markets are going to be able to grow quite quickly. For example, Bali has grown very well in the last few months. But in general, Singapore is still looking very strong.” - CNA/vm

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/422022/1/.html

I'm not so optimistic as this guy, who's vested anyway so he definitely won't shoot himself in the foot.
Tourism may go up but a lot of it could come from budget carriers boosting their fleet, and I think those travelers would rather look for 2/3 stars accommodation. I'm under the impression that there's not a lot of this in Singapore. Ibis did the smart move IMO (and I'm not saying this because they're a French chain ^ ^ ).

I tend to agree with you on this. If you noticed the 2 recent hotel land sale sites at Lavender and the tiny plot at Short Street, that were triggered, would more likely be for this segment. Also, I notice that chains like Hotel 81 keep continuing to expand. And they seem to also be popping up in places like Kampong Glam and Little India. I hear Tiong Bahru is another upcoming location for such hotels.

URA launches tender for Short Street hotel site

16 Apr 09



FOR the first time since September last year, the Urban Redevelopment Authority has launched a public tender to sell land.


The tender for the 99-year leasehold hotel site at Short Street in the Bras Basah-Bugis district will close on June 10.

The 12,535.6 sq ft site is ideal for a boutique hotel development located in an area with a 'synergistic cluster of arts, culture and education facilities', URA said in its release. The site is also near the future Rochor MRT station.

The site can accommodate a 12-storey hotel with about 90 to 100 rooms.

URA released the plot, which was on the reserve list of the Government Land Sales Programme, following a successful application by an unnamed party who has committed to place a minimum bid at the tender of $8.8 million, which works out to about $200 per square foot of potential gross floor area (GFA).

Singapore hotels are facing dual pressures of a global tourism slump, denting demand for rooms, as well as an increase in supply coming onstream.

On Monday, CBRE Hotels (Asia-Pacific) executive director Robert McIntosh said that going by the Singapore Tourism Board's forecast of nine million to 9.5 million visitors for this year, the average occupancy rate for Singapore hotels will decline from 81 per cent in 2008 to 71 per cent this year, while the average room rate will fall between 12.5 and 15 per cent this year.

Singapore has close to 10,000 rooms in the four- and five-star categories slated to come onstream by end-2012.

Business Times

Sigh.. the 50 year old flat could had just be converted into a hotel, killing 2 birds with one stone. Supplying hotel rooms and heritage conservation.

The old flats are on another plot diagonally across the URA hotel site.

Taken before their demolition.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j67/RCSSC/sstreet.jpg

A great loss.

Very true. such old buildings could be retrofitted easily...

There were 2 of them. It would be nice if they kept 1, and built a modern block next to it for contrast. However, I think sooner or later one would be demolished cos of the upcoming Rochor MRT station.

The old flats are on another plot diagonally across the URA hotel site.

Taken before their demolition.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j67/RCSSC/sstreet.jpg

this is looking good....

Very true. such old buildings could be retrofitted easily...

There's not many 1950s highrise flats left. One is at Clemenceau Ave, some midrises at Old Airport and Bukit Merah.

URA releases first sale site at Kallang Riverside for hotel development today

http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/graphics/2009/pr09-25a1.pdf

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) today released the detailed sales conditions for the first hotel sale site at Kallang Riverside.



The 0.74 ha Land Parcel located along Kallang River is made available on the Reserve List under the first half 2009 Government Land Sales Programme. Developers interested in purchasing the site can now apply to URA for it to be put up for tender.

Kallang Riverside – Life by the River’s Edge

Kallang Riverside is a waterfront district located just minutes from the Central Business District, the Bras Basah.Bugis arts and educational precinct and the Orchard Road premier shopping belt. The future Sports Hub, which will play host to a myriad of international sporting events throughout the year, is also located just a stone’s throw away from the Land Parcel. As part of the Greater Marina Bay district and an integral part of the city centre, Kallang Riverside is one of the key growth areas unveiled in the Master Plan 08. Please see aerial view of Kallang Riverside in Annex A-1.



The precinct will have a wide range of uses developed within a park and riverfront setting. With proposed prime condominiums and hotel developments along Kallang River, as well as a recreation, retail and entertainment cluster at the historic Kallang Airport, Kallang Riverside will be the new waterfront lifestyle precinct at the city’s edge.

First Sale Site in Kallang Riverside –Opportunity for a Distinctive Waterfront Hotel Development

This first sale site enjoys a prominent location along Kallang River and is envisaged to be a distinctive waterfront hotel development. With its direct frontage along the river, the development will be designed to be seamlessly integrated with the adjacent waterfront promenade and will bring new life and activities to the Kallang River.



With a site area of about 0.74 ha, the Land Parcel can generate a maximum permissible gross floor area of 20,917 sqm. Its proximity to the Central Business District and waterfront setting makes it ideal for a hotel development that can cater to business travellers and tourists alike. Complementary uses such as retail, food and beverage and other uses in the proposed hotel development will not only add to the diversity of amenities in the area, but will also benefit from the visitor catchment from the surrounding recreation, retail and entertainment clusters.



From the hotel, guests and visitors can gain easy access to the Central Business District via major arterial roads like Victoria Street and Nicoll Highway, and the Kallang MRT station, which is within walking distance from the proposed hotel development. The site is also in close proximity to expressways like the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE), Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) and East Coast Parkway (ECP), which provides good connectivity to various parts of Singapore and Changi International Airport.

Design Advisory Panel

Given its prominent location, the design of the proposed landmark development will be reviewed by a Design Advisory Panel (DAP), chaired by URA, to ensure that the development is well-designed and of appropriate quality. The DAP will work with and guide the development team in the design of the development after the tender has been awarded.

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/KallangRvr/MA/intro.jpg

eww...the water there smells...

eww...the water there smells...

It smells a bit salty, especially at the part of the waterway near the Merdeka Bridge/Nicoll Highway. However, it is not that bad smelling and won't put people off. I used to canoe and do boating often in that same stretch years ago and found it OK.

However, I think this location would be pretty challenging for a hotel ... its neither here nor there (at least now).

Given its location, it could be a perfect setting for a beachfront hotel since that part of kallang river enables people to do watersports as well as swimming and outdoor sports. A beach in a city is a very rare opportunity for hoteliers. I suppose this site will be soughtly after if more hoteliers from around the world know that such site exists.

I think for many, the Kallang area poses problems in terms of image. Geylang's just around the corner, and the Golden Mile is a problem too.

It smells a bit salty, especially at the part of the waterway near the Merdeka Bridge/Nicoll Highway. However, it is not that bad smelling and won't put people off. I used to canoe and do boating often in that same stretch years ago and found it OK.

However, I think this location would be pretty challenging for a hotel ... its neither here nor there (at least now).

Now with the barrage, there won't be salty smell.
But still, I rather have salty sea smell than no smell at all.

^^

It will have to be a unique beach-cum-reservoir front hotel :happy:

But I wonder if the release of this site now is optimal in terms of development phasing. Assuming the hotel is ready it may find itself in the vicinity of a massive construction site when the Sports Hub takes off. Yet the Sports Hub may be the catalyst that will make the surrounding sites more attractive and help to 'blank' out the Geylang image.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_385293.html

3 Jun 09

THE suspension of the Government Land Sales (GLS) programme will be extended for another six months due to the prevailing market uncertainties, said the Ministry of National Development on Wednesday.

At the same time, the supply of commercial space will be reduced and there will be no new supply of private residential units and hotel rooms from Government agencies outside the GLS programme for the second half year.

'Given the prevailing market uncertainties, the Government will extend the suspension of the Confirmed List of the GLS Programme for another six months,' said a ministry statement on Wednesday. 'This will provide flexibility for the market to adjust supply in accordance with the current economic conditions.'

The ministry, however, noted that there are some recent positive signs of activity and investment interest in the property market. For example, two reserve list sites have been successfully launched for sale earlier this year. 'We have also received enquiries from some developers on other sale sites in the reserve list,' added the ministry.

In addition, there has been increased take-up of new private residential properties. The quarterly take-up of 2,552 units of uncompleted private housing in first quarter of 2009 is more than six times the take-up in the fourth quarter of 2008, and the highest since the third quarter of 2007. 'The Government will monitor the situation closely before reviewing in late 2009 whether to suspend the confirmed list further.'

The ministry said there are 37 remaining sites on the reserve list for the first half year.

One of these sites, namely the White site at Outram Road/Eu Tong Sen Street, will be removed from the GLS Programme with immediate effect as it will be affected by future infrastructure works. The remaining 36 sites will be carried forward to the reserve list for the rest of the year.

Two new sites have been added on the reserve List - a residential site at Bartley Road/Lorong How Sun and a commercial and residential site at New Upper Changi Road/Bedok North Drive.

The residential site at Bartley Road/Lorong How Sun is located next to the new Bartley Circle Line (CCL) Station. Placing the site in the reserve list will provide opportunity for early development of the site and increase the ridership catchment for the CCL, said the ministry.

It added that the sites on the reserve list will provide sufficient choices for the market to meet supply. These sites can potentially yield about 8,655 private residential units, 448,550 sq m Gross Floor Area (GFA) of commercial space, and 4,430 hotel rooms.

There will be no additional supply of private residential units and hotel rooms, other than those from the GLS Programme for the rest of the year, added the ministry.

The supply of space outside the GLS Programme comprises about 28,000 sqm GFA of commercial space, compared to a planned supply of about 40,000 sq m GFA in the first half year.

One of these sites, namely the White site at Outram Road/Eu Tong Sen Street, will be removed from the GLS Programme with immediate effect as it will be affected by future infrastructure works. The remaining 36 sites will be carried forward to the reserve list for the rest of the year.


This will open up to speculation - station site for Thomson Line - potential interchange with NEL, EWL!

:)

The hotel site for kallang riverside is only one of the 6 hotels sites that will be released a later date in the future. Depends on the completion of the new sports park which will be dus in 2012-13. The hotel will be up and ready to get in the new tenants.

You know what, I don't have faith in a development which is Sports Hub-centric. For other areas, we can give URA credit for revitalizing old estates, or creating new commercial districts, but a Sports Hub-centric permanent development? It's hard, and I don't know of any global examples where sports venues are the focal point of a commercial development.

You know what, I don't have faith in a development which is Sports Hub-centric. For other areas, we can give URA credit for revitalizing old estates, or creating new commercial districts, but a Sports Hub-centric permanent development? It's hard, and I don't know of any global examples where sports venues are the focal point of a commercial development.

http://www.staynl.com/travelpictures/london/new-wembley.jpg
http://www.wayfaring.info/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/emirates_stadium1.jpg
if you do look at wembly stadium or emirates arsenel stadium, they do have become a commercial development rather than just a stadium. Nowadays, a stadium is not government owned but more publicly owned and business oriented. That is why a world renowned designed (beijing bird nest) will become a focal attraction and also an event site not only for commercial performances but also sports. Sports has always been commercialized. Look at F1, Olympics and Golfing as well as Hippodromes, tourists from all over the world would come just to watch them. Hence, that is why, hotels of good qualities and needed and could rejuvenate the area.

Well, those examples are where local commercial sports are frequent and vibrant on its own.

Hahas. Don't talk about the Bird's Nest or Water Cube, bad examples. Short of pulling them down, the Chinese govt is planning to convert the Water Cube into a commercial development, and plans for the Bird's Nest to convert it to something else because these 2 things have been rarely used, and no one has any intention to use or book them for sports events.

Hahas. Don't talk about the Bird's Nest or Water Cube, bad examples. Short of pulling them down, the Chinese govt is planning to convert the Water Cube into a commercial development, and plans for the Bird's Nest to convert it to something else because these 2 things have been rarely used, and no one has any intention to use or book them for sports events.

Are you serious? That's sad, both look great, and this part of Beijing is vibrant!

Well, those examples are where local commercial sports are frequent and vibrant on its own.

Hahas. Don't talk about the Bird's Nest or Water Cube, bad examples. Short of pulling them down, the Chinese govt is planning to convert the Water Cube into a commercial development, and plans for the Bird's Nest to convert it to something else because these 2 things have been rarely used, and no one has any intention to use or book them for sports events.

Sport Hub is not heading Chinese way by building sheer large stadium and awesome sport venues.

There are existing facilitates scattered in Kallang/Geylang. We need complexes of olympics size venues to be concentrated at one place, easier for athletes to train and hosting sports events. These venues are still accessible to the public.

At same time, if all gyms, say California Gym, First Fitness can set up shops at Sport Hubs, offering more choices, people gain from the benefits. Sports stuffs that are brought in from abroad which cannot be found in ordinary shopping malls can be concentrated at shopping malls at Sports Hub, offering wide variety. This would draw people of all ages to the hub.

New stadium would host non-sport events like NDP, school performances and artiste performances besides sport events. Having mega artiste performances would still bring people to the hub and generate revenues for some businesses especially food outlets.

Setting up something for athletes to unwind after their training - arcade, cinema, array of restaurants, even specialized ones that offer cool healthy food to athletes. Not just sport business.

MRT would offer the maximum accessibility to the area.

^^ We're not? I think the Sports Hub design really is an awesome sports venue and has quite a large stadium (for its seating capacity). You just need to look the URA models to see how big that stadium structure is.

Are you serious? That's sad, both look great, and this part of Beijing is vibrant!

The Water Cube will be turned to a shopping centre cum water themed park. It appeared on the Straits Times, seemed also confirmed by this special done by CNN which featured Beijing after the Olympics.

^^ We're not? I think the Sports Hub design really is an awesome sports venue and has quite a large stadium (for its seating capacity). You just need to look the URA models to see how big that stadium structure is.

The Water Cube will be turned to a shopping centre cum water themed park. It appeared on the Straits Times, seemed also confirmed by this special done by CNN which featured Beijing after the Olympics.

The new stadium is more practical with movable roof and able to integrate new sports complexes with existing indoor stadium to give it a uniform look and awesome venue. Every feature within this Sport hub is practical and sustainable. We have events that can fill up 55,000 seats regularly - school performances, mega concerts and NDP every year.

Old National Stadium's capacity is also 55,000.

that's why the govt opposed building something more than 55,000 initially when ppl questioned why so small and not 90,000....

Fragrance Group puts in top bid of S$15.5m for hotel site at Short Street

10 Jun 09

SINGAPORE: Fragrance Assets, a unit of mainboard-listed Fragrance Group, has put in the top bid of S$15.5 million for a hotel site at Short Street.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority said it received a total of 15 bids, ranging from S$8 to S$15.5 million.

Other companies that had tendered for the site include Regal Land, Centurion Properties and Sim Lian Land.

Property consultancy CBRE said the strong response signals that hoteliers still believe in the fundamentals of Singapore as a tourist destination and its long-term ability to attract tourists.

The 99-year land parcel covers about 1,200 square metres and borders Albert Court near Little India.

That's big enough for a 12-storey hotel.

This was the first site launched for tender from the government's reserve list since it suspended confirmed list sales last October.

URA said it'll evaluate the bids and announce the tender award at a later date.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/435100/1/.html

Budget hotels 81 and Fragrance. They're everywhere

Bids galore for hotel site on Short St

11 Jun 09


(SINGAPORE) A government tender for a small hotel site on Short Street closed yesterday with a whopping 14 valid bids received - which analysts said reflects market interest in development sites with good attributes.


The highest bid came from Fragrance Group. It offered $15.5 million - or $353 per square foot per plot ratio (psf ppr) - some 76 per cent higher than the trigger price of $8.8 million, or $201 psf ppr.

The top bid was also 74 per cent higher than the lowest valid bid of $8.9 million, or $203 psf ppr, submitted by SCM (Overseas).

Various other companies also bid for the 99-year leasehold site - including property groups such as Sim Lian Land, Orchard Parade Holdings, Heeton Holdings, Wah Khiaw Developments and Regal Land, the company behind the Hotel 81 chain, as well as the Harry's chain of pubs.

Analysts said the small size of the site is one of its main selling points. The number of bids - 15 in all, including one bid judged invalid because it was below the minimum bid price - is one of the highest received for a Government Land Sales (GLS) tender.

'As the site area is relatively small and construction costs are expected to decline this year, the overall investment should not be very costly, making this an attractive opportunity for developers and hoteliers,' said Leonard Tay, director of CBRE Research.

The strong response to the tender also signals that hoteliers still believe in the fundamentals of Singapore as a tourist destination and its long-term ability to attract visitors, he added.

The site has a maximum gross floor area of 43,885 sq ft. Given its location near the upcoming Rochor MRT station and the Bugis area, a boutique hotel would be most likely, analysts said.

The site was launched for public tender on April 15. It was originally on the Reserve List of the GLS programme.

Last week, the Ministry of National Development said it would continue its suspension of the Confirmed List for the July-December period. It also made little increase to the reserve list.

By UMA SHANKARI
Business Times

^^French hospitality group, Accor, has officially launched the 538-room Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen Street, Singapore. According to Accor, Ibis Singapore, which was developed at a total cost of approximately US$93 million, has been ‘virtually full’ among its present operational 300 rooms since it was soft launched in early February. Accor mentioned that the rates for Ibis Singapore are in the region between US$93 and US$96. The group also has a second Ibis in Singapore, namely Ibis Novena, which is scheduled to commence construction in March 2009 and open by 2011.^^
I know this is old news but I am not sure if anybody had known or put up that Accor -Ibis will be building another in Novena and construction has already started. I was just wondering where is the hotel site? Is it the one that was launched in Sinaran drive beside the hospital???

yes. facing TTSH, next to Square2 & the upcoming condo soleil.

^^

According to this article, the other Ibis hotel at Novena is actually located at Balestier Road, so it can't be the hotel site next to Square2.

http://www.thetransitcafe.com/site/news_sense/archives/2009/02/ibis_resilient_1.php

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced today that it has accepted an application from a developer to put up the hotel site at New Bridge Road for public tender.

The Land Parcel was made available for sale through the Reserve List System on 19 April 2007. Under the government’s Reserve List System, the government will put up a Reserve List site for public tender if it receives an application from a developer who commits, by signing an agreement and paying a deposit of 5% of the bid price, to bid for the site at or above the minimum price which is acceptable to the government.

URA has received an application from a developer who has committed to bid at a price of not less than $43,888,888.00 for the Land Parcel at New Bridge Road. In accordance with the procedures of the Reserve List System, URA is making public the minimum price committed for the site. However, the identity of the applicant will not be released.

URA will launch the public tender for the site in about two weeks. The launch date will be announced later. The tender period for the Land Parcel will be about eight weeks.

Land Parcel at New Bridge Road

With a site area of about 0.45 ha, the Land Parcel at New Bridge Road can generate a maximum permissible gross floor area of 15,687 sqm and is ideal for a boutique hotel development. The site is located within the Chinatown Historic District which is a popular tourist destination with many historical, cultural and architectural attractions.

More details on URA website (http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/NewBridgeRdApr07/MA/NewBR-intro(T).html).

thats a lot and its abouve an MRT station.. it will be hard to built on top of it but given the no of commuters walking past buy, they could generate a lot of revenue since I think a mall will be built on it as well. I hope it will be an iconic building top that area which blends in with the surroundings. It will be best if they designed an old building structure reminisence of the area.

June 28, 2009
Yishun town centre to get new look
By Teo Wan Gek

Look out for a three-storey lookout tower.

That is one attraction that residents in Yishun can look forward to when the town centre is transformed in the coming years.

Coming up, too, are a new shopping complex linked to a condominium, an air-conditioned bus interchange and a remake of Yishun Pond.

Yishun is one of three towns selected for rejuvenation under the Housing Board's Remaking Our Heartland initiative. The other two are Punggol and Queenstown.

The HDB shared its plans with reporters yesterday.

The lookout tower at Yishun Pond, beside the new Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, will offer panoramic views of the town centre when its construction is completed by the end of next year.

The 12.5m-tall tower will have a 94m-long curving ramp that will take visitors to the top.

Said Ms Nina Yang, senior vice-president at CPG Consultants, the firm in charge of the design: 'The tower is designed according to the theme of nature and the metamorphosis of a butterfly. Similarly, it showcases the metamorphosis of Yishun New Town too.'

The area near the MRT station will have a shopping complex integrated with housing. The retail space is touted to exceed that of the Northpoint Shopping Centre. A tender for the project is expected to be called in 2011.

By next year, other developments that will be ready include an upgrading of the pedestrian mall and a heritage corner and trail.

Mr Fong Chun Wah, director for building quality at HDB, said the upgrading of the pedestrian mall will make it more elderly- and handicapped-friendly.

It will have ramps and newly paved floors.

Engineer Bryan Tan, 33, an Yishun resident for 10 years, is looking forward to the changes.

'I know that these projects will still take some time to complete, but I'm very glad they are making the bus interchange air-conditioned as it is rather old now,' he said.

Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Maybe they should even have a hotel there.. People love staying outside of town area.. At least maybe a boutique hotel ...

I wish URA could tender out the designing of town centrals, and maybe like for the IRs, have some rules and all about handicap access and stuff like that.

As they haven't decided yet, I put this article in this thread :) LV fans will be ecstatic! :pepper:

By Timothy Ouyang, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 02 July 2009

Global luxury retailer Louis Vuitton has said it is in discussions to open a store at one of the two upcoming integrated resorts in Singapore scheduled to open next year.

This was revealed at a preview of its latest global store, which will open at ION Orchard on Friday.

Jean-Baptiste Debains, president of Louis Vuitton Asia Pacific, said: "We're looking at it seriously. No decision has been taken now, but for sure it is an exciting project.

"We believe that Singapore has a real role to play as a hub for Southeast Asia in retail, and in luxury retail in particular."

The store at ION Orchard is Louis Vuitton's first and largest global store in Southeast Asia, and only its second in the world to showcase Louis Vuitton's full range of products, including shoes, watches and its trademark leather goods.

Louis Vuitton has three other stores in Singapore - Ngee Ann City, Raffles Hotel and DFS Scotts Walk - but they do not have its full range of products.

The retailer has some 77 stores across the Asia Pacific region, with another five stores slated to open in the region later this year.

^^ Serriouusslllyy?

Oh they can use the public space in front to keep the queue waiting outside...create more publicity n hoo-haa....good location and a lot of space this time.

^^ Serriouusslllyy?

It is not surprising LV wants to build a shop in one of the IR, see the upscale clientele that will gravitate around the casinos. Moreover, with such a move, LV provides the lucky gamblers with an opportunity to spend their newly earned money :lol:

Singapore probably is going down as the only city to have so many branches of LVs and other brands...

The LV at ION opened for customer today....long queue outside!!! but aunties in short pant lining up.

Those are tai Tai in disguise...

thats a lot and its abouve an MRT station.. it will be hard to built on top of it but given the no of commuters walking past buy, they could generate a lot of revenue since I think a mall will be built on it as well. I hope it will be an iconic building top that area which blends in with the surroundings. It will be best if they designed an old building structure reminisence of the area.

The MRT station was already designed to support loading for a building. Hopefully the design will be sensitive given its proximity to the conserved shophouses. It wont be very high though, about 6 or 10 storeys max.

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/NewBridgeRdApr07/MA/Street-Map.jpg

URA launches New Bridge Road hotel site for public tender

9 Jul 09

SINGAPORE: The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has launched a hotel site at New Bridge Road for sale.

Last month, the urban planners received an application from a developer to put the plot on sale.

URA says the developer has committed to bid at least S$43,888,888 for the 99-year lease hold site located in Chinatown, near the Outram Park MRT station.

The 0.45 hectare site can yield a maximum permissible gross floor area of 15,687 square metres and is suitable for a boutique hotel development.

The public tender will close at 12pm on September 3.

URA says selection will be based on the tendered land price and bids below S$43,888,888 will not be accepted.


By Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia

^^ I think the govt should impose a temporary ban on any bid by the Fragrance, Hotel 81 and Value Hotels groups. Yes, when the economy booms, we will have a hotel shortage but I think there is a negative perception of these hotels, especially the former 2 by the public.

^^ I think the govt should impose a temporary ban on any bid by the Fragrance, Hotel 81 and Value Hotels groups. Yes, when the economy booms, we will have a hotel shortage but I think there is a negative perception of these hotels, especially the former 2 by the public.

I think it will not be easy for the govt to do that as these are open tenders - unless there is a very very good reason to bar these groups from partaking. But perhaps for hotel sites launched within predominantly residential enclaves, they could exclude hotels that operate by the hour in the licensing.

For this site which is in Chinatown, it may be harder to do this as Hotel 81 already has a development there. I won't be surprised if Hotel 81 or Fragrance would want this site, and not just because of the direct access to the MRT.

Seriously, who has heard of Fragrance and Hotel 81 outside of Singapore? As it turns out, hotels are for tourists, not for Singaporeans. If you go to a hotel booking site, you will see info relating to that particular branch, not to the reputation of Hotel 81 as a chain.

I believe these two hotel groups have occupancy rates of above 100%. Wink, wink ... ;)

By Leow Si Wan, StraitsTimes.com - 23 July 09

PARKWAY Parade, one of the first suburban malls in Singapore, is undergoing an extensive $15 million revamp. The renovations will add an annex block and an alfresco dining area to the popular shopping centre in Marine Parade.

The revamp, which began three months ago and is set to be completed in October, will integrate part of the mall's ground-floor area - previously occupied by tenants like fast-food restaurants Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken - with its 720 sq m outdoor refreshment area.

Before the changes, the outdoor area housed food outlets and cafes such as Long John Silver's and Starbucks.

When completed, the new wing will be air-conditioned and will feature new tenants, including an outlet of the Western casual dining chain New York New York and Pu Tien Restaurant, which serves Heng Hua cuisine. To cater to Singaporeans' love affair with food, more food and beverage outlets will be added and the alfresco dining area will be set up on the second level of the new wing. The rest of the mall will also be spruced up. New floor tiles will be added to make it look brighter, while waterless urinals will be installed.

Parkway Parade, which turned 25 in March, sees about 1.7 million shoppers each month.

The main reason for the revamp, said its property manager Lend Lease, is to allow the mall to 'stay ahead of the competition...especially in the face of increasing competition from malls in the East and the others in the Orchard belt'. Several new shopping centres have opened this year, including Tampines 1, Orchard Central and Ion Orchard.

Parkway Parade, which has six floors of shops and a 17-storey office tower, opened in 1984. Once touted as the biggest shopping complex here, with a total floor area of 123,000 sq m, it was very popular at the start. However, when MRT trains began running in 1987 - making it much easier for Singaporeans to travel from the suburbs to areas like Orchard Road or to other suburban malls - the centre lost some of its sheen.

Lend Lease, which took over management of the mall in 2000, carried out development works seven years ago, bringing in new tenants like Giant Hypermarket and upgrading parts of the centre. Retailers at the mall are hoping the latest upgrade will give business a shot in the arm.

^^Again??

By Leow Si Wan, StraitsTimes.com - 23 July 09

PARKWAY Parade, one of the first suburban malls in Singapore, is undergoing an extensive $15 million revamp. The renovations will add an annex block and an alfresco dining area to the popular shopping centre in Marine Parade.

I wonder why won't they add some cinemas/multiplex to the mall. To the best of my knowledge, there aren't any nearby to serve the Marine Parade crowd. I believe the "nearest" for the them would be ... ... Tampines? Marina Square?

In fact, there is/will be a strong increase in population in that area with the numerous condos/apartments coming up.

I wonder why won't they add some cinemas/multiplex to the mall. To the best of my knowledge, there aren't any nearby to serve the Marine Parade crowd. I believe the "nearest" for the them would be ... ... Tampines? Marina Square?

Perhaps there is some internal agreement by the govt to keep cinemas away? I'd imagine in the govt's way of thinking would be that having a cinema might be counter-productive to getting people to East Coast Park for leisure and sports.

I'd rather think Parkway Parade was not designed to host a cinema in the first place. It was built at a time when attendance was low and multiplexes not yet in fashion. There was already a cinema next door so no point incorporating one.
It would then be complicated and expensive to retrofit the mall to host one: a cinema hall would span across several levels of the building, and nowadays you'd want to buy at least 5 or 6 of those.
Well, that's just speculation on my side, but since I've also been wondering about that, I thought I might as well share :-)

Perhaps a redevelopment of one of the existing malls near Parkway would be a good occasion to bring a multiplex in this district. I'm thinking about the cluster of old malls around Roxy Square.

By Irene Chan, Channel NewsAsia - 24 July 09

Mainboard-listed Fragrance Group said one of its units has bought a property at Telok Kurau for S$36.5 million. The freehold land parcel has a total site area of nearly 48,000 square feet. It can yield a maximum permissible gross floor area of some 93,000 square feet.

Fragrance said it plans to turn the site into a five-storey mixed development, comprising commercial shops and residential apartments. It will fund the purchase and development through internal funds and bank borrowings.

The firm said it plans to start the construction and sale of the project in the second half of the financial year. Depending on the number of units sold and the progress of construction, Fragrance said the development would contribute to the firm's earnings in the current financial year and beyond.

On a related note...

Premier Centre sold to Fragrance Group

21 Jul 09

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2009-07-21/BT_IMAGES_KRPREMIER21.jpg

(SINGAPORE) Another office block has been sold. Premier Centre, a seven-storey property at the corner of Beach Road and Tan Quee Lan Street, changed hands earlier this month for $18 million, or about $1,076 psf based on a strata area of 16,727 sq ft.

Premier Centre stands on a site with a 999-year leasehold tenure starting from January 1827.

Market watchers reckon that buyer Fragrance Group could be eyeing the possibility of converting Premier Centre into a hotel when its existing office leases run out in 2011.

This makes sense given the property's strategic location near the Downtown Line Bugis MRT Station.

Premier Centre's existing gross floor area of about 25,600 sq ft exceeds the maximum of about 15,000 sq ft allowed for the site under Master Plan 2008.

'So it is more feasible to do additions and alterations, as well as to improve the building's efficiency by squeezing out more usable space - than to tear down the property and redevelop the site,' says an industry observer.

However, any conversion to hotel use will need approval from the authorities. The site is currently zoned for commercial use.

BT understands that Premier Centre's seller, a unit of the Hong Leong Group, recently spruced up the building's interior, including the lobby and common toilets, prior to its sale. The building is currently 85 per cent occupied.

DTZ brokered the sale. Premier Centre was completed in 1992.

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sub/suite/story/0,4574,342653,00.html?

On a related note...

Premier Centre sold to Fragrance Group

21 Jul 09

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2009-07-21/BT_IMAGES_KRPREMIER21.jpg

Maybe Fragrance group looking to include commercial space to it's portfolio. With South Beach close by, this building's value should increase eventually ...?

I think they want a foothold in that location to expand their hospitality offerings - there are a few other similar-sized hotels within that street block including a rival Hotel 81. It might even become the most centrally located Fragrance Hotel :cool:

I think they want a foothold in that location to expand their hospitality offerings - there are a few other similar-sized hotels within that street block including a rival Hotel 81. It might even become the most centrally located Fragrance Hotel :cool:

I wonder if the authorities will approve the conversion (from commercial building to hospitality) considering the type of hotel the are operating.

I feel the authorities would want to encourage more hotel use in this area, as it is ideal for visitors, but the type of hotel operating license would still be subject to STB approval. Then again, there already is Hotel 81 nearby...

More boutique hotels in S'pore can spice up hospitality sector: analysts

10 Aug 09

SINGAPORE: Industry watchers said the boutique hotel sector in Singapore is under-penetrated.

They said there's room for at least another 10 new ones to spice up the local hospitality scene and to attract more niche travellers looking for something different.

Take a shower right in the middle of the room just a few feet from your bed is what you get to do for about S$385 per night in a basic executive room at Singapore's latest boutique hotel, klapsons.

The most expensive room, the premium suite, costs US$850 or S$1,225 per night.

Since its soft launch in June, the 17-room hotel, located in downtown Singapore, has attracted bookings from some 250 corporate clients.

Located at 15, Hoe Chiang Road, klapsons will open officially in October.

It took developers three years to put the hotel together.

Initial plans include building a 17-storey commercial development but developers decided to build a four-storey boutique hotel instead due to the downturn.

klapsons' owner said the building is designed in such a way that more levels can be added at any time.

Adrian Lee, director, klapsons The Boutique Hotel, said: "Right now you have the run-of-the-mill five-star hotel or the other extreme. There's nothing that fills the gap in the middle which we see ourselves fit very nicely."

The hotel expects to break-even on its US$7 million (S$10 million) investment in less than seven years.

Another boutique hotel, Naumi which has 40 rooms said it's banking on leisure travellers for the September Formula One race in Singapore and year-end holiday-makers.

Hament Rai, "Even in these challenging times, we've been lucky to be surviving on 80 per cent occupancy. However, we had to compromise 20 per cent of our average room rates to achieve these goals."

But due to economic uncertainty, Naumi has also shelved plans to expand. It previously said it will open two more boutique hotels in Singapore in the next three years.

As for Quincy which opened in June, it has seen an average of 77 per cent occupancy with 48 per cent of their guests repeat visitors.

Observers said there will be no shortage of business for boutique hotels like these, if they offer value in their services.

Loi Hp, CEO, Tourism Management Institute, said: “They provide very personalised service and they're unique in terms of room design. And they're normally located in areas where there's a heritage background. So in a way, there are still people who want that kind of personalised service and they're willing to pay for it."

Most boutique hotels said their main growth markets are in Europe and America, with a proportion of guests coming from Australia.

These are usually well-travelled executives who are willing to pay five-star rates for a different hospitality experience.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/447966/1/.html

More boutique hotels in S'pore can spice up hospitality sector: analysts


7 September 2009



Award of tender for hotel site

at New Bridge Road



The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has awarded the tender for the hotel site at New Bridge Road to Leedon Investments Pte Ltd. The company submitted the highest bid in the tender for the site.



The tender for the hotel site was launched on 9 July 2009 and closed on 3 September 2009. The land parcel was offered for sale on a 99-year lease.



The particulars of the awarded land parcel and the successful tenderer are as shown below:



LOCATION ALLOWABLE DEVELOPMENT SITE AREA (m2)
New Bridge Road Hotel 4,482 m2

MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE GROSS FLOOR AREA (GFA)
15,687 m2

SUCCESSFUL TENDERER
Leedon Investments Pte Ltd

TENDERED PRICE (S$) (S$ PSM of GFA)
$67,699,800 ($4,315.66)

I hope this will reasons for a celebration for the people around Tiong Bahru and CHinatown area. After Klapsons, Hotel Ré!, Majestic, 1929, Scarlet and the Link Hotel. 1 new hotel is already opened and 1http://www.skyscrapercity.com/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=385057 more building. HOtel Nostalgia and Wangz hotel. Located at 77 Tiong Bahru Road.... these are the photos for hotel Nostalgia with rates from $300 to $600 a night.
http://www.hotelnostalgia.com.sg/photogallery.html#
http://www.hotelnostalgia.com.sg/images/hotel%20pic/hotelnight.jpg
http://www.lifestyleasia.com/images/articles/original/12/129142.jpg

Never heard of this hotel. Great find. There used to be a small temple at that corner.

nice pool

the temeple has been converted to the hotel.

NEW BOUTIQUE HOTEL

Oct 28, 2009
New boutique hotel
By Lim Wei Chean



Le Peranakan Hotel held its soft opening on Wednesday morning offering promotional rates of $80 to $100 a night till the end of the year. The published regular rates are from $160 to $250. --PHOTO: LE PERANAKAN HOTEL
A NEW 65-room boutique hotel has sprung up on East Coast Road in hopes of catching the economic recovery and tourism upturn when the two integrated resorts open next year.

Le Peranakan Hotel held its soft opening on Wednesday morning offering promotional rates of $80 to $100 a night till the end of the year. The published regular rates are from $160 to $250.

The Peranakan-themed boutique project is two companies' foray into such business here. They are Haruta Investment, a real estate company specialising in management of conservation buildings, and hotel management company Radiance Hospitality Group

It is building owner Haruta Investment's first hotel project.

Radiance Hospitality Group saw the recession as a good time to clinch a contract to run a hotel in Singapore. The Singapore-based company used to be headquartered in Malaysia but moved here with an eye for expansion into the region, said its group chief executive officer Leong Yew Poh.

They managed to catch the market at a good time, with the latest data from the Singapore Tourism Board showing visitor arrivals for September up 7.1 per cent over the same month last year. This was the first growth the tourism sector has seen since visitor numbers started plunging last June.

2 new sites to be available for hotel development in 1st half next year. One of the sites includes the existing Ogilvy Centre, a historic building that has the potential to become a grand hotel in the heart of Shenton Way / Robinson Road.

No further sites in Marina Bay released yet or any new sites for large highrise development. (Still waiting for the Parkview site to be triggered)

A residential plot at Stirling Road has the potential to become another highrise 40-storey development at Queenstown.


http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/text/2009/pr09-76.html

MND will add 2 new hotel sites, one at Robinson Road and the other at Robertson Quay, to the Reserve List of the 1H2010 GLS Programme. This will provide more variety of sites for hotel development to suit the accommodation needs of business travellers and visitors. The hotel site at Robinson Road, which comprises an existing conserved building that can be restored into a unique boutique hotel development, will widen the hotel options available in the Central Business District. The release of the hotel site at Robertson Quay, on the other hand, will help to build up the existing hotel cluster along Singapore River.

All remaining hotel, commercial, commercial & residential and white sites in the Reserve List of the 2H2009 GLS Programme will be carried over to the Reserve List of the 1H2010 GLS Programme.

The Ogilvy Centre

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/RafflesCity/ogilvy-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/redstone2/The%20Ogilvy%20Centre%202/ogcorner.jpg

Ogilvy Centre - very small site ; max 70 rooms only.

yup cant expect any major changes as i think the whole building is conserved

can ogilvy build a swimming pool like the Asia Life building?

perhaps on the rooftop?

Two new hotel sites on H1 2010 reserve list

7 Nov 09

TWO new hotel sites - one of which is Ogilvy Centre, a conservation building opposite Lau Pa Sat - have made it to the government's H1 2010 reserve list. But there are no new commercial sites on the list. And there are neither hotel nor commercial sites on the confirmed list for H1 2010.

Still, according to the Urban Redevelopment Authority, there's ample supply of sites for commercial and hotel developments in the reserve list.

Choy Chan Pong, URA senior group director for land sales and administration, pointed out that about 4.5 million square feet of commercial space will continue to be made available through the reserve list of H1 2010, including about 1.5 million sq ft that can potentially be generated from a white site at Ophir Road in the Bugis area and nearly 690,000 sq ft from a white site in the Jurong Gateway area.

CB Richard Ellis director (research) Leonard Tay said that recovery in the office market is at the incipient stage. 'If the pace of recovery quickens, the authorities have the option of adding some confirmed list sites for second half 2010 to ensure timely supply of office buildings from 2013 onwards.'

CBRE's figures show that between now and end-2014, about 7.72 million sq ft of net lettable area of offices are slated for completion.

'One should not underestimate the pace at which the current supply will be absorbed when the market recovers in the medium term,' said Mr Tay. 'For instance, the annual takeup for 2000 was a very significant 4.22 million sq ft on the back of recovery after the Asian crisis.'

Cushman & Wakefield's Singapore managing director, Donald Han, said: 'It takes about 2 1/2-3 years from the time a developer bids for an office site to finishing the project, and probably a good time to buy sites would be in H2 2010 to get projects ready for the post-2013 period.'

Property market players were excited about Ogilvy Centre, at the corner of Robinson Road and Boon Tat Street, being added as a hotel site with about 70 rooms to the reserve list. The property was built in 1927 and accorded conservation status in February 2000. The building's facade as well as part of its interior have to be conserved. The government is reviewing whether to sell the site on a 30 or 60-year lease.

'This is not your typical hotel site. It's in the financial district and can be positioned as a luxury property like an Armani Hotel,' Mr Han said.

The other new hotel plot on the reserve list, at Robertson Quay, can generate some 350 rooms. The Ministry of National Development's H1 2010 reserve list can potentially generate 4,515 hotel rooms.


By KALPANA RASHIWALA
Business Times

5-6 star Amarni Hotel besides the messy Lau Pa Sat ???

So will the nightly Boon Tat street still close for the Satay Club street ??


perhaps on the rooftop?

Two new hotel sites on H1 2010 reserve list

Property market players were excited about Ogilvy Centre, at the corner of Robinson Road and Boon Tat Street, ......

'This is not your typical hotel site. It's in the financial district and can be positioned as a luxury property like an Armani Hotel,' Mr Han said.

Maybe it will be somewhat like the Scarlet Hotel located close to Maxwell Food Centre. The Satay club at Boon Tat Street is so established its hard to imagine it will ever move...but who knows..

ha ha, but the Scarlet hotel is like 3 star .......

Maybe it will be somewhat like the Scarlet Hotel located close to Maxwell Food Centre. The Satay club at Boon Tat Street is so established its hard to imagine it will ever move...but who knows..

i freakin hate those satay smoke. damn oily and sticks to ur body hair n clothes. no 6 star property should go near lau pa sat

Scarlett Hotel is 3 stars?!?! Erm it must be a fricking expensive 3 stars then - Standard rooms go at SGD 350/night, which is around the same fare as that of the Ritz Carlton.

Have you been to The Scarlett, baby?

ha ha, I walk past there every week..., doesn't look great from outside 'cause row of shop houses converted.,...never walk in..., thought was 3 star from outside.... :lol: .... location very good, club street and China town.....heard somebody recently bought Ann Siang street a row of shop houses to build for another classy boutique hotel.

Scarlett Hotel is 3 stars?!?! Erm it must be a fricking expensive 3 stars then - Standard rooms go at SGD 350/night, which is around the same fare as that of the Ritz Carlton.

Have you been to The Scarlett, baby?

^^

Harry's to open boutique hotel

14 Oct 09

HARRY'S Holdings, which operates Singapore's largest pub chain, is making its foray into the boutique hotel business.

Its flagship hotel The Club will open on Ann Siang Road in late April next year.

Apart from 22 rooms with unique layouts and tailored artwork, it will have a rooftop skybar with an al fresco deck, a cafe, a terrace bar and a tapas corner.

The first Harry's Bar opened in 1992 and today, the firm operates 25 bars, four restaurants and one night club.


http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_442243.html

The Ogilvy Centre

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/RafflesCity/ogilvy-1.jpg

Tks for the pics Raffi. I was reading in an achieved thread about the original architectural firm of this building ... sad that they are almost non-existent.

^^

They do have the honour of having designed several of our national monuments:)
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1478_2009-02-26.html

M&C to open Studio M hotel

12 Nov 09

$120m project will open at Robertson Quay in second quarter of 2010


MILLENNIUM & Copthorne Hotels (M&C) has added a new brand to its portfolio, Studio M, with the first hotel slated to open in Singapore in the second quarter of 2010.


Located at 3 Nanson Road in the Robertson Quay area, the 365-room Studio M hotel will fuse style and functionality by offering integrated technology and wireless connectivity, as well as other features such as an open-air tropical deck.

The project will cost $120 million, of which the land cost was $53 million. Construction is under way.

'The concept of smart business travel is evolving rapidly. There is increasing demand from this largely untapped market segment that craves a distinctive experience, even as they demand functional services like wireless connectivity. Studio M aims to fill this gap,' said M&C chairman Kwek Leng Beng. M&C is a subsidiary of City Developments Ltd.

And when Studio M is launched next year, Mr Kwek - who is also executive chairman of M&C's parent company Hong Leong Group - reckoned that it will benefit from the two integrated resorts.

'When they open, they will bring in new types of customers. You're not taking away existing customers,' he said.

The next stop for the Studio M brand is likely to be the Middle East. M&C is also looking at China, India and Vietnam. 'We plan to take this new brand global,' said Mr Kwek. 'The question is always which will give me more stabilised earnings?'

M&C's financial results for the nine months ended Sept 30 showed that revenue per available room (RevPAR) for its Singapore hotels fell 35.5 per cent year on year to £57.60 (S$133.32), on the back of a 9.2 percentage point drop in occupancy to 74.8 per cent. Room rates for 9M 2009 were 27.6 per cent lower at £77.

However, the decline in RevPAR has started to slow, as seen from a 31.2 per cent drop in Q3 2009, versus 44.5 per cent in Q2. Occupancy increased 0.7 percentage point for Q3. But room rates are still under pressure, declining 31.7 per cent in Q3.

'As occupancy demands start to increase, this decline in rate will start to be addressed,' M&C said in its interim statement.

Listed in London, M&C has more than 120 hotels worldwide under several brands.


By NISHA RAMCHANDANI
Business Times

Scarlett Hotel is 3 stars?!?! Erm it must be a fricking expensive 3 stars then - Standard rooms go at SGD 350/night, which is around the same fare as that of the Ritz Carlton.

Have you been to The Scarlett, baby?

Just for the info, the number of stars do not really reflects the status or the price of the hotel. A boutique hotel has their own range of accredition. Given that a REAL boutique hotel should be less than 50 rooms. Look at Naumi hotel, we can consider it to be a 5 star hotel but we can't. It has only 40 roooms. BUt has all the ammenities of a luxury hotel. This is the same as Scarlet, Majestic and Klapsons where a night can go anywhere from S$300 to S$800 per night.
Given that Ogivly location, architecture, history and position, it can easily turn into a famous boutique hotel called 'The Ogivly' and managed by a boutique group but not a franchise like Marriot or Ritz.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1028736/1/.html

Have a suite dream

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_477815.html

15 Jan 2010

VISITORS now have fewer reasons to accuse Singapore of being home to only soulless shopping malls and chain hotels.

When German businesswoman Claudia Ionker was searching the Internet for a place here to stay for two nights recently, she chose Wangz Hotel, a boutique hotel in Outram Road which opened last month.

'I used to stay at those big chain hotels and the experience was so cold and impersonal,' says the 44-year-old. 'At a boutique hotel, I'm treated as a first- class guest.'

Wangz is one of a handful of interesting new hotels sprouting across the island.

Mr Brian Patterson, 64, an Australian mining manager, has been staying at the four-month-old Nostalgia Hotel in Tiong Bahru since last month. He says of his experience there: 'The staff are very friendly and co-operative. The service is wonderful - they offer you free apples, which is a nice touch.'

Apart from attentive personal service, boutique hotels offer unique decor.


Nostalgia Hotel (http://www.hotelnostalgia.com.sg/)

http://www.lifestyleasia.com/content/toparticle/12/129141.jpg

http://www.lifestyleasia.com/images/articles/original/12/129142.jpg

http://www.lifestyleasia.com/images/articles/original/12/129140.jpg

Joining the growing line-up of beautiful boutique hotels in Singapore is the Nostalgia. Located just a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Chinatown and Orchard Road, Nostalgia a perfect place for locals and tourists alike to unwind yet be at the heart of all the action in Singapore.

The Hotel's boasts an interior that exudes old world charm with a dash of modernism. Guests are greeted by classic colonial decor with generous use of warm colours and gold fittings. Artist Andre Tan was engaged to furnish the walls of Nostalgia with his sexy candy inspired colour schemes that are based on historical records and images of Tiong Bahru back in its colonial years.

Andre's luxurious paintings blend in masterfully with the lobby's Persian carpets, marble table tops and baroque sofas. It seems that no expense was spared on the hotel's 50 rooms as well. Each room (SGD$300 onwards) is fully equipped with Wi-Fi, cable TV and quality linens and of course, a well fitted bathroom.

Wangz Hotel (http://www.wangzhotel.com/)

Wangz Hotel offers boutique style accommodation and is strategically located at the junction of Outram Road and the historic Tiong Bahru. The Wangz Hotel is just a short walk to popular nightclub Zouk and the culturally rich Chinatown. The main shopping belt of Orchard Road is a 10-minute drive away. Rooms at the Wangz Hotel contain chic, contemporary styles with hints of flora and nature. Modern amenities include Wi-Fi, iPod/iPhone docking stations and DVD player. The luxurious bathrooms feature floor to ceiling windows, rainshower and Molton Brown toiletries. The Wangz Hotel provides rooms and facilities for disabled guests. Laundry, dry cleaning and room service are available. A fitness centre allows guests to perform their routine workouts. Guests can satisfy their hunger at Nectar restaurant which serves modern western cuisine. The rooftop lounge, Halo Lounge offers light snacks and cocktails while providing a panoramic view of Singapore’s skyline.

http://images.channels.nl/images/hotel/org/198/1982811.jpg

Very cool!

City Harvest's expansion plan

18 Jan 2010

Large complex in 'central south' district will also house shops, restaurants

CITY Harvest Church has announced a $310 million expansion plan to buy land, and to erect a building that will house shops, restaurants and a 12,000-seat auditorium.

Founder Kong Hee, 45, said during church services yesterday and last Saturday that the land sale would be completed later this month. He did not specify the location, but said the site would be in the 'central south' district.

He described the site as 'super large'. It is believed the site covers an area as large as three football fields - six times the size of the Protestant church's current home in Jurong West Street 91, which it owns.

'This is truly amazing,' Dr Kong said yesterday at the Singapore Expo, where it has been renting a hall for services. 'Finally, we will have a church in the marketplace, for the marketplace, to penetrate the marketplace.'

The church's plans to incorporate retail elements into its building project follow similar plans announced in 2007 by New Creation Church, another large Christian group in Singapore.

New Creation has teamed up with mall developer CapitaLand Retail to build an 'integrated hub' at Buona Vista. The $1 billion project, when ready in 2012, will house shops, a concert hall and a theatre.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_478770.html

City Harvest's expansion plan

18 Jan 2010

Large complex in 'central south' district will also house shops, restaurants

CITY Harvest Church has announced a $310 million expansion plan to buy land, and to erect a building that will house shops, restaurants and a 12,000-seat auditorium.
[/url]

I think they need this. Their church at the extreme end of Jurong West is too far and yet too crowded.

28 Jan 2010

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_483274.html

AN OFFICE site on Mohamed Sultan Road will be put up for public tender, after a developer has indicated interest to bid for it.

The 0.62ha land parcel was made available for sale through the Reserve List System, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority on Thursday.

The URA said it has received an application from a developer who has committed to bid not less than $9.3 million for the site, which will be open for tender in two weeks time.

The plot, earmarked for office development, can generate a maximum permissible gross floor area of 9,265 sqm and comes with a15-year lease.

http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/MohdSultanRd/MA/intro(T).jpg

Mary Chia expands into hotel business

28 Jan 2010

SINGAPORE: Catalist-listed lifestyle and wellness service provider Mary Chia is expanding into the hotel business.

It said it has entered into a joint venture agreement with businessman Lee Boon Leng to set up a firm called Hotel Culture.

Hotel Culture's primary business is to operate a hotel, a lifestyle and wellness centre, food and beverage and other hotel-related activities.

For a start, Hotel Culture has exercised an option to buy three properties located at Mosque Street for S$20 million. The properties will be re-developed into a 92-room heritage hotel by the joint venture firm.

Mary Chia said the new hotel will embrace a new lifestyle concept comprising a wellness spa that is integrated with hotel facilities. It added that the acquisition is part of its effort to innovate and introduce new brands into the market.

To pay for the properties, Mary Chia said about S$16 million will be borrowed externally, with the rest of the money coming from shareholders' loans or equity.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1033668/1/.html

oh no...those trees! :(

The Club's at Ann Siang Hill Openshttp://theclub.com.sg/static

PUBLIC RELATIONS HARRY'S IMPACTASIA

* impactasia chosen as PR agency for The Club
* 9 month campaign
* By Harry Holdings

Singapore- Harry's Hospitality has chosen impactasia to manage public relations for the launch of its colonial-era inspired boutique hotel, The Club.

The other competitors in the pitch were Ate consulting, Ogilvy & Mather and White Ink, The Club told Marketing.

The campaign will run over a nine-month period. impactasia plans to implement a series of media and consumer outreach programmes targeting Singapore's "cooler" population.

The Club is owned by Harry's Hospitality, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of F&B operator Harry's Holdings.
It is slated to open in early May.

impactasia's also manages other lifestyle, hospitality and luxury clients which includes restaurant and bar Tippling Club, designer villages Chic Outlet Shopping Villages in Europe and Yoo, an international design-focused property development company.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kyJztgGLDh0/S2RiJcivAtI/AAAAAAAADeY/X4J-39kkhng/s400/harry%27s.jpg

The Club appoints Impact Asia for PR and launch in Singapore
by Kenny Lim 23-Mar-10, 10:14

| Harry’s Holdings | Hotel | The Club | Singapore | Public Relations | Impact Asia | Account win |

SINGAPORE – The Club, a boutique hotel by Harry’s Hospitality, has appointed Impact Asia as its public relations partner in Singapore.

Harry’s Hospitality is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harry’s Holdings, a leading local F&B operator. Slated to open in early-May, The Club is situated in the city state’s alternative fashion and design hub along Ann Siang Road.

Over a nine-month campaign period, the independent PR firm will implement a series of media and consumer outreach programmes targeting local lifestyle aficionados.

On the appointment, GM of The Club, Bjorn-Henning Buth, said that Impact Asia’s extensive experience in hospitality and design, combined with its ability to think differently about the brief, were key considerations in the appointment.

He added: “Impact Asia is well versed in handling high-end brands and has retained an impressive portfolio of big-name lifestyle and hospitality clients and we’re confident of their ability to drive a successful launch and deliver results. The team’s pitch was thoroughly refreshing and in tune with our thinking, so we are very pleased to announce this partnership”.

Kate O’Shea, director, Impact Asia in Singapore, said: “We see this partnership thriving on the synergies between The Club’s world-class offering, Impact Asia’s luxury/travel expertise and the super cool vibes of the captivating Ann Siang Hill. We’re also very excited to contribute to the growth of the creative community around the Club Street area and look forward to future collaborations within the district.”

Dorsett Singapore eyes medical tourists Print E-mail

S Puvaneswary, Kuala Lumpur (2009-09-07)

SINGAPORE will welcome the Dorsett hotel brand in 2012 when the 400-room Dorsett opens near the Singapore General Hospital.

It hopes to appeal to leisure, business and medical tourists, with certain floors dedicated to suites for long-stay guests.

Far East Consortium International, which owns and manages hotels in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Malaysia, won the bid to acquire the land on September 4.

Dorsett president, Eddie Tang, said: "Singapore is a hot market for us and we want to go in more aggressively by owning and managing three-, four- and five-star properties to meet various segments of tourists."

I think Wangz Hotel is really ugly!!

Its not ugly, its modern....

Wangz does'nt define modern. It defines ugly.

Studio M Hotel Singapore


Created to redefine the art of travel, Studio M is Singapore’s first fully loft-inspired hotel where style and functionality are key. Located within the iconic entertainment precinct of Robertson Quay and close to the Central Business District and Orchard Road shopping belt, Studio M calls out to the hip and savvy travellers with a taste for stylish comfort and integrated technological access.
http://www.millenniumhotels.com.sg/StudioMHotel/img/Studio_Loft.jpg
http://static.relax.com.sg/site/servlet/linkableblob/relax/393522/topImage.jpg
Designed by Italian style maestro and architect, Piero Lissoni, Studio M offers a modern refuge in its chic accommodation coupled with contemporary functionality. Each of the 360 guest rooms features an urban-inspired loft with a three-metre high ceiling, separate work and rest areas and complimentary Internet connectivity. Together with a dedicated open-air tropical deck complete with a 25-metre lap pool and sheltered gym and a variety of exciting dining choices, Studio M is where you are at home, away from home.

Studio M looks really nice is a boutique hotel of deluxe hotel??

They market is more of a boutique business hotel. It does looks nice but i find it a bit weird. For a business traveller to be going up and down the loft...

They market is more of a boutique business hotel. It does looks nice but i find it a bit weird. For a business traveller to be going up and down the loft...

Yeah it is a bit wierd. I guess they were going for something different and unique...

http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/graphics/2010/pr10-88a1.pdf

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) launched the White site at Peck Seah Street / Choon Guan Street for sale by public tender today.

The 1.5 ha land parcel is launched for sale as a Confirmed List site under the 2nd half 2010 Government Land Sales Programme
Fronting the key junction of several major roads such as Maxwell Road, Cecil Street, Anson Road and Robinson Road, the land parcel enjoys a high degree of visibility. With the potential of reaching a height of 280m AMSL (Above Mean Sea Level), the future development will command panoramic views of the city skyline across the CBD to the Marina Bay area, and the Chinatown Historical District.

The future development on the land parcel also enjoys direct frontage onto Tanjong Pagar Park which is part of the ‘green necklace’ linking Pearl’s Hill through Duxton Plain Park to the waterfront promenade at Marina Bay.

Strategically located next to the Tanjong Pagar MRT Station, the development will also be linked directly via the extensive underground pedestrian network to surrounding developments at Capital Tower, International Plaza and 8 Shenton Way. The development on the land parcel will enjoy easy access to other key districts within the city, such as the CBD and the Marina Bay area. Its proximity to the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), East Coast Expressway (ECP) and Central Expressway (CTE) provides excellent connections to the rest of the island and Changi Airport.

With a sizeable gross floor area (GFA) of 157,744 m2 (GFA), the land parcel provides an excellent opportunity for a high-quality mixed use development that will further anchor the precinct as a prominent business hub within the city centre.

A minimum of 60% of the maximum permissible GFA is to be developed for office use to build up the critical mass of office space in Tanjong Pagar area. The developer will also be required to allocate at least another 10% of the maximum permissible GFA for hotel rooms and hotel-related uses, to provide more hotel options in the CBD area and to enhance the vibrancy in the city centre. The details of the land parcel are given in Annex 3

^^ 280m! Woohoo! A major project in the making! :banana:

Make it 300 la....

Make it 300 la....

Yes make it 300!! Its only 20m..... It then will have the right to call itself singapores tallest skyscraper!!!:lol:

^^ 280m... One Raffles Place will still be the tallest building in Singapore. LOL.

This 280m raises hopes that the 320m supertalls near Downtown station might be realized soon, and suggests that the CAAS may be budging on URA's requests.

BTW, isn't this the site of the Carlton Hotel? What happened to that?

Winner should be either Kepland or Capitaland, only big boys can afford this piece of expensive land toy

:lol::lol:

Tanjong Pagar site expected to fetch over $1b

THE landscape around Tanjong Pagar MRT Station is set to be transformed over the next few years when a new development is built, rising to about 60 storeys.

The project, opposite International Plaza, will be built on a 'white' site launched by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) yesterday and which is expected to fetch over $1 billion.

The 99-year leasehold site can generate nearly 1.7 million square feet maximum gross floor area (GFA), of which at least 60 per cent must be for offices and another 10 per cent for hotel use. Most market watchers expect the successful developer to put the balance 30 per cent GFA to residential use, cashing in on strong demand for inner-city apartments. Sales of apartments will help part-finance the development, say property consultants.

The apartments are expected to be built on the 1.5 hectare site's front portion (facing Wallich Street and Maxwell Chambers), which can have a maximum height of 280 metres above mean sea level (AMSL). This is currently the maximum height control allowed in Singapore and will optimise views of the apartments.

Caveats of new residential launches in the vicinity such as Altez and 76 Shenton range from $1,900 to $2,300 psf, from sales in the past six months, says CB Richard Ellis executive director Li Hiaw Ho.

Cushman & Wakefield Singapore managing director Donald Han estimates the residential component can generate between 400 and 540 apartments, assuming an average unit size of 1,200 sq ft and 900 sq ft respectively.

The project is expected to generate about 846,000 sq ft net lettable area of offices - based on the minimum 60 per cent office component stipulated, says CBRE.

As at the second quarter of this year, the average monthly rental of premium-grade office space in the Tanjong Pagar area was about $6.80 psf, compared with $8.37 psf in the Marina Bay area. During the office market peak in Q2/Q3 2008, the figures were $12.50 psf and $19 psf respectively.

'Office rents have bottomed and the overall pipeline supply will taper off after 2012. Hence the development will benefit from an upswing in office rents, barring any slowdown or decline in the major economies,' says Chua Chor Hoon, head of Southeast Asia research at DTZ.

Cushman's Mr Han also observed that on the back of strong take-up for new office projects, confidence and appetite for commercial-dominated developments in the financial district is slowly building up among developers.

He estimates that the project's minimum hotel component - 10 per cent of GFA - would be enough for a 315 to 320-room hotel.

DTZ's Ms Chua expects the site to draw only a handful of bidders, mainly bigger developers experienced with office projects. Mr Han predicts 4-6 bids, most of them in the $650-$720 per square foot per plot ratio (psf ppr) range. This range of unit land price works out to absolute land bids of about $1.1 billion-$1.2 billion.

Some analysts reckon bids could be pushed even higher, to around $800 psf ppr or $1.4 billion.

'Strong interest is expected from the 'usual suspects' of listed developers and foreign funds either individually or on a joint- venture basis. As this is a big-ticket site, we expect participation by foreign developers like Hongkong Land and Cheung Kong,' says Mr Han.

While a chunk of the site has a maximum building height of 280 metres AMSL, the rear portion (facing Peck Seah Street) can be built up to 200 metres AMSL. Part of the site (mostly above the MRT station box) has a maximum six-storey height.

Analysts say the project will contribute to the rejuvenation of the Tanjong Pagar area and inject new office space in the old CBD - helping to offset some of the loss of stock from the conversion of ageing office blocks into apartments.

The Tanjong Pagar site is being offered under the Government's Confirmed List for the second half of 2010. Its tender will close on Nov 16. 'Selection of the successful tenderer will be based on the tendered land price only,' URA said

Very exciting!!! If it really used for residential it will be the tallest in Singapore. Overtaking Altez!!!!

Lets just hoped those who won the plots would be engaging international achitect firms for the design of the tall building. Let it be a landmark in the tanjong pagar district..

Yup! We really need a landmark tower. Not so box shaped building. I would love to see something like the upcoming Ritz Carlton in Bangkok!!

More often than not, the local partner firms will spoil the designs done by the foreign firm.

BTW, isn't this the site of the Carlton Hotel? What happened to that?

Nope, the site for the Carlton Hotel, which is under construction, is a couple of blocks away.

http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu22/don_diego_2000/tanjongpagar2.jpg

http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu22/don_diego_2000/tanjongpagar.png

^^Makes me wonder though. Once the project commences, are the exits going to be affected? It seems to me the exits are also part of the land being sold.

^^ It will probably be similar to what happened to Orchard MRT exits during ION construction.

Yes make it 300!! Its only 20m..... It then will have the right to call itself singapores tallest skyscraper!!!:lol:

Make it 300 la....

Maybe stick a 25m high antenna? :tiasd:

^^ It will probably be similar to what happened to Orchard MRT exits during ION construction.

Ah, thanks for the reply. Well, we'll just to wait and see how the proposals look like.:)

^^I wouldn't mind that actually. Love the Burj Dubai sphere.

There will be lots of inconveniences during the construction to the people working in that area. Morever there is a lot of constraints to the architect. For those who are really into estatic and line movements, it is a very difficult job to balance the old buildings surrounding the area such as the shophouses etc etc. It need to gradually moves up from the street level to a higher level. Since on the left side we have the old singapore and the right side, the tall modern singapore...

Any renderings on the design on the new carlton hotel that they are building??

Actually I rather keep the landscaped park... it could be the second Raffles Place.... a place to relax for office workers.

^^ I agree too, such a project should be built nearer to the bay, perhaps nearer to where MBFC is.

I think having a 280m will not have much effect on the skyline. Because it is too far from bayfront. It is even further away than Capital Tower (correct me if I'm wrong). Capital Tower is the 4th tallest building, but it looks short from the bay due to its distance away from the bay.

However, it can still add much density to the skyline which is good too. :)

Don't forget that the Altez, which is 245m, is also next to the site alongside the Temasek Tower and Capital Tower, so it's not like it'll stick out like a sore-tongue.

280m is clearly asking the project to be a landmark. The significance is that it'll allow Shenton Way/Tanjong Pagar to retain its identity as part of the CBD, and not make it look like the whole of the CBD is gravitating towards Raffles Place/Marina Bay.

Should have a supertall breaching the 280m or (282m lol ) on the plot behind Central Linear Park. Not a good idea to have buildings with the same height next to each other, it makes the cityscape look very artificial.

^^Agree we need taller buildings in the new downtown area. Still hoping for 320metres

To get an idea of the impact of this development in the skyline, you can see the volume rendering of URA

http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu22/don_diego_2000/intro.jpg

or the model at the Marina Bay Gallery

http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu22/don_diego_2000/IMG_0944.jpg

^^Interesting. So, from the looks of things some of the exits are now inside the building. Thanks for the pics.

The renderings are so boxy ..... I just hope that there will be curves and spiral and step up or crown to the development. Even a helipad on top of the building would be neat...

It looks like taller One Raffles Quay!

The current renderings are just to give an idea of heights and volume. It doesn't prefigure any actual design in the future!

double post

Cool, I'm starting to like big fat buildings (buildings with great volume)! I have a feeling that most future developments (less redevelopments) will be like MBFC with large floor space per level, as evident from the models in Marina Bay city gallery. It gives the economic power, big corporate feeling, typical of buildings in NYC. =)

It's not a bad idea to me now since the Tanjong Pagar area will be filled with tall residential buildings, it will create density for the skyline. It will be up to the government to regulate land sale and for the market forces to decide. A 280m in that area is better than nothing. Another big project to look forward to!

Cool, I'm starting to like big fat buildings (buildings with great volume)! I have a feeling that most future developments (less redevelopments) will be like MBFC with large floor space per level, as evident from the models in Marina Bay city gallery. It gives the economic power, big corporate feeling, typical of buildings in NYC. =)

It's not a bad idea to me now since the Tanjong Pagar area will be filled with tall residential buildings, it will create density for the skyline. It will be up to the government to regulate land sale and for the market forces to decide. A 280m in that area is better than nothing. Another big project to look forward to!

I am looking foward to it already!! I'm hoping for something with lots of curves!:lol:

OUE buys DBS Towers 1 & 2 for nearly S$871m
Posted: 11 August 2010 1838 hrs

SINGAPORE : Overseas Union Enterprise (OUE) has bought DBS Towers One and Two for S$870.5 million from funds managed by Goldman Sachs.

DBS Towers, with a 99-year lease, is located at Shenton Way in the heart of the central business district.

Analysts said the move will enhance OUE's position as an office property player.

They said the timing of the acquisition is good, given the recent upturn in the office space sector. Pricing is fair as well, hovering around S$970 to S$986 per square foot on existing net lettable area.

Observers said this is the largest deal done since the global financial crisis.

DBS Tower One was built in 1975 and was then the tallest building in Singapore and the first to incorporate a covered walkway around the entire city block.

Together with DBS Tower Two, the 37-storey skyscraper comprises a total gross floor area of around 1.2 million square feet and a total net lettable area of some 883,000 square feet.

Both towers are currently fully leased out. Major tenants include financial institutions like DBS Bank, Deloitte & Touche, Aviva and Deutsche Bank.

Some of them are expected to relocate to Marina Bay Financial Centre, and observers said that should allow OUE the chance to upgrade the property if some premises remain vacant.

OUE said the acquisition is in line with its strategic goal of maximising investment opportunities from high-yield properties.

Industry watchers said OUE could possibly divide the property into a commercial and residential development. This will reduce its exposure in the office portfolio and allow it to participate in the residential market, which could help lower borrowings and enhance cash flow for the company.

Current private residential prices in the area range from S$1,800 to S$2,500 per square foot.

Observers said there could also be retail and F&B options on the lower floors of the revamped property.

They added that demand for office space this year could cross the 2 million square feet mark, which is at pre-crisis levels.

OUE expects rentals to rise over the next few years due to limited supply of office space in 2013 and 2014.

Market watchers said on average, prime office rents could increase 10 per cent in the second half.

OUE also sees asset enhancement potential in DBS Towers, as it is located close to Marina Bay.

The downtown area has been transformed into a new lifestyle hub with a range of commercial, convention, leisure and entertainment facilities.

OUE will fund the acquisition by a combination of internal funds and debt facility.

I hope it will be redeveloped. Esspecially the one that looks like CPF Building.

By the time DBS moves out (2012), it will be almost 40 years since it was built (considered quite old). Really should be redeveloped, but I guess it won't be anytime soon. Depends on the demand for Grade A or lower grade office in 2013.

By the time DBS moves out (2012), it will be almost 40 years since it was built (considered quite old). Really should be redeveloped, but I guess it won't be anytime soon. Depends on the demand for Grade A or lower grade office in 2013.

By then, many more projects will start construction in the new downtown area so demand may not be there....

^^There is a possibility that one of the towers would be used for office space and the other could be used for recreational or residential uses. This is just pure speculation on my part. :)

From Great New Places (http://www.greatnewplaces.com/c298-DorsettRegencyHotel) website

http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu22/don_diego_2000/img496_14092010121918.jpg

The Dorsett Regency Hotel and Dorsett Residences located in the historic district of Chinatown, Singapore offers a unique experience of new urbanism set in contrast against the old fabric of Chinatown pre-war shop houses intertwined in a district rich in Chinese culture, tradition and heritage. The mixed use development comprises hotel, commercial shops and residential. The ten-storey 285 room hotel fronts the prominent main junction of New Bridge Road and Cantonment Road, while the adjoining six storey residential slab block with 68 units is aligned along New Bridge Road offering views over Bukit Pasoh and Outram Park. [I think it will be built on the empty land above Outram Park MRT, next to the Pearl's Complex]

The development is connected directly and conveniently to the Outram Park MRT interchange station. The first storey of the development is a blend of public accessible amenities such as MRT station entry, food & beverage shops, residential lobby, hotel lobby and drop-off.

The architecture and design of the development seeks to be sympathetic to the scale of the heritage district. A colonnaded public walkway circumventing the development provides shelter from the elements and is reminiscent of the charming 5 foot walkway of historic shop houses, while the expression and repetition of the residential units creates a harmony and rhythm in keeping with the comfortable scale afforded by the shop house architecture.

The ten storey hotel is a sweeping curve that visibly wraps the corner of the busy road junction. The hotel facade is clad in glass to exude an elegant modern contemporary yet quiet understated presence that addresses the outlook of a modern-day business hotel and its business savvy customers. The glass facade employs also the interplay of staggering vertical elements that catch the sunlight and brings about a sense of interest and rhythm.

The development offers a swimming pool and landscape deck on the third storey. The infinity edge swimming pool overlooking Chinatown is designed amid green planters, shady trees and sunbathing deck recliners.

The 68 residential units comprise three unit types which are 1-bedroom type, 2-bedroom type and 2+1-bedroom type. The residential units are efficiently planned and designed to create an ideal urban home. The bright and inviting apartments are equipped with open kitchen combined with living cum dining leading onto a good size balcony. In addition, the premium quality finishes and top-of-line home fittings in clean-line interiors and well-planned layouts exemplify the distinctive art of modern city living.

Looks cool!

URA should seriously release more land parcels for hotel developments.

From my observations and opinion:

The existing hotels, especially the 5 stars are usually more than 90% full during peak periods and by 2015, we are expecting 17 million visitors. Also during the air travel disruption in Europe earlier this year, many travelers couldn't find a hotel to stay in and some even have to travel to JB for a few nights stay.

Currently, we have less than 40, 000 rooms, but we have close to 1 million visitors a month, with an average stay of 3.5 days per tourist (taking into account those who transit).

If they start building now, it might not be too late. I'm sure many hotel developers would be interested to bid high prices. If not the already high hotel rates might increase further, and even deter more potential tourists from coming. There is also a noticeable spillover effect to JB area, many hotels are coming up just across the causeway, like Tunes Hotel. Resorts World also provides free bus services catering to these tourists who are staying across the causeway, but are coming to Singapore for holiday.

Singapore hotel rooms most expensive in Asia

SINGAPORE, Sept 15 — Singapore is the most expensive city in the Asia-Pacific region for hotel rooms, according to a survey of hotel prices in major destinations across the world.

A Singapore hotel room cost an average of S$230 (RM716) per night in the second quarter this year, up 22 per cent from the same period last year, according to a survey by online hotel booking operator Hotels.com.

Tokyo was the second-most expensive at US$156.80 per night, but was down 6 per cent year-on-year, while Sydney was the third at US$148.50 and up 16 per cent.

“We are definitely on a trend up in Asia. When you have more money, travelling quickly becomes an interest and that is going to be reflected in prices in the near future,” Johan Svanstrom, Hotels.com managing director for the Asia-Pacific region, said in an interview.

“The majority of the Asians travel within Asia. China is clearly going to be a very big driving factor for hotels anywhere in Asia,” he added.

Svanstrom cited a recent report by the China Tourism Academy which estimated that 54 million Chinese travellers would go abroad this year.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, this number would nearly double to 100 million by 2020. — Reuters

From URA website

19 October 2010

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced today that it has accepted an application from a developer to put up the hotel site at Robinson Road / Boon Tat Street for sale via public tender.

The land parcel was made available for sale through the Reserve List system on 22 June 2010. URA has received an application from a developer for the site to be put up for public tender. The developer has committed to bid at a price of not less than S$30.8 million in the tender for the land parcel on a 60-year lease term. As the minimum price committed by the developer is acceptable to the Government, the site will be released for sale via public tender.

In accordance with the procedures of the Reserve List system, URA is making public the minimum price committed for the site. However, the identity of the applicant will not be released. URA will launch the public tender for the site in about two weeks. The launch date will be announced later. The tender period for the land parcel will be about eight weeks.

Land Parcel at Robinson Road / Boon Tat Street

The hotel site is located in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District, fronting onto a prominent road junction at Robinson Road / Boon Tat Street. It is within walking distance to Raffles Place and Marina Bay.

The land parcel includes a historically and architecturally significant conservation building, designed in the Neo-classical style. Built in 1927, it is an important heritage landmark, representative of Singapore’s business district in the first half of the 20th Century.

The prominent location of the land parcel and distinctive architecture of the conservation building offer an excellent opportunity to create a unique high-quality hotel development in the heart of the city’s business and financial district.

Details of the land parcel and location plan are given in Annex 1 (http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/graphics/2010/pr10-121a1.pdf) and Annex 2 (http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/graphics/2010/pr10-121a2.pdf).

Tenderers can choose to bid for the site on either a 30 or 60-year lease term. For the purpose of tender evaluation, bids submitted for a 60-year lease term will be normalised to their 30-year equivalents by using the formula specified in the tender documents. Please see Annex 3 (http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/graphics/2010/pr10-121a3.pdf) for an example.

More details of the land parcel are available on the URA website:
http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/RobinsonBT/MA/RBT-intro(T).html

Any guess on who is the developer ? Maybe CDL ?

This would be interesting. Just hope the original interiors, if any would be retained

Another tall in the making :banana:

From URA's website (http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/text/2010/pr10-128.html):
URA to launch the tender for the hotel site at Gopeng Street / Peck Seah Street in two weeks’ time

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced today that it has accepted an application from a developer to put up the hotel site at Gopeng Street / Peck Seah Street for sale via public tender.

The land parcel was made available for sale through the Reserve List system on 21 February 2008. URA has received an application from a developer for the site to be put up for public tender. The developer has committed to bid at a price of not less than S$94,045,276 in the tender for the land parcel. As the minimum price committed by the developer is acceptable to the Government, the site will be released for sale via public tender.

In accordance with the procedures of the Reserve List system, URA is making public the minimum price committed for the site. However, the identity of the applicant will not be released. URA will launch the public tender for the site in about two weeks. The launch date will be announced later. The tender period for the land parcel will be about eight weeks.

Land Parcel at Gopeng Street / Peck Seah Street

The site is located within the Tanjong Pagar area, which is a prominent gateway leading directly into the main financial and business areas of Shenton Way, Raffles Place and Marina Bay. It is also home to several hotels which have been established to serve the business community and tourist visitors. These include business hotels like the Amara and M Hotel, as well as the award winning hotel like Berjaya Hotel and The Scarlet.

The successful sale and on-going development of several new office, high-rise residential and hotel sites in the area will further enhance the vibrancy and activities of the Tanjong Pagar commercial district.

With a land area of about 0.23 ha, the hotel site can generate a maximum permissible gross floor area of 19,416 sqm.

Details of the land parcel and location plan are given in Annex 1 and Annex 2.

seems like there's an increase in interest in the tangjong pagar area. :cheers: Another great project for Tanjong Pagar :)

Another interesting project will be revealed soon :banana: Hope they will do a good work with the conservation of the Ogilvy building.

From URA's website (http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/text/2010/pr10-129.html):

URA launches the tender for the hotel site at Robinson Road / Boon Tat Street

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has launched the hotel site at Robinson Road / Boon Tat Street for sale via public tender today.

The land parcel was made available for sale through the Reserve List system on 22 June 2010. On 19 October 2010, URA announced that it had received an application from a developer to put up the land parcel for tender. The developer has committed to bid at a price of not less than S$30.8 million for the land parcel on a 60-year lease term in the public tender.

Land Parcel at Robinson Road / Boon Tat Street

The hotel site is located in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District, with prominent frontage along Robinson Road and Boon Tat Street. It is within walking distance to the financial and business districts at Raffles Place and Marina Bay.

The land parcel includes a historically and architecturally significant conservation building, designed in the Neo-classical style. Built in 1927, it is an important heritage landmark, representative of Singapore’s business district in the first half of the 20th Century.

The prominent location of the land parcel and distinctive architecture of the conservation building offer an excellent opportunity to create a high-quality boutique hotel development in the heart of the city’s business and financial district.

To provide greater flexibility to prospective tenderers, they will be allowed to bid for the site on either a 30 or 60-year lease term. The shorter lease term can help lower upfront investment costs, if needed. For the purpose of tender evaluation, bids submitted for a 60-year lease term will be normalised to their 30-year equivalents by using the formula specified in the tender documents. Please see Annex 1 for an example.

Selection of the successful tenderer will be based on the tendered land price only. For the sale of this land parcel, any tender below the accepted minimum bid price of S$30.8 million for a 60-year lease term or its 30-year equivalent of S$23.1 million for a 30-year lease term will not be considered.

The tender for the site will close at 12 noon on 5 January 2011.