July 29, 2007
No vacancies
Room squeeze, so tourists being put up in chalets, JB
Travel agents also turning to hotels in red-light areas, lodgings in old Seletar airbase, even Batam

By Bryna Sim

TRAVEL agents are housing tourists in some unlikely places in the face of an acute hotel room shortage.

Beachside chalets, budget hotels in red-light areas and Seletar - nothing is being ruled out as possible lodgings. Some agencies even put up guests in hotels across the Causeway after a day of sightseeing.

More than a third of the 35 travel agents The Sunday Times contacted admitted to doing this.

In the first half of this year, Singapore received 4.9 million tourists, 5.2 per cent up from last year.

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) figures show that the estimated 37,000 hotel rooms here enjoyed an average occupancy rate of 86 per cent last month.

Three-star hotels such as the Park View, Allson and Bayview confirmed that they have been swamped with guests since March.

'Our occupancy rates are at an average of 95 to 96 per cent daily,' said Bayview reservations officer Wan Poh Wan.

Travel GSH's Mr Chai Yin usually houses guests in three- to four-star hotels such as Royal and Peninsula but now has to look elsewhere.

This month, he has put up three groups at NTUC's Costa Sands Resorts. These chalets were not sufficient. He even had to turn away groups of tourists from Vietnam, China and Taiwan.

Ms Tan Siew Liang, 24, of LC Travel Planners, is equally strapped: 'The situation is really bad. Even if we try booking up to three months in advance, the hotels have no rooms.'

Some agents like Ms Joycelyn Su, senior manager at CTC Holidays, fear tourists could come away with a bad impression of Singapore if they are dumped in fleapits.

She opts to send guests to four-star hotels in Johor and Batam but that is inconvenient for tourists and the agency, with extra transport and immigration logistics to contend with.

Even corporate clients here on business, and religious groups in town for conferences and corporate retreats, can struggle for a room for the night.

If the shortage persists, CTC Holidays will consider using the dormitory-style housing of the Boy's Brigade Campsite in the Havelock Road area, Ms Su said.

The dorm beds may be preferred to what some tour guides like Mr Jack Chia, 46, have had to resort to.

His family tour groups have been put up at hotels in red-light district areas like Geylang and Joo Chiat, much to his embarrassment.

'Female tourists are always very uncomfortable about this, although they know it is not our fault,' said Mr Chia.

China tourist Leng Ruyi, 45, was disappointed with her accommodation at the Orientus Resort Singapore, tucked away in the old Seletar East Camp military airbase.

She found the room cramped and unpleasant paint fumes lingered through the night.

The STB is 'optimistic' that a better match between supply and demand will be seen in three to four years with new hotels coming onstream.

But merchant bank Merrill Lynch forecasts that although demand in 2015 will reach 62,100 rooms a day, the supply will be 59,220 rooms.

Additional reporting by Teh Shi Ning, Brian Higgs and David Lee

brynasim@sph.com.sg

Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

We can build in advance for our airport, but why office space and hotel space like always lag so far behind......

We can build in advance for our airport, but why office space and hotel space like always lag so far behind......

Cos a few big developers decided that converting office towers and hotels to high end residential developments will be more profitable.

Marco Polo, Blvd, ANA, Oberoi, 1 Shenton...
Hmm.. then again.. such change of use... have to be approved by URA..
Hmm..

I guess the situation won't so acute after 2010.....:yes:

But i guess if tourist figures are optimistic enough, they should build more hotel......:yes:

I guess the situation won't so acute after 2010.....:yes:

But i guess if tourist figures are optimistic enough, they should build more hotel......:yes:

yea..... actually Singapore should have the Peninsula Hotel (not the one near DFS)

http://www.peninsula.com/

it's about time.....

maybe the plot of land beside the marina IR should do :lol:

The Raffles is to Singapore what the Peninsula is to HK...

But Singapore should seek to diversify the ranges of hotel types IMO.

It's pathetic, hearing about this hotel squeeze.

Bring on the Pod Hotels, Budget Hotels, and taller hotels!! Except for Swissotel Westin, hotels seem to be capped at just 30 to 35 stories, even those are rare.

Yes I noted that hotels here are generally short.

Exceptions would be the Swissotel & upcoming IR.

I think best is to have a mixed-use building, like the Jin Mao in Shanghai.

Yes I noted that hotels here are generally short.

Exceptions would be the Swissotel & upcoming IR.

I think best is to have a mixed-use building, like the Jin Mao in Shanghai.

height limit would make that unfeasible i suppose.

I think best is to have a mixed-use building, like the Jin Mao in Shanghai.
Don't think we would ever have a building as tall as the Jin Mao.

Anyway, I think some of the available URA hotel sales sites allow other uses such as commercial or serviced apartmnets once the developer commits 60% of the floor space for hotel use.

I kinda accept that 245m height limit...

Saw a Cathay Pacific 747 from AMK Central today, it was very, very low, you can make out the winglets, brushwing logo...

Even then, I don't understan' if we can build 50 to 60 storey condos, why can't we build taller hotels?

Quite disappointed with Hyatt, Hilton, InterContinental really, they had the "best potential" with the money, branding...

I guess Singapore is not banking on architectural tourism...

Even then, I don't understan' if we can build 50 to 60 storey condos, why can't we build taller hotels?
I believe tourists generally do not like staying in super tall hotels?

I kinda accept that 245m height limit...

Saw a Cathay Pacific 747 from AMK Central today, it was very, very low, you can make out the winglets, brushwing logo...

either you have really good eye-sight or that jet was just flying WAY too low for AMK...

I believe tourists generally do not like staying in super tall hotels?

y not?:)

By the way, its not uncommon to see planes flying low... Its quite common. There used to be lotsa AirAsia B737s on approach to Seletar for maintenance, nowadaz its private Learjets or private 737s or small Cessna planes.

I guess because of the landing approaches into Changi, especially in Dec/Jan/Feb, planes do fly across central Singapore at low heights.

By the way, I do not believe tourists dislike staying in super tall hotels or why is there hotels in Jin Mao, Shanghai, or Burj Dubai, or Burj Al Arab, or Baiyoke Sky Tower, need me to name more before you're force to eat your words??

http://p.vtourist.com/1880735-The_30_floor_267_meter_tall_Faisaliya_tower-Riyadh.jpgI totally agree, we do need architectural tall hotels that can be cash on. Hotels with 500-600 rooms and fully equipped facilities. Most of our design tall buildings are made for private condos and apartments, couldn't they be the same for hotels. What difference does it make.

Floating hotels may ride F1 visitor wave

16 Aug 07

STB exploring novel accommodation ideas for expected 50,000 foreign guests

(SINGAPORE) When 50,000 foreign guests descend upon Singapore to watch the Formula One race in September next year, some could literally find themselves out at sea.

Floating hotels may be commissioned to alleviate the room crunch that is expected during the race.

The inaugural Singapore Grand Prix will be held on Sept 28, 2008, and with a shortage of hotel rooms looming, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is said to be looking at this form of alternative accommodation.

The concept of a floating hotel is not new and has been applied in other parts of the world. In the Netherlands, for example, such a 'botel' can be found in the heart of Amsterdam in the dock area.

But instead of building a deckhouse aboard a flat-top barge and outfitting it with rooms and toilets, along with facilities like restaurants, sewage systems and diesel generators, the board is understood to be eyeing a couple of existing cruise ships from a charter company. Each vessel will then be retrofitted with hotel-like requirements at a cost of about '$2 million per ship', says a source.

'Each ship will have 500 to 1,000 rooms after the renovation work,' he says. 'The cost is high because they will have to be manned by cruise ship crew, not Shatec students. You need properly trained people who can work in a confined space.'

He adds that the plan is for the ships to be moored off Changi or Labrador Park.

Like the F1 race, STB aims to bring together potential investors and cruise operators for the floating hotel project so that the initiative is driven by the private sector. And just like F1, the board will do its part by dealing with any red tape and helping with all the necessary licensing required.

The 50,000 foreign guests expected at next year's GP event are likely to exacerbate the existing shortage of hotel rooms in Singapore.

The supply crunch appears to be dire. According to a recent report by investment bank Merrill Lynch, the 'demand for hotel rooms will increase at an average of 4,050 rooms per year between 2007 and 2015, while the supply of rooms is forecast to increase at 3,300 rooms per year - resulting in a 19 per cent shortfall per year'.

Merrill Lynch also forecasted that, by 2015, the demand for hotel rooms will reach 62,100 rooms per day, whereas supply will only be 59,220 rooms.

So if the floating hotel does become a reality, it will be useful not only for next year's F1 race but also for surging tourist arrivals in general. It can bridge the gap until 2010, when the two integrated resorts (IRs) open with their more than 4,000 rooms between them.

But one industry source dismissed the need for such buoyant accommodation. He says there should not be a problem housing the 50,000 visitors to the debut race.

'Singapore has an estimated 35,000 hotel rooms now and in a year's time, the number will be about 37,000. If there is a shortage of rooms during the race week, the overseas visitors can easily turn to other accommodation like serviced apartments,' he said.

There are an estimated 3,500 such units in Singapore, he added.


By SAMUEL EE

Wow....quite an interesting idea....:yes:

This will add some flavour to the Marina Bay neighbourhood

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuartkg/356710023/

huh whats the point of having the ships at changi or labrador park? you can't see anything from there. are the ships cruising to marina bay to join the crowd in watching f1? that might be pretty dramatic.

Buy a Used Aircraft Carrier. Retrofit with 5 star accomodation.

Park at Marina Bay..

Accomdation, Viewing platform, rescue helicopter landing pad.. all in 1.

Will be a world first.

That would be relly terrific. More or less it would be just like a cruise ship in the end.

Floating hotel idea: Government charters cruise ships for extra accomodation, probably will have to create a Cruise company under Temasek Hldgs. Boy, I'd like to see how Star Cruises reacts to this.

What's wrong with building proper hotels on the mainland? Why aren't the hoteliers like Swissotel, Copthorne, etc expanding anymore?

Why aren't those entrepreneurs who created Hotel 81 and Fragrance Hotel starting an upmarket brand to tap this untapped mkt?

Developers should rethink their strategy of converting hotels to office buildings since there is expected growth coming with visitorship arrivals expected to rise due to F1, Uniquely Singapore promos, Fireworks and multimedia show every week, Sands and Resorts World.

Didn't Singapore lease Bintan's coast to develop the Bintan resorts? Maybe it could help develop the Riau SEZ, improve relations with Indonesia and at the same time, making Riau Province unofficially 'ours'. And will satisfy our accomodation needs while not significantly hurting profits and we get to help our neighbours too.

Apologies to those who are perturbed by the above para.

More tourist coming...better build more hotels....:yes:

Sep 1, 2007
Record 951,000 visitors in July and longer stays
$168.3m in hotel room revenue, up by 27.5% over last July; record arrivals from US, Australia and Vietnam
By Lin Xinyi & Leonard Lim

JULY was the best ever month for Singapore tourism.

Four records were set:

951,000 visitors - the most in a month, beating the previous high of last July by four per cent.

They stayed longer too - 3.6 million days in all, 11 per cent more than last July's record.

Travellers from the United States, Australia and Vietnam set records of their own for arrivals from the three countries.

Plus $168.3 million in hotel room revenue - 27.5 per cent over last July.

Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang is confident that the industry will continue to grow.

'The tourism sector has been riding a new wave in the last few years,' he said during the ground-breaking of the Pit Building for next year's Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.

With 5,883,000 tourists visiting Singapore shores in seven months, the industry is well on its way to its '10.2 million visitors' target for the year which, if fulfilled, will be another record.

July has traditionally been a strong month for tourism, said National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (Natas) chief executive Robert Khoo.

Australian tourists head here during their winter season while Americans and Europeans arrive on summer holiday.

Another lure: the Great Singapore Sale.

Visitors from Down Under made a strong showing in July, with their 76,000 visitors making them Singapore's third largest group of tourists, after Indonesians (192,000) and Chinese nationals (109,000).

Natas' chairman of the inbound committee Allen Tsang noted that several business events added to visitor numbers.

In July, the likes of Herbalife Asia Pacific Extravaganza 2007, the World Glaucoma Congress 2007 and the 18th Wonca World Conference on Family Medicine were held in Singapore.

Such business events drew close to 25,000 visitors and contributed at least $40 million in tourism receipts.

Whether tourist or business traveller, it did not matter for hotels here.

A spokesman for the Grand Copthorne Waterfront said: 'The back to back conventions in July contributed to the increase of revenue.

'We had to turn more than 3,100 room nights away. We also had to stop taking reservations as early as one month before the peak period.'

Hotel cashiers were working overtime, going by the latest Singapore Tourism Board numbers. Nine in 10 hotel rooms were booked up and average room rates hit $185 per night - a record for the month of July.

Just two years ago, room rates were averaging $136.

It was also a bumper month for Changi Airport. In July, 3.16 million passengers passed through Changi's aerobridges, the highest ever in a single month this year and 3.5 per cent more compared to the same month last year.

While hoteliers and retailers enjoyed the boom, travel agents have raised the alarm about Singapore literally running out of rooms. Natas' Mr Tsang said the pace at which new hotels are being opened is not keeping up with the growth in visitor arrivals.

And more tourists are expected with Changi Airport's Terminal 3 opening its doors in January, especially given new attractions next year like the Formula 1 and the Singapore Flyer ferris wheel in the Marina Bay area.

The F1 alone is anticipated to bring in 80,000 tourists.

Weighing in on the issue yesterday, Minister Lim said: 'We recognise that our demand is greater than supply. We have not been building sufficient hotel rooms during the difficult years from 1998 to 2003 partly because hotel rates were low and hotel developers and investors did not see the yield and the returns to hotel investments.'

In fact, Singapore will need to double the number of rooms here given that it had 'practically doubled visitor arrivals', he added.

There are 36,000 rooms here now and Mr Khoo estimates that 5,000 more rooms will be available by 2010, with the integrated resorts contributing half of the total.

The industry is also exploring novel accommodation ideas such as floating hotels, homestays and converting existing buildings to hotels to ease the tight room supply.

Mr Lim said that the Government is releasing many sites to put up new hotels and the ball is now in the developers' court.

Since August last year, contracts for nine hotel sites, which should yield about 3,100 rooms, have been awarded. Another 10 sites are available, with eight on the reserve list.

He said: 'They know hotel rates have gone up and will continue to go up at a measured pace.

'We hope they will tender sensibly for the land price and be in the position to build the supply that we need.'

linxinyi@sph.com.sg

limze@sph.com.sg

Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Sep 1, 2007
Hotel unfinished but nine in 10 rooms taken
Demand for Link Hotel rooms even before official opening highlights room crunch
By Tania Tan

IT IS barely finished, but already, nine in 10 rooms at the Link Hotel have been taken.

There is still some way to go before its official opening next month and the second block is still being refurbished, but the hotel's guests are just glad to have rooms to lay down their heads at night.

Of the 150 rooms now available in the Tiong Bahru Road hotel, converted from the old Singapore Improvement Trust flats, 130 have been let out.

The demand for these rooms, priced at between $260 and $600 a night, kicked in even before the hotel's soft opening in mid-July, and it has consistently filled its rooms since then.

This thirst for rooms is just a sign of the boom times for hotels.

The hotel's executive assistant manager James Ting said travel agents were already calling him in June to secure rooms for their clients.

'There was definitely a big demand. The travel agents needed rooms,' he said.

And no wonder. July saw a record-breaking 951,000 visitors vying for the just over 36,000 hotel rooms available here.

Mr Ting, noting an increasing number of guests from India and China, said: 'They travel within Asia because it's familiar territory, and cheaper than Europe or America, so there's bigger demand now.'

Industry players have already been warning of a room crunch.

Mr Robert Khoo, who heads the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore, has in fact gone as far as to say that the shortage in rooms could put a dampener on growth in tourist arrivals.

The Singapore Tourism Board has said it is working with the Urban Redevelopment Authority to monitor the supply of hotel rooms.

Since last August, contracts for nine hotel sites, which should yield about 3,100 rooms, have been awarded, among them, the Link Hotel.

And with next year's Formula One races expected to draw some 80,000 to 90,000 more revellers here, the room shortage situation is beginning to look acute.

Yesterday, the Minister of Trade & Industry Lim Hng Kiang said that the Government was aware of the situation and was 'looking at it'.

The agencies would release land, and with room rates going up, there would be more interest from developers, he said.

taniat@sph.com.sg

Post your comments online at www.straitstimes.com

Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Sep 4, 2007
Ritz-Carlton Residences in Singapore a first in Asia
Premier hotel brand will build 58 high-end homes in Cairnhill on former Horizon View site
By Fiona Chan

WELL-HEELED fans of the Ritz-Carlton's luxury accommodation will soon be able to buy homes in Singapore that come stamped with the five-star hotel brand.

Asia's first Ritz-Carlton Residences will be launched for sale in Singapore late next month, with 56 apartment units and two penthouses up for grabs.

The 36-storey tower will be built in Cairnhill Road on the former Horizon View site, and will be completed by early 2010.

Residents will enjoy a 24-hour concierge service, housekeeping and sommelier service. All the staff will be trained and managed by Ritz-Carlton.

While the apartment prices have not yet been finalised, Ritz-Carlton's vice-president of international hotel development, Mr Shawn Hill, said the hotel's branded apartments usually fetch up to 50 per cent more than comparable non-branded homes.

'Typically, comparing against non-branded residential properties, we see a 20 to 50 per cent premium over the highest-end homes in each market,' he told The Straits Times.

There are currently 32 other Ritz-Carlton Residences around the world, including in New York, Boston, Hawaii and the Bahamas. Similar projects are in the pipeline in Europe and the Middle East, Mr Hill said.

In Asia, Singapore was chosen for the residences' debut over cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo, where Ritz-Carlton has service apartments.

'We chose Singapore because we consider it to be a pace-setter in the region, and it's a highly sought-after city to live in,' explained Mr Hill.

'Singapore, as a city, has some of its own branding and a very strong international appeal. It represents a high quality of living as well as stability.'

But the group is also looking at building more of such homes in other 'gateway cities' in Asia, including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta, Mr Hill added.

The Singapore project is a partnership between Ritz-Carlton and Hayden Properties - a 50:50 joint venture between real estate firm KOP Capital and Emirates Investment Group unit Emirates Tarian Capital.

Hayden, which was set up last October, is also the developer behind the luxury project at 37 Scotts Road that boasts a garage in every apartment.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences in Singapore will offer units in three sizes. The three-bedroom units will be 2,800 sq ft while the four-bedders will be 3,100 sq ft and the penthouses will weigh in at more than 5,000 sq ft.

Each unit will have designer fittings and appliances. The property will also have a lap pool, library, wine cellar, and a kitchen and entertainment area managed by the Ritz-Carlton.

Monthly maintenance fees for the apartments may add up to between $2,000 and $3,000, said Ms Ong Chih Ching, Hayden's founder and lead director.

She said the trend of hotel-branded residences is set to grow in Asia, as homebuyers become more affluent.

'Apart from the luxurious hardware that you will see in buildings, the other thing that buyers will look for is service. A lot of the hotel chains have good reputations for their service.'

Other hotel-branded residences in Singapore include Four Seasons Park and St Regis Residences.

Mr Ku Swee Yong, director of marketing and business development at Savills Singapore, agreed that more co-branded apartments will emerge, and not just involving hotels.

'The co-branding trend includes architects, designers, fashion labels such as Armani and Versace, and these will put Singapore on the world map.'

He expects foreigners to make up most of the buyers of the Ritz-Carlton apartments. These could 'definitely fetch a minimum' of $4,000 per sq ft, which is at least 20 per cent more than current prices in Cairnhill, he said.

fiochan@sph.com.sg

Luxury living

Ritz-Carlton Residences in Singapore will offer 56 apartment units and two penthouses.

The 36-storey tower in Cairnhill will be completed by early 2010.

Residents will enjoy a 24-hour concierge service, housekeeping and sommelier service.

Similar projects are in the pipeline in Europe and the Middle East.

The group is also eyeing other 'gateway cities' in Asia such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo,

Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta.

Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

That is cool now we need for more hotels... starwoods , taj , peninsula , and dorchester.....

I agree we need more hotels. Some of our hotels like Grand Hyatt, Hilton, Shangri-la and Ritz Carlton are looking really old.

palace of the golden horses!

Buy a Used Aircraft Carrier. Retrofit with 5 star accomodation.

Park at Marina Bay..

Accomdation, Viewing platform, rescue helicopter landing pad.. all in 1.

Will be a world first.

Has floating hotel like that proven to be successful anywhere in the world?
There was one in HCM City, but has sice ceased operations.

I suspect operating and mainteinance costs will be a lot higher.

Otherwise, it may be an interesting idea, though not necessary innovative.

Queen Mary liner was turned into a hotel in Long Beach. Apparently it works.