THE first Ramada property in Singapore will throw open its doors in four days’ time, placing a selection of indoor and outdoor event venues in the heart of the Balestier heritage district.
The four-star Ramada Singapore at Zhongshan Park is said to be the first international hotel of that category in the Balestier and larger Novena area, where the central business district is mere minutes away by train.
The hotel is armed with 540m2 of meeting and banquet space, which will be filled by local and regional corporate events, according to general manager Tony Cousens.
“We expect 80 per cent of our business to come from Asia-Pacific, so we are targeting the powerhouses of Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia and Australia for our meetings segment,” said Cousens.
“There is a good catchment of companies (across Singapore) and we know that (corporate event planners) in the central business district want to come out here and not do their meetings in Orchard Road, where they will lose the attention of their audience. On top of that, more companies are seeking mid-market properties to conduct training events, and we have been getting a lot of interest from technology and banking firms,” he added.
The hotel’s meeting venues include the pillarless Balestier Ballroom for up to 300 guests in a theatre setting that can be divided into three smaller function rooms, and the Zhongshan meeting room that can seat 150 guests in a theatre setting and be converted into two separate rooms.
Besides indoor venues, event planners can also use Zhongshan Park, a tree-lined space next to the hotel that overlooks the iconic Sun Yat Sen Memorial Museum with capacity for 500-pax cocktail receptions, or the breezy terrace by the pool on the third storey, which can take 150 guests for standing events and no more than 100 for sit-down dinners.
