SINGAPORE will welcome a second Sofitel hotel next year, the result of yet another partnership between Accor and Royal Group after the soon-to-open Sofitel So Singapore.
At a press conference last week, the partners announced that Royal Group’s newly purchased 215-key property on Sentosa island – formerly a Beaufort hotel that has temporarily been renamed The Singapore Resort & Spa Sentosa – will be rebranded Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa in 2H2015 (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 28, 2014).
Phased refurbishment of the property has commenced, with the existing Spa Botanica now closed for the purpose and to later reopen as So Spa, featuring 14 treatment rooms, six outdoor spa pavilions and a spa garden.
Tony Chisholm, general manager of The Singapore Resort & Spa Sentosa, told TTG Asia e-Daily the property will offer 1,300m2 of dedicated conferencing venues including two ballrooms, six meeting rooms for 20 to 400 people, as well as outdoor spaces for teambuilding activities and special dinners.
“MICE business will be well catered for with two refurbished ballrooms and a brand new pre-function room,” said Chisholm (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 18, 2014).
Asked what markets the property is targeting, he said: “We are a popular choice for guests from Australia, Japan, the UK and Russia. This constitutes more than 70 per cent in terms of nationality mix. Singapore is also one of our major source markets for staycations, especially during the holidays. About 40 per cent of our guests are here for business.
“During the week the hotel will predominantly focus on meetings and events, and on weekends it will target Singapore staycation guests as well as the leisure markets from across Asia-Pacific and the world.”
Chisholm added that Accor hotels in Singapore finished 2013 with 90 per cent occupancy and started 2014 well.
“Hotel supply will increase in Singapore this year but Singapore Tourism Board has set a target of five to eight per cent growth in visitor arrivals and we are starting to see some growth in business travel, so we believe 2014 will be a good year for hotels,” he said.
Bobby Hiranandani, Royal Group managing director, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “Choosing to work with Accor to bring Sofitel to Singapore is an important step for us and for Accor. We plan to contribute in providing tourists travelling to Singapore a differentiated luxury experience that borrows a lot of inspiration from the French cultural DNA.”
