Bold business changes and partnerships have been instrumental in the survival of Singapore’s boutique hotels throughout the travel crisis, allowing them to ride out the storm and be ready to welcome again international travellers now.
According to Hotel Mono and The Warehouse Hotel, their decisive pivot to rely on commercial long-term tenancy had helped to keep business going when international travel was cut off.
Glenn Quah, general manager of the 46-key Hotel Mono told TTG Asia that the hotel relied heavily on commercial long-term tenancy with companies that needed to house many of their key personnel who were unable to cross borders for the first year of the pandemic.
The Warehouse Hotel also sought out long-stay corporate businesses with its regular clients to stay afloat, according to general manager, Tarun Kalra.
Like many businesses, the biggest challenge for Hotel Mono came from the manpower front. Few staff were keen to work on the frontline as they would have to come in contact with many guests.
Quah added: “A positive case (infection) among the staff would have crippled the front desk. At the same time, many of our foreign staff had not seen their families for long periods of time and were starting to feel really homesick.”
In response, hotel ensured that safety measures were in place and constantly monitored the mental and emotional well-being of its staff.
The Warehouse Hotel, on the other hand, found having to adapt to the frequent changes in safe management regulations tough. To counter that, the 37-key boutique heritage hotel made sure to exercise flexibility towards its guests who have booked their staycation and weddings.
As the battle for business shifted to local residents, boutique hotels crafted novel staycation offerings and played up their unique prepositions.
It was challenging for Hotel G Singapore, which positions itself as a boutique hotel, to remain top of mind for new and existing guests alike, according to general manager Michelle Lee.
She explained: “To maintain brand awareness and compete for a piece of the staycation pie, we collaborated with local partners and our F&B outlets to create innovative staycation packages. That has allowed us to navigate through these unprecedented times.”
Enter workcation package, Hustle & Grind, which allows a day-use of one of its rooms from 07.00 to 19.00 complete with all the necessities and modern comforts such as high speed Wi-Fi, smart TVs with mirroring function, and F&B perks including French wine and set lunches.
In August 2021, to celebrate Singapore’s 56th National Day, Hotel G Singapore collaborated with local brands to create its Slay, Stay & Play staycation. The package included an upgraded night’s stay, an F&B component, and complimentary goodies from homegrown names.
The Warehouse Hotel, which prides itself on its design-centric and local heritage and culture, partnered with In Good Company, a local clothing label, to design a custom robe that guests could buy and enjoy a discount voucher for use at In Good Company. The hotel’s staycation packages comprised F&B vouchers as well as locally curated gifts like paperweights, hip flasks and specially-designed playing cards that guests may use during their stay.
As Singapore started to ease social restrictions in 2021, allowing private groups of five to congregate, Hotel Mono moved into family getaways. The property is one of the few in Singapore with family rooms that can accommodate up to five guests at a time.
The Warehouse Hotel went after couples in love, dangling packages that were built for intimate weddings and solemnisations for 20 guests – in line with Covid regulations then on celebratory events. Kalra recalled that the packages were a hit with many couples that were looking to tie the knot in 2020 and 2021. The hotel collaborated with local floral design studio, Floral Kokoro, to offer customised floral arrangements along with curated lunch and dinner set menus from Po restaurant.
To overcome dine-in restrictions, The Warehouse Hotel’s Po restaurant and Lobby Bar worked with partners such as Grab, Oddle and Chope to make its menu and locally-inspired bottled cocktails available island-wide. Bundle sets containing signature dishes and guests’ favourites were priced appropriately to encourage online orders, while a contactless curbside pick-up was also offered as an option.
As international travel picks up along with heightened competition, boutique hotel players emphasised the importance of committing to high cleanliness standards, adapting to evolving situation and guests’ needs, as well as staying true to their distinctive personalities and amplifying that differentiation to customers.
Here’s wishing all our Buddhist readers a happy Vesak Day!
During this time, Weinstein also oversaw Carnival UK, the operating company for P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard, which he previously managed directly for three years as president.
Thng has also served as chief commercial officer of Scoot from May 2016 to October 2017, and chief executive of SIA’s regional carrier SilkAir between August 2012 and May 2016.
The events calendar that we aspire for the participation or enjoyment of local sports fans are a natural draw for tourism as well. We thus work closely with the Singapore Tourism Board to not only curate the events portfolio, but also the fringe activities that provide a total experience in and around the venue. Singapore’s vibrancy and energy promises that there will never be a dull moment!
Singaporeans, like tourists, attend sport events that they believe will provide them a not-to-be-missed opportunity to see the stars and enjoy good quality sporting action. At SportSG, we seek to create such opportunities through a range of mass participation to world-class spectator events.
For example, we work with our partner Ironman Asia to enhance the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) race experience from year to year. That includes a great race expo, improved routes and atmosphere, inspiring elite participation, and engaging workshops. This has not only made it a must-attend event for runners in Singapore, but has also attracted growing international participation with each edition.
The pandemic did not see the SCSM come to a standstill. The races incorporated virtual and augmented reality components for the first time in 2020, and again in 2021, even when physical participation was reintroduced.
Through the SCSM’s Virtual Running Club, overseas runners could choose from a selection of virtual routes that took them through iconic sights of Singapore, such as Little India and Orchard Road, as they ran the race. Local runners were also able to participate at several SportSG sport centres that set up a network of official race treadmills.
In the same spirit, SportSG continued to work with event promoters and rights holders through the last two years to stage events in Singapore, notwithstanding the tough Covid restrictions on movement and travel. It has given our partners the confidence and assurance that we are committed to supporting the industry, that we have the capabilities and ability to adapt to and be agile under prevailing circumstances, and that we are emerging with a strong innovation mindset.
SportSG also capitalised on the downturn caused by the pandemic by offering a generous Innovation Grant to support the deployment of technology solutions for hybrid events, fan engagements, and more. The focus on engaging event experiences continues unabated as we emerge from the pandemic.
Finally, it is important to highlight that SportSG continues to be on the lookout for marquee events that have the potential to engage new fans, new athletes, and new commercial opportunities. One recent example is our bid for the World Athletics Championships 2025. Singapore25 represents a unique opportunity to host one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events and advance the sport of athletics into an untapped region. The legacy for participation here and the sport industry is expected to be very significant.
These are all major sporting events. Is SportSG also positioning Singapore as a desirable hub for smaller, local and regional events?
Local and regional events are important to Singapore’s sport development, giving our athletes opportunities to build competitive experience. They also give spectators a variety of platforms to support and cheer on Team Singapore on home ground. This is complemented by a comprehensive calendar of local leagues and competitions that focus on pathway development and recreational sport. They are an integral part of the formula in keeping Singaporeans participating, competing, and cheering.
The pandemic had set back many of these events. So, at the earliest opportunity in December 2020, we worked on a pilot to bring spectators back to the Singapore Premier League matches, learning and calibrating from the experience.
Since taking that first step, regional events have made a strong comeback. Between December 2021 and March 2022, Singapore hosted the AFF Suzuki Cup in December 2021, SEA Pencak Silat Championships in February 2022, and FAS Tri-Nations Series in March 2022. While Covid restrictions were still in place, we also encouraged modified leagues and competitions for our youth to fuel their interests.
Is SportSG also looking at attracting global sporting associations to be located or headquartered in Singapore, to encourage even more sports-related events and meetings to be hosted here? What progress is SportSG making in this effort?
The presence of global sporting associations in Singapore is a welcomed addition to the sporting ecosystem. Their activities would include international meetings and conferences, sport events, and sport development programmes. These benefit local administrators, officials, coaches and athletes; and in many instances open up employment opportunities that would upskill the local workforce, and position Singapore well as a regional hub.
Singaporeans who aspire to work abroad in the global sport ecosystem would then also find that the referrals and experience gained here would give them a leg up.
Given our stage of development as a regional sport hub, SportSG is in discussions with several parties on the prospects and opportunities to partner and collaborate on these fronts.
Is SportSG encouraging or facilitating the development of more sports facilities across Singapore that will cater to future sports events demand and possibilities? Or is the massive Singapore Sports Hub enough at this point?
The objectives behind sport facilities development in Singapore go beyond the facilitation of events. Like a balanced portfolio of sporting events, well-designed facilities are essential to cater to the wide range of sporting interests and to provide access and opportunity to a lifetime participation in sport.
The Sports Facilities Master Plan (SFMP) is a key foundation of our Vision 2030 sport master plan. The four tiers in the portfolio of facilities range from international competition-grade venues to free-to-play neighbourhood sport parks. In particular, the five regional sport hubs will complement the Singapore Sports Hub when hosting major games. These regional hubs and various other specialised facilities will also cater to the needs of national training centres for Team Singapore.
A key tenet of the SFMP is to match urban planning parameters for housing development and land-use optimisation. The latter includes opening all school sport facilities for community use on the weekends.