Source : Straits Times - 27 Mar 2009
GUESTS will be charged a premium for a night’s stay in the hotels in Resorts World at Sentosa, when it opens next year.
Yesterday, the casino-resort’s chief executive officer Tan Hee Teck said that hotels in theme parks overseas typically charge a higher rate than similar properties in the city.
This is because they offer visitors a range of attractions within walking distance, including Singapore’s first Universal Studios at Resorts World.
Family travellers with young children will enjoy the convenience of being able to take their tired kids back for a rest before coming back out again, without having to incur extra transport costs.
Minimum rates at five-star properties on Sentosa can range from $375 to $650.
Although Resorts World at Sentosa room rates have not been firmed up, The Straits Times understands that hotels in theme parks can charge up to 30 per cent more than the same class of hotel outside.
However, Mr Klaus Kohlmayr, director of service for hotel consultancy firm Integrated Decisions and Systems International, said it might not be a wise move to do so in such a weak market.
He said: ‘Leisure markets are the most price-sensitive, especially for families. They might decide it is cheaper to stay outside and take a taxi in for the day.’
Still, Resorts World at Sentosa is confident of drawing the crowds when it opens its doors next year.
The 49ha integrated resort on Sentosa - Singapore’s second after the Marina Bay Sands project - expects 15 million visitors in its first full year of operation. Mr Tan said the resort, with its theme park, casino, shopping and other attractions, is a destination in itself where people can stay for five to seven days.
The project is on schedule to open in the first quarter of next year, he said.
Of the resort’s six hotels, four - Hard Rock Hotel, Maxims Tower, Hotel Michael and Festive Hotel - will be ready by the first quarter of next year.
Some 1,350 out of 1,800 rooms will be available for the resort’s soft opening, with rooms going on sale by the end of the year.
Yesterday, the media was given a glimpse of the interior of the US$223 million (S$338 million) Hard Rock Hotel. It will have 10 suites, 350 rooms, 26 meeting rooms and a ballroom that can accommodate up to 7,300 people.
Guests will be able to take in live performances in an outdoor venue from the comfort of their room balconies.
In a nod to the resort positioning itself as a family destination, Hard Rock Hotel will have rooms that can accommodate up to six people.
In keeping with Hard Rock’s music industry theme, the hotel will be decorated with guitar-shaped and other musical motifs. Bathroom mirrors adorned with light bulbs will give guests the feel of being in a rock star’s dressing room.
Together with the opening of the new Hard Rock Hotel, Singapore will also get another Hard Rock Cafe, announced Mr Stephen Lau, who heads HPL Hotels & Resorts, the main franchise owner of the Hard Rock brand.
The new cafe, which will be slightly smaller than the one in Cuscaden Road, will be on Resort World’s Festive Walk, a pedestrian mall lined with shops and restaurants.
Mr Lau said the 19-year-old outlet off Orchard Road will also be refurbished.
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