Source : Sunday Times - 7 Sep 2008
The next time you take your overseas guests to dine in the East Coast, they can also head upstairs to stay for the night.
A 65-room boutique hotel is slated to open in eight months at 400 and 404 East Coast Road. It will occupy the second floor of two two-storey buildings, while their ground floor will host eateries.
Local company Haruta Investment is spending $5 million to redevelop the property. Its executive director Lau Sin Ling said the hotel will boast Peranakan-style artworks, sculptures and decor.
Small offices, including a law firm and a trading company, used to occupy the second floor of the buildings.
Ms Lau hopes the area’s reputation for good food and rich Peranakan culture will attract tourists and businessmen to the hotel, which has no name yet.
‘It is close to town and minutes away from the airport,’ she said, adding that there is enough business to go around for her hotel and two others - Grand Mercure Roxy and Paramount Hotel - nearby.
Before the hotel idea surfaced, the ground floor of the buildings was occupied by six tenants - Mexican eatery Margarita’s, Italian restaurant Al Forno, Cloud 9 pub, Spanish joint Cafe Calle, Chinese eatery Hong Kong Street Chun Kee and a coffee shop.
All had to vacate by last Monday. They will return once work on the hotel is completed, save for Hong Kong Street Chun Kee, which has relocated to Tanjong Katong Road.
Its owner said he could not afford the downtime of eight months, and the space will be taken over by Margarita’s.
Al Forno has found a place opposite its old premises to do business for now.
‘I don’t have any problems with moving. It is an old building, and things need to be done to revamp it,’ said Mr Alessandro Di Prisco, owner of Al Forno East Coast, which has been operating for 13 years.
It will have to pay between 10 per cent and 20 per cent more rent when it moves back.
Margarita’s boss Andy Yap said he had a shock when the landlord informed him of the hotel plans in February. He had just spent close to $70,000 on renovating his restaurant, which he opened 13 years ago.
‘I was worried initially it was going to be a budget hotel offering one-hour services,’ he said with a chuckle.
For now, he will focus on his other outlets in Dempsey Road and Faber Drive.
‘I am looking forward to having the hotel around. If all goes well, we might have the first Mexican-style hotel breakfast in a couple of months,’ he said.
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