Hotel offers all-in-one deal

Source : Straits Times - 25 Mar 2009

A NEW boutique hotel has become the first hotel here to charge one flat rate for all its services.

For now till at least the end of next month, guests at the 108-room Quincy on Mount Elizabeth will pay $208++ for the room, three meals a day, an Internet connection, all local calls, laundry, drinks from the mini-bar, limousine pick-up from the airport and an evening cocktail.

Eventually, and subject to market conditions, the rate will go up to $288++.

Quincy’s rooms are all of the same class and size - 26 sq m.

Most hotels provide the same range of services, but price them separately so that guests can pick - and pay for - the ones they need.

As a comparison, Traders Hotel offers a package deal of $237++ for a room and an Internet connection, plus one of these services - airport transfers, meal credits of $85 or triple the amount of frequent flyer miles. This deal is for online bookings for a minimum stay of two nights.

For now, Quincy’s novel pricing policy seems to be pulling people in, economic downturn or not: It has achieved 76 per cent occupancy since its soft opening last month, higher than the national average occupancy rate of 67 per cent in January.

Quincy’s general manager Franck Hardy said guests will have a ‘hassle-free’ stay during these belt-tightening times without worrying about add-ons to their bills. ‘We wanted to do something completely different, not follow the norm.’

It is the strategy the hotel is taking to stand out from its competition, which includes up to eight new properties slated to open this year. Currently, over 80 per cent of the Quincy’s business comes from corporate bookings, and the remaining 20 per cent from leisure travellers.

The boutique project is a first for Far East Hospitality, a subsidiary of property developer Far East Organization.

Mr Chia Boon Kuah, executive director for Far East’s hospitality business, is confident Quincy will do well. ‘There is nothing like this on Orchard Road.’

Nevertheless, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ executive vice-president Chee Hok Yean predicts this year will be a challenging one for the hotels, with up to 4,500 rooms being added even as the number of tourist arrivals falls.

Already, hotel booking website Hotels.com has noted a 12 per cent fall in hotel room rates worldwide on the back of the global downturn. The website’s spokesman said that, at best this year, hotels here can hope for room rates to hold steady at last year’s levels.

Far East Hospitality is splashing out to trumpet a little-known fact: It is the biggest owner-run hotel chain in Singapore.

Mr Chia announced at Quincy’s official opening yesterday that Far East Hospitality will mount a branding exercise for its six hotels and 11 residences, which now have disparate identities.

For example, the Changi Village Hotel will be styled with a few others to take on a resort-like feel. Renovations for various hotels will also be brought forward as part of this exercise.

More details are expected in July.