Some of them now offer live-band entertainment and fancy cocktails to draw the after-dinner crowd
TOAST OF THE TOWN: Pierre Eugene (above) at The Oriental Singapore's Axis Bar. -- PHOTO: JOSEPH NAIR, RAFFLES THE PLAZA
TOAST OF THE TOWN: Emma (Left) at Pan Pacific Singapore's The Atrium. -- PHOTO: JOSEPH NAIR, RAFFLES THE PLAZA
THE next time a girl asks where you are taking her for a hot date, suggest a place like the Pan Pacific Hotel or Raffles The Plaza.
But before alarm bells start ringing in her head, tell her that some hotels now have the snazziest bars around which target both in-house guests and the pub-crawling public.
Over the last year, at least three hotels have opened or revamped their bars to vie for a larger share of the nightlife business, pumped up with the opening of mega-club complexes and a healthy economy.
Mr Byron Chong, director of food and beverage at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, agrees that such services are an important source of revenue.
To compete, the hotel spent $250,000 to renovate its The Bar and Alfresco in July, spearheaded by renowned international design firm Hirsch Bedner and Associates.
The result is a meeting hub for both businessmen and pleasure-seekers in the heart of the city, with a sandstone-carved installation featuring gently cascading water and an array of lights.
It has been money well-spent. Mr Chong says it has seen a significant growth in revenue for the 100 people-capacity bar.
To be sure, nightclubs in hotels are not new.
In the 1980s, clubs like Xanadu (in Shangri-La Hotel), Chinoiserie (Hyatt Regency) and Cheers (Novotel Orchid Inn) were popular hang-outs.
But they were eclipsed by non-hotel clubs such as Warehouse, Fire and Zouk in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and have since closed.
Hotels started to offer cosy and more sedate lounges, which catered mainly to their guests.
Now, they have changed course to offer upmarket bars, with live-band entertainment and fancy cocktails to draw the after-dinner crowd.
Prices of drinks at these places may be a little higher than non-hotel ones but they often have very good promotions on martinis and champagnes, or even one-for-one deals on bottles, with some even handing out free tapas, so it all works out to be a pretty good deal.
They do not open till 6am, like some of the clubs do, but most are open for drinks in the afternoon when hotel guests and business executives hang out, before the dating couples and younger executives take over at night.
Mr Noel Emmanuel, assistant director of F&B at The Oriental Singapore, agrees that 'a great bar equals great business'.
Its Axis Bar, which opened in October last year, operates close to its capacity of 80 people during peak hours after 9pm.
Mr Patrick Behrens, F&B manager for Raffles The Plaza, which runs Ink Club Bar, points out: 'In a bid to increase profit, hotels are exploring many avenues. Although the night scene is extremely competitive, a bar with an outstanding concept can still be successful.'
Industry sources say hotel bars have become the toast of the town because, apart from offering an elegant setting, they boast five-star service, too.
Hotels often have more resources to spend on training than non-hotel nightspots and are careful to protect their reputation, which is why they do not lease space to outsiders to run a nightspot.
As Ms Cheryl Ng, public relations manager for Pan Pacific Singapore, says: 'Managing our own bar allows the hotel's brand philosophy to be sustained in terms of designing the product and menu and in providing the same service standards throughout the hotel.'
Ms Lee Chor Lin, 45, director of The National Museum of Singapore, who frequents The Atrium in Pan Pacific Singapore, says: 'Service is always very good in a hotel bar. Outside, service standards vary.'
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