Saturday, November 24, 2007

Hoteliers Spend Big TO Spurce Up For Booming Industry

Source : Channel NewsAsia, 23 November 2007

The hospitality industry is expecting a huge boost next year as Singapore stages its first-ever Formula One Grand Prix.

In the lead-up, hotels are sprucing up to draw in guests.

These hotels include Four Seasons Hotel, which is spending up to S$12 million to refurbish its rooms.

The Four Seasons in Singapore is planning to capture 'timeless elegance' with a new look to be completed just in time for Singapore's next big wave of tourism.

The hotel has once again called on the talent of Hersh Bender to create the look that has attracted their predominantly finance-based corporate clientele over the last 14 years.

Ignacio Gomez-Tobar, Regional Vice President and General Manager, Four Seasons Hotel, said: "Specifically, what we do here is that we are about to embark on a very major renovation of all the guest rooms starting from the beginning of March 2008 and by the end of July, we would have done every single guest room."

According to Mr Gomez-Tobar, the hotel will be "stripping" its 225 rooms right down to the concrete and starting all over again.

It also means that it will not be able to operate on full inventory for nearly six months.

But Four Seasons believes that overall, revenue for 2008 will still climb by 10 percent.

Revenue for the hotel has increased by 15 percent this year, compared to last year. Four Seasons also plans to raise room rates by up to 15 percent next year.

Other hotels which had a revamp recently include Meritus Mandarin and Phoenix Hotel.
- CNA/so

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