RWS hotels booked solid till March

Every room during the Chinese New Year festive period snapped up.

[top photo: Hard Rock Hotel at Resorts World Sentosa]

Thinking of staying at one of the newly opened hotels at Singapore's first integrated resort (IR) anytime soon?

If you haven't booked a room at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) by now, you will likely have to wait until March at the earliest before you can take a vacation there. The IR revealed on its Facebook fan page last Friday that its four newly opened hotels 'have reached maximum capacity' until the end of April. Then, in an update posted on Saturday, it said that it had 'managed to free up some rooms' in the months of March and April.

This past weekend (Jan 23-24), RWS saw occupancy rates at its four hotels soar to over 90 per cent, said Robin Goh, assistant director for communications, adding that both the Festive Hotel and the Hard Rock Hotel Singapore reported full houses.

RWS expects to be operating at full or near-full capacity during weekends for the foreseeable future. Already, every room during a nine-day period spanning the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday from Feb 13 to Feb 21 has been snapped up by both Singaporeans and overseas guests eager to be among the first in the world to stay at the IR.

Last Wednesday, RWS celebrated the soft opening of four of its six hotels - Festive Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, Hotel Michael and the by-invitation-only Crockfords Tower. This was the first of several phased openings at the $6.59 billion development on the island.

Collectively, the four hotels offer 1,350 rooms and 10 restaurants. The other two hotels - Equarius Hotel and Spa Villas - will add another 500 rooms when they are launched as part of the second phase later this year.

When the IR's call centre first opened its hotline on Jan 11, the first three days alone saw some 5,000 room nights booked. RWS said last week that it expects six out of every 10 visitors to be from overseas, and of these, a quarter will come from China.

But there could be some hope yet for latecomers, said Mr Goh. 'As per industry practice, travel agents have what is known as 'agent allotments' of rooms. Hence, guests might be lucky to snag a room if there are some rooms still available under individual travel agents.'

His advice: Book rooms fast before demand surges as more attractions and entertainment options, including the casino and the Universal Studios Singapore theme park, open over the next few months.

Rack rates start from $400 a night for Festive Hotel, $450 for Hard Rock Hotel and $500 for Hotel Michael.

Source

No fixed dates for opening of theme park, casino at Resorts World Sentosa

No date has been fixed for the opening of the Universal Studios Singapore theme park at Resorts World Sentosa.

Chairman of Resorts World Sentosa Lim Kok Thay made the clarification amid media reports that the theme park is scheduled to open by the end of next week.

Speaking at a news conference after the soft opening of four hotels at the integrated resort on Wednesday, Mr Lim also said it is not known yet when the casino will open as it awaits its operating licence from the authorities.

"After the opening today of Crockfords Tower, the rest of the facilities would follow suit from next week onwards," said Mr Lim. "Obviously that would include the Festive Walk, the Universal theme park, as well as the casino component."

Four of the six hotels at the integrated resort were opened to the public at 8.18am, an auspicious time.

They are Crockfords Tower, Hotel Michael, Festive Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel Singapore.

Even though Resorts World Sentosa has managed to open ahead of Marina Bay Sands, Mr Lim said it is not a race.

"(Competition to open first) would be foolish, which means that one may end up cutting corners," Mr Lim explained. "So, we've been single mindedly working on our own project and not having to look over our shoulders because we have a masterplan, we stuck by that and we just delivered on the timing that we promised the government. Although, it turned out to be somewhat earlier than we expected."

The convention centre at the integrated resort is also now open, and it has already received 33 bookings.

Some 6,400 staff are already on the payroll.

ChannelNewsAsia

Universal Studio Singapore Slated to Open Next Week!

SOUTH-EAST Asia's first big-name theme park - Universal Studios Singapore - at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) looks set to open its doors next week, just a week after the resort welcomes visitors to its hotels and shops today.


Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chairman of Genting Group, which owns the $6.59 billion resort, said yesterday: 'By the end of next week, Universal Studios Singapore will open, and when we officially launch Resorts World Sentosa later this year, it will be another significant and historical milestone achievement for the group.'


He was speaking at the Kuala Lumpur launch of the group's logo to mark its 45th anniversary.

AsiaOne

We're first! Resorts World Sentosa beats Sands to Singapore

Crockfords Tower - Crockfords Lounge

In the unofficial but cutthroat race to open Singapore's first integrated resort, Resorts World Sentosa will begin opening in stages from January 20, 2010, starting with its four hotels opening on the same day. It's a long-drawn tussle between the resort and Marina Bay Sands, which just announced that it is looking to open its casino resort at the end of March, but is facing delays due to rains, according to the Wall Street Journal.

It's the first shot in the IR salvo, and in a press statement that just smacks ever so slightly of gloating, chairman of the Genting Group and Resorts World Sentosa Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay said, 'We have been single-minded about the promise to deliver a true IR that will make Singapore and Singaporeans proud -- no distractions or excuses -- and today, we are happy to say we marked the first milestone towards delivering on that promise."

As to the opening of the Universal Studios Singapore theme park and more importantly, the casino license, no details are yet available but are in the process of approvals.

Resorts World Sentosa has began operations at two of its four hotels, celebrating with a lion dance and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The four hotels -- Festive Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, Crockfords Tower and Hotel Michael -- will offer a total of 1,350 rooms and 10 restaurant outlets at the opening, while another two hotels, Equarius Hotel and Spa Villas, will add another 500 rooms when they launch after 2010.
Here's a brief introduction at the four opening hotels and check out the image gallery above on what they'd look like.

Festive Hotel

"Fun and vibrant, with lots of design surprises to delight families, Festive Hotel rooms come with separate chambers for parents and loft beds for kids. Every room comes with a sofa bed for extra sleeping room. Kids will have a festive time in this hotel, which offers candies, special welcome packs and bathrobes for them."
Number of rooms: 390, including Deluxe Rooms, Deluxe Family Rooms and Deluxe Suites.

Hard Rock Hotel Singapore

"Hip and trendy, with an attitude and dramatic ambiance, guests at Hard Rock Hotel Singapore are welcomed like rock stars. Rooms are fitted out with unique furnishings like magic 'chandeliers' and the edgy Hard Rock tattoo. A retreat for trendy jet-setters, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore is also suitable for families. Deluxe Twins can accommodate up to 5 guests, with an extra pull-out bed for kids."
Number of rooms: 360, including Deluxe Rooms and Deluxe Suites.

Crockfords Tower

"An all-suite hotel with 24-hour butler service, Crockfords Tower’s suites are elegant and intimate. Dressed in stately dark wood, luxurious fabrics, hues of red and gold, the Crockfords’ suite comes with lavish touches, such as a magic mirror that doubles as a TV screen, an en-suite pantry and a personal steam room. Guests who check into Crockfords Tower are by-invitation only, and enjoy a range of complimentary and private dining, gaming and VIP facilities within the exclusive hotel tower."
Number of rooms: 120 rooms, including Deluxe Suites, Mansions and Villas.

Hotel Michael

"Named after and designed entirely by Michael Graves & Associates, Hotel Michael pays tribute to Michael Graves’ design genius. Call it a 'collection' of Michael Graves’ favorite things, this one-and-only Hotel Michael in the world carries Graves’ stamp in everything from the rooms’ honey-coloured maple walls and the 'archaic landscape' murals to their circular blue mosaic showers. Hotel Michael offers fine and contemporary dining at its restaurants."

Number of rooms: 470, including Deluxe Rooms, Deluxe Suites, Club Rooms and Suite Rooms.
Room and restaurant reservations begin at 1000 hours on Monday, 11 Jan 2010 on hotline +65 6577 8899. Details will be posted on http://www.rwsentosa.com/


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Special packages for hotel rooms at Resorts World Sentosa

Tour agents in Singapore are launching special packages for hotel stays at Resorts World Sentosa, which is slated to open on January 20.

Reservations for the hotel rooms at the integrated resort will open only on January 11 at 10am. However, the integrated resort said it has received hundreds of calls on its reservations hotline.

Travel agents said while they are targeting markets like the US and the UK, their main focus will be visitors from around the region - including Indonesia, Hong Kong and China.

Other travel agents said they are offering hotel stays at Resorts World as part of a regional tour package to places like Malaysia, Bintan and Batam.

Alicia Seah, senior vice-president, Marketing and PR, Commonwealth Travel Service, said: "We are expecting families, leisure travellers as well as business travellers, who are holding their incentive trips here in Singapore."

Moreover, those early birds who do not mind the fact that the casino will not be ready until late January will get 30 to 40 per cent off the travel deals.

Judy Lam, group vice-president, Sales & Marketing, Tour East, said: "The pre-opening packages can start from S$200 to S$300 for either a two-night package or a three nights' package. The actual opening packages would start from about S$500."

During the soft launch, room rates at Resorts World's three hotels - Hotel Michael, Festive Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel - are likely to range between S$400 per night for a regular deluxe room and S$3,000 for the presidential suite.


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