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.

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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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Resorts World Sentosa: Interview with Krist Boo - Vice President

Resorts World Sentosa is a collection of six hotels and attractions with fun-filled offerings for the entire family. Located on Singapores Sentosa island and spanning 49 hectares, this S$6.59 billion (US$4.4 billion) destination will be home to Southeast Asias first and only Universal Studios theme park, the worlds largest Marine Life Park, a destination spa ESPA and a designer casino decked with exciting gaming opportunities. Six unique hotels complemented by creative meeting facilities, world-class shows and public entertainment, as well as celebrity dining and shopping options at FestiveWalk complete the experience. Resorts World at Sentosa will have its soft opening in early 2010.

This interview with Ms Krist Boo, Vice President Head Communications of Resorts World Sentosa, was taken on 20 October 2009 following a press conference and tour of which full video coverage (around 2 hours of HD video) will be featured here, once we have completed the editing process. These videos will feature never before seen footage of the park and some of its future plans.

New Monorail Station in the Heart of FestiveWalk

Next stop: Resorts World Sentosa! A new train station for the Sentosa Express monorail will soon be ready in the heart of FestiveWalk, the throbbing hub of Resorts World. The station's location outside the main entrance to Universal Studios Singapore is expected to make the Sentosa Express a popular way for visitors to commute from VivoCity to the theme park and its array of shopping and dining outlets. The station replaces the Waterfront station that was demolished in late 2007 to make way for construction of FestiveWalk.