ST : Grand Park Orchard is ready

Jul 29, 2010

Grand Park Orchard is ready

Revamp adds 308 rooms to industry's 45,000 as usual busy period nears

By Jessica Lim

SINGAPORE'S newest five-star hotel will open its doors on Aug 8 - just in time for a bumper travel period which includes the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix (SGP).

The completion of the former Park Hotel Orchard's $80 million makeover coincides with the traditionally busy period for the hotel industry.

Renamed Grand Park Orchard, the hotel at 270 Orchard Road will add 308 rooms to the 45,000 available, including the 4,300 at the two integrated resorts.

The supply may even fall short during holiday seasons or mega events like next month's YOG and September's SGP, said analysts.

Many more tourists are expected, especially as the IRs swing into full gear, said National Association of Travel Agents Singapore chief executive Robert Khoo.

'Right now, the occupancy is already so high. There may not be enough rooms with the back-to-back events coming up,' he said, adding that an event like the SGP can attract 50,000 more tourists.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic tourism lecturer Michael Chiam also predicts that there will be a 'crunch in the supply of hotel rooms' if tourist numbers continue rising.

Hotel occupancy rates have been hovering close to 90 per cent since March. The strong numbers are on the back of seven consecutive record-breaking months of tourist arrivals, putting the country on target for the Singapore Tourism Board's goal of 11.5 million to 12.5 million visitors for the year.

Grand Park Orchard's opening is timely, said its general manager, Mr Darren Ware, adding that it was 'very important to open before the F1 season'. 'If you follow the trend, hotels in Orchard Road were full during that time in past years,' he said.

While the hotel is primed to receive its first visitors, with invited guests already there, the road to a full makeover was not without bumps. It was originally due to open in May but the management felt that improvements needed to be made to the rooms.

The other portion of the development, the 83,000 sq ft luxury four-storey retail podium Knightsbridge, will open progressively from the third week of August, starting with yoga studio Pure Yoga, said Mr Ware.

Confirmed tenants include The Hour Glass and CIMB Bank.limjess@sph.com.sg