Since spring 2010, the Singapore hotel industry has had a new symbol. Imposing, gleaming, even sparkling. The inauguration of the Marina Bay Sands - 'MBS' to its friends - inevitably marks a decisive turning point in the City-State's tradition of hospitality, and more broadly in the country's economic development.
And with good reason. The complex has everything it takes to live up to its status as a new urban centre, with infrastructures tailored to both business customers (2,561 rooms, 120,000 m² of event space in the Sands Expo and Convention Centre) and leisure demand (shops, museum, casinos, bars, clubs).
So it was only natural that the new flagship of the Singapore hotel industry should be included in the 'must-visit' category, alongside the venerable Raffles and Capella Singapore. Two emblematic establishments that promote the same colonial heritage in two distinct incarnations, the Capella putting Norman Foster's stamp on it in the heart of a 12-hectare park in Sentosa, 122 years after the inauguration of the Raffles.
Sentosa Island is now also attracting the big names in the global hotel industry: after Shangri-La, Singapore's first resort back in 1971, it was here that Mövenpick's Singapore adventure began in spring 2011, followed almost a year later by Starwood. After the opening of W Singapore Sentosa Cove, the American hotelier is back with the Westin hotel, this time in the heart of the financial district.
The two new business addresses add 240 and 305 rooms respectively to the local hotel stock, for a total of 2,800 m² of meeting facilities. Accor is not to be outdone, inaugurating its third Sofitel So in the business district at the start of 2014. Following in the footsteps of Kenzo Takada in Mauritius and Christian Lacroix in Bangkok, it is now Karl Lagerfeld's turn to join forces with the French hotelier's design flagship: quite a symbol for this resolutely trendy business destination, which will also have seen the birth of the first Capri by Frasers, a new high-tech residence concept devised by the local hotelier.
From the gigantism of a Marina Bay Sands to the intimacy of a Klapsons (17 rooms), from the international lifestyle of a W to the historic cachet of a Fullerton, Singapore's offering is growing every day with new possibilities for combining business, style and pleasure.
The MICE capital of Asia
The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has delivered its verdict: the 2012 benchmark ranking of the MICE market places Singapore (6th) in the top 10 global destinations for the eleventh year running, making it the Asian capital of the sector. This privileged position is largely due to the quality of the infrastructure dedicated to the Meetings & Events industry, capable of adapting to international events as well as small meetings.
top management.
The reopening of Suntec in June 2013 bears witness to this quest for excellence. The $142 million renovation plan transforms the convention centre into an ultramodern platform, featuring an interactive digital wall of extraordinary dimensions: three storeys high and 60 metres wide. Event organisers can also count on other structures adapted to the most ambitious events, such as Singapore Expo and its 200,000 m² of indoor space, the Changi Exhibition Centre (40,000 m²) and the Raffles City Convention Centre (6,503 m²). The development of Marina Bay has also helped to expand the already extensive MICE offering, with the arrival of the Sands Expo and Convention Centre (80,000 sq. m). Other projects will soon join the list of event facilities, including the Singapore Sports Hub and the National Gallery.
