[HD videos below] Millennium
& Copthorne, a dynamic global hotel company, which currently owns, asset manages
and / or operates over 120 hotels in 19 countries around the world, is
to shake up the hotel industry in Asia Pacific by launching a new and,
at least on paper, very innovative hotel brand.The
new brand, which for the moment remains nameless, will begin life in
Singapore before expanding around the region.
Construction
of the hotel, located on Nanson Road close to main business and
entertainment areas, started at the beginning of 2008. Once complete,
the hotel, scheduled to open in September 2009, will feature 368 rooms housed in a 7 storey
building. The property, which is described by
M&C as a "New Lifestyle Buisiness Hotel", and a
"blend between hip and boutique", will be aimed at today's
tech savvy, modern traveller - those who are looking for a comfortable bed,
functional bathroom with a quality power shower, comfortable living /
working area, high tech amenities, innovative yet contemporary design,
security, welcoming public areas, and all at an extremely reasonable
price.
Each
of the 368 rooms, all in just one room category, will be around 21
square metres in floor size, and five metres in height. They will be
split level rooms, meaning that the rooms will feature an upper
mezzanine floor and lower level which is made possible by the generous height of
the room, and adds to the feeling of space and light. Leisure amenities will
include gardens, modern chill-out public areas and a 25-metre lap pool.
Mr
Charles Lai, General Manager - Mohamed Sultan Project said, "The
rooms at the hotel should not really be described as funky. They will be
contemporary and long lasting, somewhere guests are comfortable and more
importantly, happy to return to."
What
makes this new brand so refreshingly different, is not just the split
level rooms, but also the fact that the hotel will make the most of the
latest technologies to help ensure a guest's stay is as stress free as
possible
With
only around 89 staff, the hotel will operate on a pay as you go concept.
This means that you will only pay for the facilities that you use, and
not for those that you don't. While more details and pictures are
expected to be released by the company in a few months time, it is
likely that the hotel will feature self-check-in technology which would
automate the check-in process. It may even allow guests to pay for a
24-hour period, where, for example, guests could check-in at 6 pm and check-out at the
same time. If this were to become a reality, it would be revolutionary
in Asia's hotel industry, and an extremely attractive selling point for leisure
and business travellers who, with traditional hotel policies, normally have to
check in after 2pm and out before 12.
With
room rates of around Sin$ 160 - 240 and reduced operational overheads, the hotel will offer not only affordable
luxury for guests, but also very high potential returns for hotel
owners.
If
M&C is able to get the details right, and step out of the comfort
zones within which hotels around the world have operated for years,
experiment with new ideas and technology, then this new brand could very
well completely change the hotel industry within Asia and set a new
benchmark for services offered and demanded by guests.
===============
Note:
Confused by what a mezzanine room could look like? See this
picture (opens in a new window/tab), which is one of the suite
designs of the new D2
Hotel in Pattaya. There is nothing to suggest that the M&C's new
hotel brand's rooms would look anything like this, we share the picture
with you just to show what could be possible, and what a mezzanine room
can look like.
HD Video: The Studio M
Hotel in Singapore and An Executive Loft
