Luxury from sea to sky

Luxury from sea to sky

 

From beaches to mountains, Club Med aims to provide the luxury seeker an experience to remember

 

Tuesday • April 1, 2008

 

Joseph yadao

joseph.yadao@…

 

When Ms Caroline Puechoultres looks at the Singapore travel and leisure market, she sees a potential goldmine.

 

“It may be a small market, but we have a potential pool of 300,000 customers here. Right now, we’re only attracting one tenth of that,” said the president and chief executive officer of Club Med Asia Pacific.

 

It’s no wonder the resort chain is on a global charm offensive — more so here in Asia, where Asian travellers accounted for a 30 per cent increase in turnover in 2007. Impressive, especially when you consider that this rise in visitor volume came in the face of an overall 10 per cent increase in the price of its vacation packages.

 

Club Med is positioning itself as a luxury brand that pushes all the clientele’s right buttons — a resort destination that reflects a sense of sophistication, beauty and attention to service.

 

However, the trouble with marketing a resort lies in the fact that vacations are emotional experiences — an intangible element that cannot be conveyed in advertisements.

 

Several weeks ago, Club Med launched its “Where Happiness Means the World” campaign.

 

Renowned fashion photographer Enrique Badulescu captured the beauty of South Sardinia in the Mediterranean. These images were then superimposed onto the swimwear of couples and families enjoying their Club Med vacations, creating an ad campaign that captured Club Med’s hassle-free, all-inclusive holiday experience.

 

“We adopt a rational approach to advertising because we can’t showcase emotions. But we try to convey the Club Med experience through dreamy imagery,” said Ms Puechoultres. “Our campaign shows a new kind of luxury, not material luxury. It’s about having your personal time to do what you want, whether it’s relaxing in a spa or playing golf.”

 

Some 80 per cent of their Singapore clientele are made up of families, a figure that is way above the Asian and European market averages of 67 and 55 per cent, respectively.

 

Ms Puechoultres feels that more can be done to attract other traveller groups, such as couples.

 

“We’ll attract them with our new activities and the upscale service we’re providing.

 

Ms Puechoultres said: “Some Singaporeans want a different experience from beaches. So, Club Med also offers skiing in Japan.”

 

But if frolicking in snow isn’t your thing, Club Med Ria Bintan — the company’s closest resort to Singapore — is undergoing a 5-million-Euro ($10.67-million) facelift, with spa cabins overlooking the sea.

 

Source: TodayOnline

A revolutionary idea – a hotel in a park

A revolutionary idea – a hotel in a park

 

Balestier Road site will face Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall

 

Tuesday • April 1, 2008

 

Jinny Koh

jinny@…

 

IMAGINE a hotel development in the midst of a public park. Better still, one that blends in with the area’s heritage.

 

That could soon be a reality following the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) launch of a land parcel for sale by tender off Balestier Road.

 

The site, located across the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, will be nestled in the 0.46-hectare Zhongshan Park. This means the developer will be able to create a unique garden setting for the hotel, and enhance the experience for hotel guests and visitors to the memorial hall — a national monument in tribute to Dr Sun Yat Sen who led the 1911 Chinese Revolution.

 

Some 50,000 people visit the memorial hall annually.

 

The developer is also required to provide space for public events within the park. This, together with outdoor refreshment areas as well as tea pavilions, will help to inject greater vibrancy into the park and the surrounding area.

 

With excellent frontage along Balestier Road, the plot has a maximum permissible gross floor area of about 40,000sq m, at least 60 per cent of which is meant for a 650-room hotel and hotel-related uses, while the rest is for commercial and residential use.

 

The tender is an improved version of the previous one that was released in October 2006, but withdrawn a year later. According to a URA spokesman, it was withdrawn to review the land use of the site together with other vacant land in the vicinity.

 

Mr Nicholas Mak, director of consultancy and research at Knight Frank, said that while it would be unique to tie in the hotel with the area’s heritage, it poses several challenges for the developer and may draw less than five bids.

 

The future developer will need a strong concept to maximise the historical theme of the memorial hall, he said. The developer will also need a strategy to promote and increase the usage of the park, which is intended to be the selling point for the proposed hotel, or it may be overshadowed by the nearby Toa Payoh Town Park.

 

However, Mr Mak added that the unique requirements would attract niche developers who are experienced in developing hotels with strong themes.

 

“As most of the nearby hotels in the area are small, the proposed hotel, if it is targeted at a different market segment, would not face stiff competition when completed,” he said.

 

In light of the temporary hotel room crunch facing Singapore, property analysts Today spoke to say that while the area’s heritage would be an added bonus, what is really driving the market is the increase in visitors to the island.

 

“To really make a difference, it would be necessary to preserve the whole Balestier area, and not just selected parts such as the Sun Yat Sen memorial hall,” said at Chesterton International head of research Colin Tan.

 

Balestier Road has an interesting mix of conservation shophouses built in the 1840s, and modern commercial and residential buildings. The area was selected as one of Singapore‘s Identity Nodes in the URA’s Identity Plan in 2002. Since then, about 150 shophouses have been gazetted for conservation.

 

The area is also known for its local delicacies, such as bak kut teh, sold in shophouses lining the main road.

 

To enable visitors to enjoy the area better and enhance their walking experience, the URA spokesman said plans are in place to improve the walkways and landscaping along the road.

 

“From time to time, the Government will, after studying the uniqueness of each area as well as opportunity for developments, consider suitable proposals for distinctive development concepts and these could include preserving the heritage around us,” said the URA spokesman.

 

The tender will close at 12pm on July 16.

 

Source: TodayOnline

Two en bloc sales delayed; developer asks for more time

Two en bloc sales delayed; developer asks for more time

 

Bravo’s deals involve Tulip Garden for $516m and Pender Court for $80m

 

By Joyce Teo

 

A SMALL property firm that snapped up enough sites to place it among the top en bloc players last year has put off completing two deals while it ties up funding.

 

Because of the delays, owners at one condo are still waiting to pick up cheques for well over $1 million each. They expected payment in late February but an extension put this back to March and now the due date is late this month.

 

The payments are pending from Bravo Building Construction, a relatively new firm on the property scene. It bought freehold Pender Court condominium in the Telok Blangah area for $80 million last July and soon after purchased Tulip Garden near Holland Road – also freehold – for $516 million.

 

But completion of both deals seems to have stalled.

 

Completion is at the final stage of the sale process and triggers the final payment – usually around 95 per cent of the purchase price – to owners. The remaining 5 per cent is paid when the owner vacates.

 

These headaches for the owners come amid a slowing market for collective sales. The first quarter this year saw just one relatively small deal, compared with some 25 notched up in the same period last year.

 

The Tulip Garden transaction is expected to be completed late next month but Bravo has already asked for two postponements – first to July 23 and then Aug 7.

 

It has also asked for extensions to pay an additional 5 per cent of the purchase price – $25.8 million.

 

This is a routine payment required once the Strata Titles Board approves a sale. An initial 5 per cent deposit was paid when the sale was done.

 

The deadline for the second 5 per cent payment was March 13 but Bravo won approval to move it to April 7. Then in mid-March, it again asked to move the date, this time to May 5.

 

However, before the sale committee could respond to the request, it is understood that Bravo asked again to have the date moved even further back, to June 7.

 

Tulip Garden sold for about $1,018 per sq ft. It has 164 units comprising 96 flats, 66 maisonettes and two shophouses. Flat owners stand to reap $2.5 million to $4.2 million while maisonette owners will receive about $3.4 million each. The shop units will get about $1.1 million each.

 

The owners are meeting this weekend to consider Bravo’s requests that the completion date be pushed back to Aug 7 and the deadline for the $25.8 million payment be extended to June 7.

 

The Pender Court deal is even further behind schedule.

 

Bravo was supposed to have completed the sale on Feb 25 but had it postponed, initially to around mid-March. It then asked for a further extension to April 24, which has apparently been granted.

 

Pender Court’s 48 owners should each get $1.6 million or so for their flats, which sold for about $872 psf.

 

Sources have told The Straits Times that they understand Bravo is committed to completing the two purchases and just needs more time to arrange funding.

 

Bravo, which was registered in 2002, reportedly picked up $824.5 million worth of en bloc sale deals last year, making it the fourth-largest buyer of en bloc sites.

 

Bravo’s directors could not be reached for comment, despite numerous telephone calls and a visit to its office in an industrial building in Geylang Road last Friday. A Bravo staff member said that the company directors were away on business.

 

Source: Straits Times

Sprawling hotel site in Balestier put up for sale

Sprawling hotel site in Balestier put up for sale

 

Among the restrictions: Developer must build a park in the middle of the 1.77ha plot

 

By Fiona Chan

 

IT IS hardly one of Singapore‘s must-see tourist destinations, but Balestier Road is getting the sort of boost that might make it more visitor-friendly.

 

The Government yesterday released a sprawling hotel site for sale between Balestier Road and Ah Hood Road, in front of the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.

 

And there is an unprecedented twist: The developer must build and manage a park that takes up a quarter of the land right in the middle of the site.

 

It has even been named – Zhongshan Park – and its use has also been decided, with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) stating that it wants it to, among other things, ‘enhance the experience for…visitors to the memorial hall’, which draws about 50,000 tourists a year.

 

Other restrictions, such as a required public event space and outdoor food and beverage or retail outlets in the park, also apply.

 

The URA said yesterday that the land release provides a ‘great opportunity to develop a unique hotel development’ in an area rich with heritage.

 

While Balestier is better known for famous eateries and lighting shops, it is also lined with shophouses, many of which have been earmarked for conservation and are a niche tourist attraction.

 

But the site’s large size and many restrictions mean that there are likely to be few bidders in the public tender, said property experts.

 

Mr Nicholas Mak, the director of research and consultancy at Knight Frank, expects fewer than five offers, with bids coming in at $150 million to $200 million, pricing it at $350 per sq ft (psf) to $470 psf per plot ratio.

 

The 1.77ha plot is the biggest hotel site released by the URA since 2001 and is a tad smaller than the Orchard Turn parcel, where the Ion Orchard mall and The Orchard Residences condominium are being built.

 

Sixty per cent of the site’s total gross floor area of 430,556 sq ft must be used for a hotel, which would yield about 675 rooms – slightly more than the 663 rooms at the Grand Hyatt Singapore in Scotts Road.

 

The rest of the land can be used for homes, shops, offices or more hotel rooms.

 

Even the hotel’s design, envisioned as contemporary Chinese, must be approved by a URA advisory panel.

 

The agency had previously offered a smaller version of the site for sale, without the park. But that plot – half the size of the present one – lingered on the market for a year without any takers before the URA took it off in October last year to combine it with other vacant land nearby.

 

It is now on the URA’s confirmed list, so it is up for sale regardless of demand.

 

Consultants noted the challenges inherent in the site.

 

Bidders will need a strong design concept and a strategy to make the park generate income, said Mr Mak.

 

He added that the site is not near an MRT station and is in fact ‘on the outskirts of everything’.

 

But some developers may still be attracted ‘because the challenges may reduce the number of competitors’, Mr Mak said.

 

‘This site could attract niche developers who are experienced in developing hotels with strong themes.’

 

Another bright spot is the strong sentiment in the hotel sector, especially for the mid-tier segment, said Ms Tay Huey Ying, director of research and consultancy at Colliers International.

 

‘The market is quite short of mid-tier hotels, so the prospect is good,’ she said.

 

The hotels dotting Balestier Road are mainly budget stays, including multiple outlets of Fragrance Hotel and Hotel 81.

 

Source: Straits Times

Finding a parking lot in CBD will soon be harder

Finding a parking lot in CBD will soon be harder

 

New and old buildings to have fewer lots but S’pore will have more lots than other cities

 

By Yeo Ghim Lay

 

MOTORISTS venturing into the Central Business District (CBD) will find it tougher to find a parking space in the future.

 

And when they do, it is likely to come at a premium.

 

The Land Transport Authority (LTA), in its Land Transport Masterplan unveiled on Sunday, said this will happen gradually because upcoming buildings in the CBD have to adhere to regulations tightened in 2002 that restrict the number of parking spaces they can have.

 

The Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC) will be among those hardest hit by the regulations, since many of the other buildings in the CBD were built before 2002.

 

As a ‘white site’ – a building that can be used for different functions, such as a retail/office complex – it is allowed only one car space per 425 sq m of commercial space.

 

The MBFC has three office towers with 130 floors in total, ranging from 21,000 sq ft to 45,000 sq ft. This translates into fewer than five and fewer than 10 parking spaces per floor, respectively.

 

The carpark squeeze will get worse because some old buildings in the area are converting their lots for other uses. The office-space crunch facing Singapore, which has resulted in spiralling rents and some firms moving out of the area, means a carpark earns less money for a landlord.

 

The Market Street Carpark, which has 704 parking lots, is one that will go. It may be redeveloped into an office building, cutting the number of spaces available in the city.

 

Despite the coming crunch, the LTA noted that Singapore has lower CBD season-parking charges and more parking spaces, compared to cities like Hong Kong, London and Tokyo.

 

Currently, season parking in the CBD costs $160 to $200 a month on average, compared to $720 to $850 in Hong Kong.

 

Workers in the CBD here also have more parking spaces: about 165 per 1,000 jobs, while Hong Kong has only 23.

 

But others say limiting the number of spaces will have an adverse effect on businesses.

 

Mr Nicholas Mak, director of research and consultancy at property consultant Knight Frank, said: ‘Limiting carpark lots might actually increase business costs, especially for those in the sales and marketing industry who need a car to get around.’

 

And with Singapore hoping to attract top-notch talent who will be paid well, it is not reasonable to expect these people not to drive to work, he added.

 

Source: Straits Times

Shophouse of ‘Horrors’

Shophouse of ‘Horrors’

 

THE Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has ordered an investigation after receiving complaints about a shophouse along Tanjong Katong Road in which 38 foreign workers were allegedly crammed in living conditions deemed ‘unacceptable’.

 

The ministry told The Straits Times that its officers inspected the unit following a March 20 report filed by the workers alleging breaches of employment laws.

 

Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, employers must ensure that workers are accommodated in satisfactory conditions. The penalty for each breach of the conditions of the work- permit regulations is a fine of up to $5,000 or six months’ jail or both.

 

When The Straits Times visited the third-floor quarters recently, the workers were using gas burners to cook their meals in their bedrooms because, they said, the kitchen’s four electric stoves caused regular power trips.

 

The three bedrooms in the 1,800 sq ft shophouse each took in eight to 10 workers on double-decker beds; more workers slept on similar beds in the narrow living room.

 

The workers, who are from Chennai, India, were also standing in line every day to use the shophouse’s sole bathroom and toilet, and tracking water and urine back into the living room, leaving the place reeking as a result.

 

The power points were overloaded with plugs for electrical appliances, and the power meter was dangling from a wall on the ground floor.

 

MOM said it had also referred the case to agencies such as the National Environment Agency and the Singapore Civil Defence Force because other laws on public health and fire safety may have been breached.

 

The workers alleged that their employer, Rite Choice Technologies director V. Raju, had threatened to send them back to India if they dared to complain, among other things.

 

The workers finally spoke up after 18 of them were left stranded on Jurong Island – where they worked on oil refineries – at the end of the work day on March 19.

 

They claimed that the lorry driver drove off without them, but Mr Raju told The Straits Times that they had refused to board the vehicle.

 

He added that 11 of the workers had staged a strike two days earlier to demand more overtime work and shifts on alternate Sundays.

 

He said MOM had not contacted him.

 

Mr Krishnamoorthy Sivasubramanian, one of the workers, said: ‘Raju told us he knows someone in MOM and will blacklist us if we complain about anything. We’re scared we won’t be able to enter Singapore again if he does that.’

 

sujint@…

 

Source: Straits Times

SMALL BUSINESSES

SMALL BUSINESSES

 

Five-year terms for Home Office Scheme

 

PROPERTY owners can now run businesses from home for five-year periods instead of the previous three-year terms.

 

The change, which kicked in today, was to ‘provide greater convenience to home office users’ and help them formulate longer-term business plans, said the Housing Board (HDB) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) yesterday.

 

The Home Office Scheme was launched in 2003 to encourage entrepreneurship by giving ‘private property and HDB home owners the flexibility to conduct small-scale business from their homes’, the two agencies said.

 

Applications are granted subject to certain conditions such as having low noise levels and not involving selling physical goods.

 

Since its introduction, about 21,000 applications have been approved, primarily for companies in IT consulting, Web design, advertising and real estate services. About 95 per cent of successful home office applications are for public housing.

 

For more information on the scheme, call the HDB service hotline on 1800-225-5432 or the URA’s customer hotline on 6223-4811. Applications and renewals cost $20 each.

 

CHUA HIAN HOU

 

Source: Straits Times

A $2 milion start to a $900 million garden

A $2 milion start to a $900 million garden

 

IT HAS been described as a visual feast in the making, and the $893 million Gardens By The Bay project just got the first shipment of one of its main courses.

 

When it opens in 2011, visitors to the 54ha Marina South garden will be able to view a $2 million anchor plant collection of bromeliads, which are plants native to the tropical and subtropical regions of North and South America.

 

Bromeliads are resilient plants, often visually striking due to the patterned foliage and colourful blooms of some species.

 

More than 3,000 varieties comprising 210,000 bromeliads will be supplied by Florida nursery Tropiflora. About three shipments – 50,500 plants – have already arrived at the Gardens By The Bay site office in Marina Way. The rest will arrive over the next 18 months.

 

‘It will be the first time that these plants are being used in such a large-scale way in a landscaped garden in South-east Asia,’ said Mr Anton van Der Schans, assistant director of horticulture for Gardens By The Bay.

 

The plant was chosen, he said, because it was relatively low-maintenance and also provided a wide range of attractive textures, foliage and flowers.

 

Being built by the National Parks Board, the Gardens By The Bay – which also includes a 32ha Marina East garden and a 15ha Marina Centre garden – is expected to attract 2.7 million people every year.

 

Non-native flora and fauna like roses and tulips will make up much of the gardens’ greenery and will be part of the main attractions.

 

HONG XINYI

 

Source: Straits Times

Applicants lose out in build-to-order project

Applicants lose out in build-to-order project

 

I WOULD like to voice my frustration over the unfairness of the recent so-called ‘launch’ of the Jade Spring Phase 2 project. I’m sure many other unsuccessful applicants for Phase 1 feel the same way.

 

My girlfriend and I applied for Jade Spring Phase 1 (we didn’t know there were two phases when we first applied) in December last year and again received an impossible ballot number of over 1,000 (we have tried balloting a couple of times before). We resigned ourselves to our fate, hoping something better might come our way when we finally get to choose our first flat.

 

However, Phase 2 of the Jade Spring build-to-order project was announced recently on the HDB website. What infuriates us is that it is open to applications again. What happens to applicants who applied unsuccessfully in December? According to the the friendly HDB helpdesk staff: ‘They have to send in their applications again, as this is a new announcement.’

 

What does this mean? It means, like all other couples who applied in December, my girlfriend and I must pay $10 (more than the cost of a lottery ticket, by the way, although chances of striking the lottery seem higher) again to take part in another draw. With perhaps another few thousand people, for the same project, on the same site, for which we applied barely three months ago.

 

My question is, why is this considered a new project? I’m sure there are more than enough applicants in December to fill these flats on offer now.

 

Even if there aren’t, shouldn’t these applicants be given priority?

 

Because we paid, because we endured the pain of large ballot numbers and because Phase 2 should not be considered a new project at all. Why do we have to pay to re-enter the balloting system?

 

Lim Yong Chuan

 

Source: Straits Times