$275 for a room at Changi

$275 for a room at Changi

Monday • June 16, 2008

SINGAPORE’S first airport hotel has opened its doors to guests, nearly 30 years after Changi Airport began operations.

The Crowne Plaza Changi Airport has been open for just two weeks, and not all its 320 rooms are ready, but the hotel is already meeting its occupancy target of 75 per cent for the full year.

Room rates start from about US$200 ($275) — just below prices at the premium Orchard Road belt.

But with the city less than a half-hour’s ride away, the need for an airport hotel seems less apparent.

Its management, however, disagrees with this view.

Mr Mark Winterton, the general manager of Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, said: “Location is everything. Business travellers these days are savvy, their time is conserved and they want to get in and get out.

He added: “It may only be 15 to 20 minutes from the city, but people don’t have 15 to 20 minutes these days.”

The hotel is primarily targeted at business travellers and those coming for meetings and conventions.

It is also getting transit passengers, air crew and those doing business nearby such as corporate companies in Changi Business Park, said Mr Winterton.

The hotel is also working with the local authorities to offer a direct check-in system which is likely to be available within the next few months.

One of the biggest challenges that the airport hotel faced was finding staff, as 200 service staff were needed.

After nine months and a gruelling two-day walk-in session which attracted some 1,500 applicants, everyone is finally in place.

And while there were some delays — the hotel’s soft opening had to be pushed from March to May — Mr Winterton said it is par for the course.

The hotel is expected to officially open in September. — Channel NewsAsia




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