SINGAPORE: Bookings have increased in some hotels after it was announced last week that each room can only accommodate up to two guests as the number of COVID-19 cases has risen.
Most of the hotels CNA spoke to said they had received many inquiries from guests who booked rooms for the one-month Phase 2 (Elevated Warning) period.
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“Understandably, most hotels would have made cancellations or changes to reservations for stays in response to the new government measures – especially if more than two people from different households were booked,” said a spokesman for Marriott International.
“This trend has also been seen across the Marriott Bonvoy hotel portfolio in Singapore, although it has not had a significant impact in the past few days.”
There are 11 hotels under Marriott Bonvoy, including the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, the St. Regis Singapore, the Westin and the W Singapore Sentosa Cove.
The requests for booking changes are different, said the spokesman.
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At the Westin, for example, there was a “fairly balanced split” between guests who chose to move and guests who chose to stay. At W Singapore Sentosa Cove, those who chose to “form the minority” said the spokesman said.
“Based on what we’ve seen since the increased measures were announced, we expect cancellations and postponements of stays to continue as cases continue to increase in the community.”
On May 14, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) issued an advisory opinion that hotels should not allow more than two people, guests and visitors, in each room per day, unless people come from the same household.
This means that families with more than two people living together can continue their plans of residence. In response to Today’s questions, STB later clarified that families outside of the room should be divided into groups of two.
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This is in line with Phase 2 (Elevated Warning) measures that went into effect on May 16, reducing the allowable collection size from five to two.
READ: Group sizes reduced from 5 to 2, dining-in suspended as Singapore tightens COVID-19 measures
The new measures are “disappointing”, but “not unexpected,” said a spokesman for Millennium Hotels and Resorts. The group operates the Orchard Hotel, M Social Singapore, Grand Copthorne Waterfront, Copthorne King’s Hotel, M Hotel and Studio M.
“For stays, most couples continue their bookings, while family bookings have largely been postponed until later in the year,” the spokesman said.
“Those whose bookings are in mid-June are adopting a wait and see attitude and will decide closer to the date of their plans. During this period, we will focus on couple stays and continue to look for corporate long-stay deals. ”
Yotel Singapore on Orchard Road saw an “expected increase” in cancellations, said general manager Brendan Daly.
“It’s not the overnight sharp tip that was expected, however,” he added. “Our product is more suitable for couples and families than large groups, so this may have something to do with it.”
The hotel has also received some new bookings, but there has been a bigger drop in new bookings compared to cancellations, said Mr Daly, noting that guests are likely to wait for restrictions to be relaxed before booking a stay.
Of those customers who were booked for stays between May 16 and June 13 and contacted the hotel, there was a “50/50 split” between cancellation and date change, he added.
“If you can reconcile cancellations or changes and what we normally pick up on new bookings, guests are in a minority overall.”
The hotel also expects fewer people to create residence plans as more COVID-19 cases occur in the community. “Because the F&B restrictions are not allowed, there are fewer reasons to visit the Orchard Road area where we are,” said Daly.
Far East Hospitality hotels have seen an increasing number of changes to their bookings, said CEO Arthur Kiong. It operates the Village, Quincy, Oasia and Rendezvous hotel brands.
Hotels are “not seeing the usual level of interest” in new room bookings, but there is “still demand” during this period, he added.
Inquiries from families looking to book a stay have also increased, Kiong said. The group’s hotels have adapted to the new measures, including introducing new in-room dining experience packages, he added.
“This can be attributed to the upcoming holidays in June and a longing to learn from work and home to enjoy a short vacation.
“Since trips abroad are not yet possible, a stay is the best option to take a breather and spend time with the family.”
READ: New COVID-19 Measures In Singapore: What’s Allowed Under Tighter Restrictions?
Cancellations were minimal at CNA’s boutique hotels. More and more guests are choosing to postpone the dates of their stay or to continue their stay instead. The hotel manager of the boutique hotel Lloyd’s Inn Kelvin Soh told CNA that cancellations and changes made up “only a small fraction” of stays booked for a month.
Around 88 percent of guests who booked rooms for this one month period opted to adhere to the two-person rule, Soh said.
“We expect the cancellations to continue if cases continue to increase in the community. This is normal as people take precautionary measures,” he added.
“At the same time, however, with measures restricted to the same family members (and) two people (couples) allowed to stay, bookings for stays are likely to continue.”
Luxury boutique hotel Naumi Singapore “watched fear” when the tightened measures were announced May 14, general manager Viri Kaur said, adding that the hotel had received “numerous calls” about what facilities were available during that period would be.
“Our hotel’s demographics are mostly made up of profiles of couples wanting a romantic getaway and creatives or friends who usually book a room for two guests. As a result, we can easily meet the requirements of the two guests per room and are confident that demand for overnight accommodation will be pent-up, particularly with the expansion of the SRV (SingapoRediscover) vouchers, ”she added.
Two percent of bookings were canceled in the first two days after the announcement because guests weren’t sure whether stays were still allowed, Ms. Kaur said.
“As more information and clarification has been provided, we are now seeing a positive trend for bookings starting this month. These cancellations have now preferred to postpone their plans of stay and we look forward to seeing them soon, ”she added.
Two percent of guests who booked a hotel stay in May postponed their reservation until mid-June, Ms. Kaur said, adding that the hotel has “flexibility” for date changes or cancellation requests.
“We expect an increase in schedule changes, but not a high trend in cancellations as our local community is still interested in on-site activities and apparently leans towards boutique hotels with fewer crowds.”
