The new hotels – Equarius Hotel and Beach Villas – are aimed at high-end guests.

Room rates for Equarius begin at S$800, while those of Beach Villas start from S$1,200.

The resort will open fully by the end of the year with three more attractions – Marine Life Park, a water theme park and a destination spa.

Senior vice president of hospitality development and projects at Resorts World Sentosa, Roger Lienhard, said RWS hopes to focus on fine-tuning its services and amenities in the next stage of development.

He said occupancy rates for its four hotels are between 85 per cent and 90 per cent.

He expects the new hotels to hit this figure by the end of March.

Mr Lienhard said: “By end of this year, we will be totally completed and then it is really to look at the service element and how much more we can train our staff to be very passionate about the job and bring more smiles to the resort so that we can improve the service quality even more.”

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 13 Feb 2012

The post RWS to open last 2 of 6 hotels on Thursday appeared first on LushHomeMedia.

Universal Studios’ 18 attractions include the Battlestar Galactica roller coaster, several movie-themed thrill rides, and shows like Waterworld, which is based on the movie of the same title.

Most of the visitors in the early morning crowd of about 200 yesterday were Singaporeans with children in tow.

Lawyer Zee Liew, 39, who was with his wife and two sons aged eight and six, said the family had checked into the resort’s Festive Hotel on Wednesday for a school holiday ‘staycation’.

His elder son, Wei Jin, gave the theme park a big thumbs-up and said the Jurassic Park ride was his favourite.

For newlyweds Raymond Ling and Liew Soo Eng, the star attraction was the Battlestar Galactica.

Mr Ling, 27, a sales manager, and Ms Liew, 23, a teacher, made a beeline for the ride and loved it.

Mr Ling said: ‘The goal was to come here first and experience the most terrifying rides. We’ll definitely be taking it as many times as we can.’

The 20ha park, Universal Studios’ fourth after those in Orlando, Hollywood and Osaka, completes RWS’ first phase line-up of the casino, four hotels and a retail and dining strip.

Still to come are a maritime museum, two more hotels, a marine life park, water theme park and luxury spa. No timeframe has been given for them.

No major glitches were reported yesterday, in contrast to the casino’s opening on Feb 14, when there were complaints of overcrowding, lack of sanitation facilities and long entry queues, among other things.

Park-goers yesterday said there were fewer people than expected, and that they did not have to stand in line for long.

This could have been due to the limited number of tickets sold.

RWS spokesman Robin Goh declined to say how many tickets were sold, but said that they numbered ‘in the thousands’.

He said limits were placed to avoid ‘over-stressing the system’.

Genting Group chairman Lim Kok Thay told reporters yesterday that RWS’ performance so far has ‘exceeded our own expectations’.

Both RWS and the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort – which will begin its phased opening on April 27 – are expected to boost visitor arrivals to Singapore.

In addition, they are expected to create about 60,000 jobs for Singaporeans and add $5.4 billion to the economy by 2015.

Judging by the reaction from tourists, the theme park is working its magic.

Australian Kirsteen Knevitt declared that Universal Studios Singapore is better than the theme parks back home.

She said: ‘Everything is beautiful, and the rides are really, really good.’

Indonesian businessman Edwin Purwohandianto, 44, said: ‘This is one of the more spectacular places in Singapore. I think many people from Asian countries will want to come.

‘Before this, the only attraction was Orchard Road.’

Source : Straits Times – 19 Mar 2010

The post Universal Studios theme park gets thumbs-up appeared first on LushHomeMedia.

Although the opening date of the casino at Resort World has not been announced, preparations are in full swing.

Resorts World Sentosa chairman Lim Kok Thay said: “We are very happy to have received the casino licence. This was made possible by the dedicated team, consultants, contractors and government officials, especially the Casino Regulatory Authority, which worked tirelessly to set up the regulatory framework within a very agressive timeline.”

Lunar New Year decorations have already been put up at the lobby of the casino.

Resorts World staff were in the midst of an orientation when the MediaCorp news team visited.

Although the doors remain shut, visitors are excited about the prospect the casino may be opening soon.

Some are hoping the casino will be open in time for the Lunar New Year which begins on February 14.

While foreigners do not have to pay the US$100 levy before entering the casino, locals will have to do so at this booth.

Before arriving at the booth, visitors to the casino will be segregated according to whether they are Singaporeans or overseas guests.

The S$6.6 billion integrated resort at Sentosa is opening in phases, starting with its hotels last month.

Many are also waiting for the theme park, Universal Studios Singapore to open.

Some of the staff at the resort have been busy testing out the amusement rides and more.

Andrea Teo, vice president, Entertainment, Resorts World Sentosa, said: “We are in full swing, getting ready for the theme park. We have been testing and commissioning the rides. Some of our people have been experiencing this – going from ride to ride to ride and having a very good time. And we have all been eating at restaurants, trying out the food at very good prices.

“We are at various percentages of finishing the different rides and resorts. But I would say that we are on an actually pretty fast track to completely everything. Our hotel opened on the January 20 and since then, we’ve had 90 per cent occupancy. Festive Hotel and Hard Rock have been fully booked. And for Chinese New Year, we are fully booked.”

And while casino staff are busy gearing up for the opening day, Singapore’s Police have also been started serving the Exclusion Orders to those with a history of crimes such as those related to drugs and illegal moneylending.

So far, about 3,500 people with serious criminal records have been barred from the two casinos when they open.

The latest exclusion orders are on top of what the National Council on Problem Gambling has issued.

Some 28,000 undischarged bankrupts and those on public assistance have also been banned from entering casinos.

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 6 Feb 2010

The post Resorts World at Sentosa awarded casino licence appeared first on LushHomeMedia.

The shopping strip makes up about 20 per cent of the entire retail space at the integrated resort.

As for its casino and the Universal Studio theme park, the company is hoping to open both in time for the Lunar New Year.

Last minute touches are being made to greet guests when Singapore’s first integrated resort opens. With just four of its six hotels and 10 restaurants opened, there is already strong interest from both locals and tourists.

Andrew Hickey, vice president (Rooms), Resorts World Sentosa said: “We had over 5,000 room nights booked in the first days of our reservations centre opening. (There is a) strong local demand from the overseas travel trade.

“Chinese New Year is already booked out. Indicators are very very strong. Weekends are filling up obviously”.

Resorts World has said it is targeting 12 to 13 million visitors each year, boosting Singapore’s visitor arrival numbers.

The Singapore Tourism Board has said that it hopes the two Integrated Resorts, including the one at Marina Bay Sands, will help double visitorship figures to 17 million by 2015.

Also making its grand opening on Wednesday is the Galleria – where retail staff have been put through the paces. This retail belt links the Festive Hotel, the casino entrance and Hotel Michael.

Noel Hawkes, vice president, Resort Operations, Resorts World Sentosa said: “We also have a Swarovski, we have a beauty hall and we have a Swiss shop gallery. We have some very nice new to market brands like Canali, which will open its first retail shop in Singapore as well as a very famous brand from Canada called Damiani, which is a very high-end jewellery shop.”

“Apart from these high-end jewellery (shops), we also have our very famous Chihuly gallery. This is going to be very exciting. We have about S$6 million worth of his very beautiful art works and his chandeliers in the casino as well as the Crockfords Tower, and now guests will be able to go and buy smaller pieces which are absolutely fabulous or some of his wonderful paintings.

“We have also got a Michael Graves gallery – first in the world in fact – and Michael Graves is the one who designed this entire project. He will have his own gallery selling stuff that he designed himself like the whistling teapot.”

The completed retail stretch at Resorts World Sentosa is about 300 metres long, with over 20 high-end brands including the highly anticipated Victoria’s Secret boutique.

Mr Hawkes said: “A lot of the retail here is geared towards our casino customers, (and) impulse buying.

“So that is why we have targeted some of the products. There are very high-end retail, expensive watches, diamonds, jewellery.”

About 70 per cent of the resort’s entire retail space is expected to be ready by next month.

“Especially if you take into consideration our Universal Studios, which is huge. We have got about 16 shops over there and we have something for absolutely everybody within our retail offerings in Universal Studios,” added Mr Hawkes.

But the clincher for most people would be the opening of the theme park and casino.

Ron Lim, general manager, Crossroad Tours & Travel said: “I already got a group of 12 persons coming from Taiwan into Resorts World. From what we see, it is supposed to be good.

“Furthermore, Casino is tied up with a theme park so when the adults play at the casino they will still go to the theme park”.

Wendy Leong, general manager, City Tours said: “The main concern right now is when Universal Studio is going to be opened, so that we will be able to package it together including all the hotel stay as well.”

Resorts World is currently awaiting licensing approvals from authorities for both the casino and theme park. And when Universal Studios opens, 20 out of its 24 rides will be fully operational.

Over the next two years, visitors can expect phase two of Resorts World Sentosa to be completed. These include two more hotels and the marine life park, the world’s largest oceanarium.

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 18 Jan 2010

The post First retail space at Resorts World Sentosa to open on Jan 20 appeared first on LushHomeMedia.

Some 300 reservations were made on the first day of bookings as people took advantage of discounted opening rates.

The hotels are set to open to the public on January 20.

To help ensure smooth visitor arrivals at the integrated resort, taxi drivers were given a drive-through tour of the three main drop-off spots.

“This is a new place for us… so the orientation benefitted us,” said a taxi driver. “Passengers want to come to this hotel. Like Hard Rock Hotel and Festive Hotel. So (now) we know where it is.”

There are three taxi drop-off points at the integrated resort, which are near to attractions such as the Universal Studios Singapore theme park and the casino.

Apart from cars and taxis, visitors can also hop onboard buses and trains to reach the integrated resort.

Robin Goh, spokesperson for Resorts World Sentosa, said: “The most cost-effective and convenient (way to travel) would be public transport so visitors can choose either taking a bus – the Sentosa bus – to Sentosa… or they could actually hop on the Sentosa Express and get off at the first station called the Waterfront Station.”

The station will open on January 20, providing the integrated resort with an integrated transport solution.

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 11 Jan 2010

The post Resorts World Sentosa prepares for visitors ahead of Jan 20 hotel openings appeared first on LushHomeMedia.

Reservations for the hotel rooms at the integrated resort will open only on January 11 at 10am. However, the integrated resort said it has received hundreds of calls on its reservations hotline.

Travel agents said while they are targeting markets like the US and the UK, their main focus will be visitors from around the region – including Indonesia, Hong Kong and China.

Other travel agents said they are offering hotel stays at Resorts World as part of a regional tour package to places like Malaysia, Bintan and Batam.

Alicia Seah, senior vice-president, Marketing and PR, Commonwealth Travel Service, said: “We are expecting families, leisure travellers as well as business travellers, who are holding their incentive trips here in Singapore.”

Moreover, those early birds who do not mind the fact that the casino will not be ready until late January will get 30 to 40 per cent off the travel deals.

Judy Lam, group vice-president, Sales & Marketing, Tour East, said: “The pre-opening packages can start from S$200 to S$300 for either a two-night package or a three nights’ package. The actual opening packages would start from about S$500.”

During the soft launch, room rates at Resorts World’s three hotels – Hotel Michael, Festive Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel – are likely to range between S$400 per night for a regular deluxe room and S$3,000 for the presidential suite.

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 6 Jan 2010

The post Special packages for hotel rooms at Resorts World Sentosa appeared first on LushHomeMedia.

The resort said its four hotels – Crockfords Tower, Hotel Michael, Festive Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel Singapore – will be opened on that day.

Resorts World Sentosa began operations at two of its four hotels on Tuesday, and employees and their families were the resort’s main guests before the hotels’ public opening.

Resorts World Sentosa’s chief executive, Tan Hee Teck, said the phased schedule would allow the resort and its 10,000 employees to run in operations and deliver the expected guest experience.

The integrated resort (IR) said it is working closely with the authorities to obtain approvals for Universal Studios Singapore, which will open next.

As for the casino’s opening date, it will be announced when the IR gets notice of its casino licence.

Together, the four hotels offer a combined inventory of 1,350 rooms and 10 restaurant outlets at their opening.

Another two hotels at the resort – Equarius Hotel and Spa Villas – will add another 500 rooms when they are launched in phase two after this year.

The IR will also open the world’s largest Marine Life Park and its Maritime Experiential Museum in the second phase.

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 5 Jan 2010

The post Resorts World Sentosa to open on Jan 20 appeared first on LushHomeMedia.

Resorts World Sentosa, due to open in a matter of weeks, expects to attract 13 million visitors in the first year alone.

The resort said it has been receiving thousands of enquiries from the public everyday. And one of the most talked about attractions is Universal Studios. The theme park is expected to attract some 30,000 visitors each day.

Visitors will encounter ferocious dinosaurs, Egyptian mummies and if that is not thrilling enough, a pair of duelling roller coasters should do the trick.

Resorts World Sentosa said with 60 F&B outlets, six hotels and retail options, there will be no lack of things to see and do.

Noel Hawkes, vice president, Resort Operations, Resorts World Sentosa, said: “We’ve got Michael Graves studio – Michael Graves being the man who designed the entire resort.

“We’ve got a Chihuly studio – Dale Chihuly is probably the most famous artist and maker of fabulous glass pieces, which by the way, he will have many pieces on display within the casino and in our Crockfords tower.”

And over in the downtown area, construction of the Marina Bay Sands resort is progressing well. The resort is touting its crown jewel in the form of the huge Sands SkyPark which sits 200 metres in the air, linking the three hotel towers.

The SkyPark will feature a public observation deck, landscaped gardens, outdoor pools and F&B options. Its massive convention space, at 120,000 square metres, will also bring over 150,000 delegates to the resort from 2010.

On the lighter side of things, the award-winning Broadway musical “The Lion King” will be making its Southeast Asian premiere in Singapore.

Thomas Arasi, CEO, Marina Bay Sands, said: “The Lion King is going to stimulate a lot of interest and a lot of curiosity. Once we move further down in our programming, it’s later on in the property’s development, but the same will occur with our second theatre.

“We are also getting a lot of buzz now and it will really pick up in the first and second quarter, about the compendium, the assortment of celebrity chefs restaurants that we have coming in.”

And those feeling lucky will clearly be hoping to take on Lady Luck in the casinos at the two resorts.

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 23 Dec 2009

The post Integrated Resorts in Singapore upbeat about outlook in 2010 appeared first on LushHomeMedia.

In fact, they have spent millions of dollars on green technologies and sustainable building concepts to conserve resources.

It has been a roller coaster ride for the environment, and climate change is a real threat. So companies, like Singapore’s two integrated resorts, are striving for greener practices.

Resorts World Sentosa, for instance, transplanted 900 trees affected by construction work. It is now replanting them – along the streets of Hollywood and New York – within its Universal Studios theme park.

The resort also has Singapore’s largest solar installation, that can generate over 500,000 kilowatts per hour of energy a year.

Noel Hawkes, vice president, Resort Operations, Resorts World Sentosa, said: “(With regards to) the solar power, we reckon we can save half a million Singapore dollars easily on electricity bills.

“We also have a very interesting ETFE roofing system over many of the al fresco dining areas of the resort, as well as in the Universal Studios where people are queuing, and this reduces the amount of sunlight by almost half.

“And we couple that with an eco-cooling system, which we have developed; it is not air conditioning, but it is cooling and it costs one-third of the cost of air conditioning.”

The ETFE plastic roofing will shelter about 70 per cent of the pedestrian walkways at the resort.

Another cost saving of over S$160,000 a year will come from a lagoon, which will harvest rainwater to be used for irrigation.

Meanwhile, Marina Bay Sands resort is also doing its part – by recycling paint from previous projects, as well as recycling construction waste. When completed, guests staying in the 2,500 luxury rooms at the three hotel towers can also play a role.

Thomas Arasi, CEO, Marina Bay Sands, said: “We have spent S$25 million on an intelligent building management system, and what that would do is that it would automatically record the customer’s needs and energy saving patterns.

“On the remote control in our guest room, there will be an eco button that you can hit and it will just take things up a notch and hopefully you will not feel it.”

Marina Bay Sands said it has also invested a substantial amount of money on the construction and operation of a massive chilled water plant to be located just off its third hotel tower. This will be done on a cost sharing basis between the resort and public entities.

The plant is expected to be ready in late 2010. Marina Bay Sands said it will provide chilled water to cool the resort as well as new buildings in the surrounding districts.

Observers said the use of chilled water could help lower air conditioning costs by up to 20 per cent.

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 11 Dec 2009

The post Integrated resorts set up green initiatives appeared first on LushHomeMedia.

Sale of tickets shouldn’t be too far on the horizon with Resorts World Sentosa announcing on Wednesday its one-day, two-day and express pass ticket prices that range from S$32 to S$118 to access all attractions.

“We have pegged ticket prices for Universal Studios Singapore at an incredible value compared to major theme parks worldwide” said Shirly Chen, Vice President (Sales Development), Resorts World Sentosa.

The Universal Studios Singapore passes start from a weekday rate of S$66 for an adult and S$48 for a child, with seniors enjoying a special rate of S$32. The price is between S$72 and S$36 for visits on weekends and public holidays.

The price is also attractive for tickets to visit the theme park over two consecutive days, with the highest tag being S$118 for an adult two-day pass.

“As Singapore’s IR, a place for every Singaporean, it is also our aim to reach out to everyone, not forgetting grandmas and grandpas” said Chen.

Resorts World Sentosa, will open early next year with four hotels, a casino and a host of shopping, dining and entertainment offerings, along with the Universal Studios Singapore theme-park.

Ticket sales and room reservations will be launched at a later date, in conjunction with exclusive packages for a charity auction.

Universal Studios Singapore will feature 24 attractions, including the world’s biggest single collection of DreamWorks Animation attractions such as the world’s first Far Far Away Castle from the world of Shrek; Madagascar theme park ride and the world’s tallest dueling roller coaster.

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 18 Nov 2009

The post Under S$50 tickets for Universal Studios theme park on Sentosa appeared first on LushHomeMedia.