Japanese hospitality giant Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide expands to Singapore

By Nicholas Lam

/ EdgeProp Singapore |

September 12, 2024 5:30 PM SGT

Seibu Prince Hotels & Resorts made their Southeast Asian brand debut with the launch of Park Regis by Prince Singapore. (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua / EdgeProp Singapore)

Japanese hospitality company Seibu Prince Hotels & Resorts, a subsidiary of Tokyo-listed Seibu Holdings, made their Southeast Asian brand debut on September 3 with the launch of Park Regis by Prince Singapore.

Located along Merchant Road in the Clarke Quay area, the 203-key hotel previously known as Park Regis Singapore was relaunched after extensive refurbishment and refit of its guest rooms.

The refit includes improvements such as complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi and 50-inch smart TVs with casting capability. Most single-use plastics, such as water bottles, have also been replaced with alternatives like water filters.

Read also: Seibu Group to launch Park Regis by Prince Singapore

Alex Barnett, director of global brand and communications at Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide, says the hotel’s base room rates increased following the refit and rebranding exercise. The basic nightly rate jumped from about $210 per night in 2019 to about $260 per night after it relaunched.

Park Regis by Prince Singapore offers four room categories, ranging from 215 sq ft to 463 sq ft, catered to business and leisure travellers in the mid- to high-tier range.

Park Regis by Prince Singapore is the first Park Regis hotel to be rebranded under the Seibu Prince brand. (Samuel Issac Chua / EdgeProp Singapore)

Exporting Japanese hospitality

Seibu Holdings is one of Japan’s largest hospitality conglomerates, operating over 50 hotels, 25 hot spring facilities and 28 golf courses. Yoshiki Kaneda, president and CEO of Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide, says there is an ongoing demand in the luxury segment for Japanese-style hospitality overseas — one that he feels the group is uniquely geared to fulfil. The company has over 80 years of experience in the Japanese hospitality industry.

Yoshiki Kaneda, president and CEO of Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide. (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua / EdgeProp Singapore)

Steven Tang, general manager of Park Regis by Prince Singapore, defines Japanese-style hospitality, or omotenashi, to include three defining characteristics: anticipation, selflessness and sincerity. This has led to the property implementing digital room keys, which is a first for the hotel chain.

“We realised that business travellers don’t want to queue at the front office to check into their rooms,” says Tang. With this feature, guests can now check-in through the hotel’s app and proceed to their rooms. Other guest-centric features include using an AI chatbot via the hotel group’s app to facilitate guest service requests, update guests on their flight details and provide a list of nearby attractions.

Seibu Prince has also begun sending its Japanese staff overseas to train local hotel staff. One example is the group’s hotel in New York, The Prince Kitano New York, where almost 12% of the staff are from Japan, including a team of master chefs.

Guests at Park Regis by Prince Singapore can now check-in through the hotel’s app and proceed straight to their rooms, a first for the hotel group. (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua / EdgeProp Singapore)

International expansion of flagship brand

The relaunch of Park Regis by Prince Singapore is part of the conglomerate’s efforts to expand its homegrown Prince brand outside of Japan.

In April, the company unified its three international subsidiaries — Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide, StayWell Holdings and Prince Resorts Hawaii — under a single identity: Seibu Prince Hotels & Resorts.

Seibu Holdings acquired the Park Regis and Leisure Inn brands in 2017 by purchasing Australian hotel operator StayWell Holdings for A$50 million. At the time of acquisition, StayWell’s portfolio of assets included 30 hotels across seven countries. Park Regis by Prince Singapore is the first Park Regis hotel to be rebranded under the Prince name.

Kaneda says the group will focus on future expansion efforts across Asia and Southeast Asia. He adds: “We would like to establish our Prince hotels in the capital cities such as Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.”

The brand is set to debut in two more Southeast Asian countries next year, with the opening of Park Regis by Prince Menteng in Indonesia in early 2025 and The Prince Akatoki Riverside Bangkok in Thailand by the tail end of next year.

Outside of Asia, the group opened its first property in the continental US in February. Previously known as The Kitano Hotel New York, the property was relaunched as The Prince Kitano New York following a refresh of its 150 accommodations.

The hotel is located at 66 Park Avenue in New York near landmarks such as the Grand Central Terminal, Chrysler and Empire State Building. According to Barnett, Seibu Holdings owns and operates the property.

Seibu Prince Hotels & Resorts hopes to triple its global portfolio of over 80 hotels to 250 by 2035. “We have a vision for 100 hotels within Japan and 150 hotels internationally. That is our target,” says Kaneda.

Currently, the group operates over 50 hotels in Japan and 33 hotels outside Japan across 11 countries, including China, Hawaii, Taiwan, Australia and the UK.

Tags:

Seibu Group

Follow our channels to receive property news updates 24/7 round the clock.

Subscribe to our newsletter