Rebranded Conrad Singapore Orchard capitalises on Tanglin-Orchard Boulevard renaissance
By Cecilia Chow
/ EdgeProp Singapore |
SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - From Jan 1, 2023, luxury hotel Regent Singapore will be rebranded Conrad Singapore Orchard and managed by international hotel operator Hilton. Located at 1 Cuscaden Road, the 440-room hotel was designed by American architect John Portman of Portman Architects and completed in 1982.
For the first 10 years, it was the Pavilion InterContinental Hotel, and for the next 26 years — from 1992 to 2018 — it was Regent Singapore, managed by the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. The property is jointly owned by Pontiac Land Group and Kajima Corp in a 75:25 split. When the management agreement with Four Seasons expired at the end of 2018, the hotel was managed by Capella Hotel Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pontiac Land, from Jan 1, 2019, until the end of the year.
For the Kwee family-controlled Pontiac Land, rebranding Regent Singapore was a long process that required much thought. They have seen how the transformation of the Cuscaden Road-Tanglin Road-Orchard Boulevard area is shaping up, especially with the new upscale luxury hotels and residences sprouting up.
The Conrad Singapore Orchard will open on Jan 1, 2023 (Picture: Hilton/Pontiac Land)
Empty pockets filled up, rejuvenation accelerates
It started with the launch of the 173-unit St Regis Residences and the 299-room St Regis Singapore by City Developments Ltd (CDL), Hong Leong Holdings and TID in 2007. New hotels opening in 2023 include Shun Tak Holdings’ 142-room Artyzen Singapore on Cuscaden Road and the 190-room Edition Hotel Singapore, which is part of a mixed-use development that includes the 154-unit Boulevard 88 developed jointly by CDL, Hong Leong and Lea Investments.
Upcoming luxury condos include the 192-unit, 99-year leasehold Cuscaden Reserve by SC Global Developments, New World Development and Far East Consortium, and Shun Tak’s 54-unit Park Nova. A redevelopment of the former Park House, Park Nova set a new benchmark for the area when it was launched in May 2021, with all three penthouses sold at prices ranging from $5,320 to $5,838 psf.
In February this year, Indonesian tycoon Sukanto Tanoto’s Royal Golden Eagle paid $868 million ($2,769 psf per plot ratio) for Tanglin Shopping Centre during its fourth collective sale attempt. The site is likely to be redeveloped into a new mixed-use development that includes commercial, residential and hospitality uses.
In February this year, Indonesian tycoon Sukanto Tanoto’s Royal Golden Eagle paid $868 million ($2,769 psf per plot ratio) for Tanglin Shopping Centre during its fourth collective sale attempt (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
“The en bloc sale of Tanglin Shopping Centre and its redevelopment is the last piece in the rejuvenation of the precinct,” says David Tsang, CEO of Pontiac Land Group. (See potential condos with en bloc calculator)
The empty pockets of land in the Tanglin Road-Orchard Boulevard neighbourhood are now being built up, and old properties are being rejuvenated or redeveloped, observes Tsang. The desirability of the area has been further enhanced by its proximity to the Singapore Botanic Gardens (declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 2016) and greater connectivity with the opening of the Orchard Boulevard MRT Station on the Thomson-East Coast Line.
One of the biggest hotels in Singapore, the 51-year-old Mandarin Orchard Singapore, was rebranded Hilton Singapore by OUE and OUE Commercial REIT. The property underwent a $150 million revamp and reopened in February this year as Hilton’s flagship hotel in Singapore and its largest hotel in Asia Pacific with 1,080 rooms.
The soaring atrium, a hallmark Portman design, will also remain unchanged (Photo: Pontiac Land/Hilton)
Over $100 million revamp
“With all the changes in the precinct around us, we needed to make a significant investment,” says Tsang. The group is spending over $100 million on renovations, including an overhaul of all 440 rooms, refurbishing the lobby and check-in area, and refreshing the F&B outlets.
The building has all the hallmarks of a Portman design, from its hanging-gardens terraced landscape and soaring atrium and skylight. “It’s an iconic design, and it will remain,” says Tsang.
In choosing Hilton to operate the property under the Conrad Singapore Orchard flag, Pontiac Land solidified a 26-year relationship that began with the opening in 1996 of the 512-room Conrad Centennial Hotel Singapore, which is also managed by Hilton.
“It’s been a long-standing relationship,” says Clarence Tan, senior vice president, development — Asia Pacific, Hilton.
The interiors of all 440 rooms of the hotel will be revamped with the brand change to Conrad Singapore Orchard (Picture: Pontiac Land/Hilton)
Pontiac Land is also working closely with Hilton to activate the ground-floor area of the Conrad Singapore Orchard with more F&B options. For instance, high-end Japanese sushi restaurant Taiga Dining has taken over the space previously occupied by cigar shop La Casa Cubana, which in turn has moved into the rear of the hotel where the space has been renovated. Sotheby’s Singapore art auction house previously occupied a ground-floor unit, but has moved to the second level. The space is now the extension of the all-day restaurant and bakery Dolcetto. “We are getting ready to cater for the new residents in the area, and will continue to do that with Hilton taking over the operations,” adds Tsang.
Conrad Singapore Orchard will have 10 F&B offerings, including household names such as Michelin-star Chinese restaurant Summer Palace, Italian restaurant Basilico and Manhattan Bar. All the restaurants will undergo a “light refresh”, according to Tsang, while Summer Palace will see a more major renovation.
“Keeping the hotel running while the rooms are closed for renovation allows the hotel to stay ‘top of mind’ with local consumers,” says Hilton’s Tan. “In Singapore, we don’t just depend on international travellers, but also local patronage for our F&B offerings.”
Pontiac Land’s Tsang: With all the changes in the precinct around us, we needed to make a significant investment (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
Makeover in Covid lull
At Pontiac Land’s Conrad Centennial Singapore, all 512 rooms were refurbished in 2019 before Covid struck. Discussions are now underway for the revamp of the lower levels of the hotel. “Just as Pontiac Land’s revamp of former Regent Singapore is in sync with the surrounding neighbourhood, we are doing the same at Conrad Centennial,” says Hilton’s Tan.
Millenia Walk, a two-storey mall with 415,000 sq ft gross floor area, is linked to the two office towers — Centennial Tower and Millenia Tower — as well as the two luxury hotels, the 608-room Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore; and Conrad Centennial. Collectively, the entire complex is known as Millenia Singapore and was completed in the late 1990s.
“Today, the concept of a mixed-use development is very common, but [Millenia Singapore] was probably one of the first in terms of a comprehensive mixed-use development with a premium positioning — two five-star hotels, two Grade-A office towers, and a high-end retail mall that connects all the buildings,” says Tsang.
Millenia Walk is now close to 100% occupied. The game-changer was the opening of Japanese supermarket Meidi-ya’s largest flagship store in November 2020, says Tsang. Spanning two storeys, the 24,000 sq ft duplex outlet features Singapore’s first 88-seater Japanese concept café and bar, a Japanese bakery from Kobe and an international supermarket. “Meidi-ya has changed the mall landscape and increased weekend traffic since Covid,” he adds.
Early next year will see Pontiac Land revamping the area around the Park and Dine concept of Millenia Walk and the area linking it to the Conrad Centennial.
Millenia Walk, a two-storey mall with 415,000 sq ft gross floor area, is linked to the two office towers — Centennial Tower and Millenia Tower — as well as the two luxury hotels, the 608-room Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore; and Conrad Centennial (Photo: Pontiac Land website)
Expanding hospitality footprint
Pontiac Land took advantage of the lull during the pandemic to revitalise Ritz-Carlton with the help of American interior designer Tony Chi. The revamp included the ballrooms and meeting spaces. “As long-term asset holders, we constantly look at refreshing our assets,” says Tsang.
Besides Conrad Singapore Orchard, Conrad Centennial and Ritz-Carlton, Pontiac Land also owns the Capella Singapore in Sentosa, which has 112 rooms, including suites, villas with private outdoor plunge pools and two heritage colonial manors.
Beyond Singapore, Pontiac Land owns three luxury resorts on the Fari Islands located at North Malé Atoll of the Maldives. Each resort sits on a distinct island. Both Ritz-Carlton and Patina Maldives opened in May 2021, with Capella Maldives scheduled to open in 2025. In March next year, the Capella Sydney in Australia will open with 192 guest rooms and suites. It is located within the Department of Education Building in Sydney’s Sandstone Precinct.
Capella Singapore in Sentosa has 112 rooms, including suites, villas with private outdoor plunge pools (pictured) and two heritage colonial manors (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
Capella Hotel Group, which was acquired by Pontiac Land in 2017, is now a wholly-owned subsidiary. Besides Capella brand hotels, it manages the properties under Patina Hotels & Resorts, another luxury tier brand created under Pontiac Land and launched in March 2020. The first urban property under Patina, the 220-room Patina Osaka, is set to open in 2025.
Capella Hotel Group manages third-party hotels and resorts too. These include Capella Shanghai, which opened in Oct 2017, and Capella Tufu Bay in Hainan, Sanya, which opened in January 2019. Capella Ubud, in Bali, opened in July 2018, followed by Capella Bangkok in October 2020 and Capella Hanoi in March 2021. Scheduled to open in mid-2025 is Capella Kyoto.
Despite having its own hotel brands, Pontiac Land is “very happy working with other hotel operators too”, says Tsang. “Hilton has 18 brands across their entire spectrum. We have just two.”
Hilton’s Tan: Keeping the hotel running while the rooms are closed for renovation allows the hotel to stay “top of mind” with local consumers (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
Over 1,000 trading hotels by 2025
Of the 18 brands under Hilton globally, 12 are already present in Asia Pacific, notes Hilton’s Tan. In Singapore, besides Conrad and Hilton, a third brand, Hilton Garden Inn, is here too.
The first Hilton Garden Inn branded hotel in Singapore opened in October 2017. It’s the 328-room Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon, located just off Serangoon Road and a 400m walk from Little India MRT Station. Formerly Garden Imperial Hotel Singapore, the property underwent a complete refurbishment and retrofit before it opened as the Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon.
According to Hilton’s Tan, the Hilton Garden Inn is the group’s fastest-growing brand in Asia Pacific. “A focused service brand, Hilton Garden Inn doesn’t have all the bells and whistles,” he says. In early December, the 250-room Hilton Garden Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma opened. It marked the brand’s debut in Japan and the 600th property under the Hilton Garden Inn brand in Asia Pacific.
Hilton, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, has over 6,800 properties. Luxury brands in its stable are the Waldorf Astoria, Conrad and LXR Hotels & Resorts. The largest of its luxury brand portfolio is Conrad, which has 44 properties worldwide, with four new hotels opening in 2023, including the Conrad Singapore Orchard.
In Asia Pacific, Hilton has 591 operating hotels with another 785 in the pipeline, as at 3Q2022 (Photo: Albert Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
In Asia Pacific, Hilton has 591 operating hotels with another 785 in the pipeline, as at 3Q2022. The group’s target is to have more than 1,000 hotels in operation by 2025.
Waldorf Astoria is regarded as the most premium brand under the Hilton umbrella. It has 32 properties currently trading under that flag, with another 26 in the pipeline. Opening next year is the 252-room Waldorf Astoria Cairo, followed by the Waldorf Astoria in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, London and New York in 2024, and Osaka in 2025.
However, the Waldorf Astoria flag is still absent in Singapore. “Everybody wants a Waldorf Astoria,” says Tan. “It is our most treasured brand. Over the years, we have had many enquiries, but there can only be one Waldorf Astoria in a city. It has to be located in an area with the right catchment. That is harder to come by in land-scarce Singapore. We will continue to wait for the right opportunity.”
In the meantime, the transformation of the former Regent Singapore (rebranded Conrad Singapore Orchard) and the exclusive Tanglin Road-Orchard Boulevard precinct is well underway.
Check out the latest listings near St Regis Residences, Boulevard 88, Park Nova, Tanglin Shopping Centre, Millenia Walk, Millenia Tower, Orchard Boulevard MRT Station, Little India MRT Station
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