It’s been over four months since hotel leisure stays in Singapore became possible again, with five hotels kicking off the ‘staycation movement’ back on 9th July 2020. In the first month alone, 200 hotels gained approval and opened for staycation guests, however in the three months since then, only 30 additional properties have joined the list.
That’s a significant slowdown, partly because many hotels remain committed to contractual agreements to act as government facilities, accommodating stay-home or quarantine guests in the fight against COVID-19.
Another factor to consider for most of our readers is that of the 30 hotels approved in the last three months, only 11 of them have been in the luxury or mid-range category, with practically two-thirds being budget hotels, typically of little interest to staycation-goers.
Recently in fact there’s only been one luxury hotel added as an option, the Andaz Singapore, with the PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering, Vagabond Club and Sheraton Towers perhaps being the only notable mid-range options joining the fold in recent weeks.
Christmas will bring at least five new options
Luckily the upcoming Christmas and New Year period, not to mention Chinese New Year following in February 2021, is the perfect temptation for many hotels to dust down the cobwebs (or wind up their government facility agreements) and take advantage of local holiday demand.
While Christmas and New Year in Hong Kong isn’t necessarily off the cards for Singapore residents, the new Air Travel Bubble between the two cities will now remain firmly parked while Hong Kong works to address its ‘fourth wave’ of COVID-19 cases.
Meanwhile we already know of five popular luxury or mid-range properties here in Singapore planning to reopen next month, so let’s take a look.
SO/ Sofitel
(mid-December)
| December Rates from: |
S$261++ | Opening: | Mid-Dec |
| Category: | Luxury | Location: | Raffles Place |
The SO/ Sofitel, housed in a heritage building formerly accommodating the Singapore Telecoms Authority, originally primed us for an opening in early 2021.
Recently though the hotel has confirmed it will in fact reopen for staycations in mid-December 2020.
We contacted the hotel to check if there was an exact opening date, but they are not quite ready to confirm one yet. Here’s what they told us:
We will be opening in mid-December. Bookings are now open online. The exact date is TBC, however if you book from 15 December onwards, we should be open!
SO/ Singapore
The hotel is taking bookings through its website from 12th December 2020, with nightly rates starting at S$261++.
No specific staycation deals have been released yet, and at the moment it looks like you can expect to pay upwards of S$423++ per night for a festive stay and S$645++ on New Year’s Eve!
Conrad Centennial Singapore
(16 December)
| December Rates from: |
S$272++ | Opening: | |
| Category: | Luxury | Location: | Promenade |
Hot on the radar for Hilton Honors members is the Conrad Centennial Singapore.
That’s partly because it has not just one but two Club Lounges for status holders and suite guests; ‘Lounge by the Pool’, alongside the swimming pool, and the Executive Lounge at level 31.
Update: The Conrad Singapore has confirmed it will reopen for staycation guests on 16th December 2020, a few days earlier than they initially revealed to us.
The hotel website is now accepting bookings from 16th December 2020.
Expect to pay rates from S$272++ per room per night, though of course a stay over Christmas (two-night minimum) is currently at least S$399++ per night, while New Year’s Eve is S$459++ and upwards.
Pan Pacific Singapore
(9 December)
| December Rates from: |
S$228++ | Opening: | 9 Dec |
| Category: | Luxury | Location: | Marina Bay |
The Pan Pacific Singapore first announced it was reopening for staycation guests on 25th December 2020, which seemed a little strange as it meant you could stay on Christmas Day but not on Christmas Eve!
The hotel has recently brought forward its plans, confirming in the last couple of days that it will now start accepting leisure bookings from 9th December 2020.
The Pan Pacific’s sister hotel on Beach Road was an early joiner to the staycation party, first approved by the STB in the initial wave on 13th July 2020, but this is the first time the popular Marina Bay p