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General Manager of Swissotel The Stamford, Mr Aiden McAuley
Perhaps carried away by the excitement of the inaugural event, and emboldened by the fact that the economy this time last year was still buoyant, hotels had put together minimum five-day packages at ambitious rates.
“Greed made us lose our focus last year,” said Mr Patrick Fiat, General Manager of Royal Plaza on Scotts. “We have definitely learnt our lesson and we can see that all rates for the same period have fallen easily by 30 to 40 per cent compared to last year. This year, some hotels, including Royal Plaza on Scotts, are not imposing a minimum night clause.”
Hoteliers optimistic about room bookings
Despite the poor economic climate and the uncertainties that have beset the FORMULA ONE name this year, hoteliers, particularly the trackside hoteliers, are confident that their rooms will be snapped up.
Mr Fiat expects his hotel to be full, even without it being trackside, with rooms being more popular on Friday, September 25 than Saturday and Sunday, similar to last year.
The Ritz-Carlton is also expecting a full house similar to last year. Mr Peter Mainguy, General Manager, said the hotel was slightly behind the booking pace as of end August, compared to last year, but expects a last-minute pick-up closer to the race dates.
Another trackside hotel, Swissotel The Stamford, has in place a collection of strategic marketing campaigns to drive sales.
General Manager of Swissotel The Stamford , Mr Aiden McAuley said, “We are tapping on our corporate and industry partners as well as international contacts to generate greater bookings for the FORMULA ONE weekend. This year's rates are more competitive and attractive as compared with last year's figures.”
Night race offering still a winner
Mr McAuley added, “We remain positive that this year's race week will be successful. In spite of a drop in the number of tourist arrivals this year, the FORMULA ONE week is still a silver lining we can all look forward to before the year ends.
He said although some of the previous FORMULA ONE stops this year have seen a drop in business and fan attendance, Singapore's race circuit remains “unique and attractive” compared to the rest.
“Its novelty as the only night race in the world is relatively quite high and Singapore remains a highly popular international destination for leisure and business travellers. The FORMULA ONE experience is a complementary dimension to the country’s evolving and dynamic ensemble of year-round calendar of attractions and events,” he said.
Aiding their confidence, is the inaugural F1 ROCKS™ , packed with world-class entertainment such as Beyonce and Black Eyed Peas, as well as Circuit Park acts featuring headliners like Travis, Chaka Khan and Backstreet Boys and other festivities under the Singapore GP Season 2009 from 18 to 27 September.
Learning from experience – 2009 will be even better
The experience of having gone through the first FORMULA ONE night race will also help these hoteliers deliver a better customer experience this time round.
“Despite the road closures over the race weekend, we managed to cater to 16,000 race enthusiasts at the Pit Building and the Singapore Flyer. With this experience now under our belt, our culinary, catering and food and beverage teams are now better equipped to plan the logistics of catering at these two off-site venues,” said Mr Mainguy.
Calling the inaugural race a litmus test for Singapore’s hospitality industry in staging and hosting a sporting spectacle, with global reach and appeal, Mr McAuley said it was a challenging and exciting learning experience.
“The best lesson would be on how we can further customise and personalise our services and promotions to cater to the different segments of guests. We have learnt that each segment has its own specific sets of expectations and levels of service and attention required. This is what we will continue to work into this year and the years ahead.”
He added that the Equinox Restaurant would extend its operating hours until two in the morning during the FORMULA ONE period.
Mr Fiat said running the second event was more challenging because “the novelty of the many unprecedented claims in the first year is gone, ‘the first night race, the first F1 race in Singapore, etc’.”
“This year will be another circuit race though some of the buzz will still remain for the night element in the race.”
Said Mr McAuley, “As a fan, I am hoping for more drama and thrilling action at the race track. As a hotelier, I am most looking forward to meeting and exceeding the expectations of all our guests at Swissotel The Stamford.”
