Far East Hospitality, which holds Singapore’s largest hospitality portfolio of 18 hotels and serviced residences including Oasia, Rendezvous and Village brands, is planning further international expansion.
Speaking with our sister publication Business Traveller, chief executive Arthur Kiong said that the plan was for the Oasia brand, which is focussed on business travellers, to open three properties in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
Oasia currently has one hotel in Singapore, the Oasis Novena.
“Next year we will open the Oasia Suites in Kuala Lumpur in the first quarter, the Oasia Downtown in Singapore in the second quarter and then a third in the third quarter, the Oasia Residences.”
Kiong said that in contrast to many brands seeking to attract business travellers, the Oasia brand will not have a loyalty programme.
“Loyalty programmes play a part in keeping people with chain hotels, but I think travellers are intelligent enough to know that there’s a price to that, and the money the hotel company invests in the programme could be invested in the hotel and the service.”
Kiong maintains that business travellers “… are more interested in being defined from a psychographic point of view than demographic. Business travellers are a range of people, not just one type, and people are rational in the way they choose hotels.”
Nevertheless Kiong says that the Oasia brand aims to offer “… comfort without excess, aesthetics without the ostentation, attention without pretensions and to deliver what’s relevant in an elegant way. They want value for money. And that’s not a euphemism for cheap.”
The Oasia properties will all be in busy hubs, according to Kiong but “the hotel must be calm. They don’t have a vibrant bar in the lobby.”
In addition the hotels have a focus on health, which in practical terms means “vitamin water, salads in the restaurants, a fantastic gym.”
As well as the new properties, international expansion will take in the five top markets for Singapore initially (Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and India).
For more information, visit oasia.com.sg and stayfareast.com
Tom Otley
