Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG) has split the hotels under its Parkroyal brand in two, placing two of the hotels under a separate newly established eco-conscious brand called Parkroyal Collection Hotels & Resorts.
These two hotels, both in Singapore, are:
- Parkroyal on Pickering, which has been renamed to ‘Parkroyal Collection Pickering’
- Marina Mandarin , which has been renamed “Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay”
PPHG said the new brand “carries a strong sense of responsibility towards the environment and self with eco-friendliness, sustainability and care for overall well-being as its brand ethos”.
It added that the new brand also celebrates icons of architecture and design, and features “integration of iconic spaces with sustainable elements”.
Parkroyal on Pickering (now Parkroyal Collection Pickering) has an noticeable eco-focus. As Business Traveller Asia-Pacific noted in its February 2019 review of the hotel, its eco-conscious ethos is espoused in a wooden dice, which features a mixture of information on the hotel’s green initiatives as well as requests for the housekeeping staff. Rooms also have glass water bottles refilled daily or upon request, in lieu of plastic bottles, which are gradually becoming anathema to sustainability-minded travellers and hotel operators alike (not to mention airlines and airports).
The hotel, located in Singapore’s central business district, features a “hotel-in-a-garden” concept with over 15,000 sqm of greenery. According to the hotel group, it’s also the first hotel with “zero-energy skygardens” powered by a gravity-driven irrigation from a rainwater harvesting system and solar energy.
The hotel’s rooms are equipped with light and motion sensors that help conserve energy. All year-round, the hotel also offers a wellness experience to guests, from locally-sourced and organic plant-based dining options, its own herb garden, to “green meetings and weddings”.
The hotel group said the hotel’s iconic design, signature eco-friendliness and sustainability practices make it a “natural fit” and a flagship hotel for the new brand.
Along with the rebranding, Parkroyal Collection Pickering is introducing a year-long “Green City Life” staycation offer with offerings such as fitness access pass to the new Impact gym (styled as “ImPAct”, a one-stop fitness and social space with lifestyle programmes geared at working professionals) across the hotel, dining credits on a plant-based menu at the hotel’s Lime restaurant, as well as a limited edition eco-gift.
Bigger changes are afoot at the Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, which will undergo a S$45 million (US$33.4 million) renovation, which will see the hotel transformed into a “garden in a hotel”. PPHG expects renovations to be done in phases and completed in the first quarter of 2021.
This will include the transformation of the hotel’s all-day dining eatery Aqua Marine into a new “halal concept restaurant”. A spokesperson from Pan Pacific told Business Traveller Asia-Pacific that Aqua Marine had “one of the most popular” halal-certified buffets in Singapore since its opening, and therefore, the hotel decided to continue with this tradition in the renovated restaurant.
Called “Peppermint” to reflect the fresh changes, the new restaurant will feature open kitchens and greenhouse-inspired private dining areas; the addition of sculptural pavilions shaped like birdcages nestled within “lush” greenery throughout the property (see picture above); as well as the renovation of its 20,000 sqft function spaces, including the Pool Garden Pavilion area overlooking the Marina Bay.
All the 575 guestrooms in the hotel will be renovated as well. The spokesperson from Pan Pacific told Business Traveller Asia-Pacific that the new design concept will be similar to Parkroyal Collection Pickering, where light-filled guest rooms feature timber flooring, vanity tops, as well as sinks and bathtubs made from recycled composite stones and granite. The spokesperson added that more details will be unveiled “in due course”.
The hotel already unveiled a 13-metre high green landscaped wall (see picture above) on January 7 this year, while retaining its 21-storey atrium. The property’s 25-metre outdoor mineral water pool has also been fitted with 1,380 fibre optic lights at its base, which the group said will give the feel of swimming among “twinkling stars” at night.
“As a developer, we are keenly aware of the environmental challenges and we believe everyone can do their part to contribute to sustainability and our environment. The launch of Parkroyal Collection brand marks an important milestone in our PPHG’s journey,” said Liam Wee Sin, group chief executive of UOL.
Also commenting on the launch of the new brand, Choe Peng Sum, CEO of PPHG, said: “Parkroyal Collection is created for those with a sense of purpose and responsibility at heart. It demonstrates that sustainability and modern lifestyle can co-exist through conscious design and efforts. The brand adopts a long-term view of care and guardianship towards our environment and community”.
The hotel group said the introduction of the new brand complements its other two brands: Pan Pacific and Parkroyal. The new brand is listed separately on Pan Pacific’s website with its own distinct logo, based on the logo of the Parkroyal brand.
There are currently 12 properties under the old Parkroyal brand, with seven more in the pipeline.
Over the next five years, the group plans to add “suitable new properties” to the Parkroyal Collection Hotels and Resorts brand across the region. The spokesperson from Pan Pacific said these could be rebrandings or new developments in key cities.
“In terms of growth, our portfolio is nearly 50 properties across 29 cities, from Singapore to Beijing, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and Toronto. 2020 will also be a landmark year with key openings in the key cities of London, Bangkok, Hanoi, Jakarta, and China’s first Parkroyal hotel in the city of Dalian,” said Choe.
Besides Pan Pacific, some other hotel groups around the world are also recognising the need to do more to be sustainable.
Stay green: How hotels and guests can make travel more sustainable
