Face-to-Face: Yngvar Stray, General Manager, The St Regis Singapore
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1) InSingaporethere is a strong luxury hotel market. In bringing the St Regis brand to thecity, how are you differentiating your product from the competition?
Singaporedefinitely has a s
trong luxury hotel market and as well, a growing
segment ofmodern connoisseurs who desire authentic and original experiences. At The St.Regis Singapore, our interpretation of luxury goes beyond the physical locationand opulent furnishings. Itis the distinctive mark of the privileged, the quiet confidence of the worldly and the welllived that set the St. Regis experience apart.
I would saythe defining feature of the St. Regis experience is the service culture withthe genuine desire to fulfil each request in a personalized and meaningful way,providing our guests with the most thoughtful solution beyond expectation.
2) Like the majority of Asiancities, Singaporehas suffered from a drop in tourism arrivals. Has St Regis’ place in the verytop end of the market insulated it from the overall downturn, and what measuresare you taking to maintain occupancy levels?
Thetravel and hotel industry globally is feeling the impact of the currenteconomic situation; hence, occupancy is under pressure with lesser in-boundtravel into Singapore.
Having said that, we are seeing less impact in the high-end leisure segment.Although this segment’s ability to spend remains, these guests are now lookingfor more value-added service and competitive packages. In view of this, we havelaunched the Luxurious Weekend package at very attractive ratesfor Singaporeans and Malaysian guests.
As for corporate travel, globally, businesses are focused on financialperformance and their bottom line. As such, The St. Regis Singapore isdedicated to offer the best possible rates and more value-added services tosubstantiate return of investments for our corporate clients.
We have also launched a Premier Meeting packagesfor the Corporates who require competitive and flexible meeting group packagesto meet their unique requirements. The St. Regis Event Butler is there for everyneed from event logistics to the comfort of your guests.
We are confident that our competitive pricing, attractive packages and strengthin value-added services will continue to win appreciation from both high-endleisure and corporate segments.
3) Your hotel features anextensive art collection, including works by Joan Miro among others. How muchdoes this artistic side reflect on the property as a whole, and is it somethingthat you will continue to develop?
The St. Regis heritage was borne from the marriage of Europeanopulence with the innovative edge of American invention. Our legacy is steeped with influences of theGilded Age and the progressive era, of which we also inherited the appreciationof fine art.
The St. Regis Singapore houses one of the largest and finestprivate art collections in Asia, with more than 100 original paintings,lithographs and sculptures by world famous artists, the likes of FernandoBotero, Marc Chagall, Frank Gehry, Picasso, Gu Gan, just to list a few. We also pay tribute to Singaporean pioneerartists and the property features art pieces from Chen Wen Hsi and GeorgetteChen.
Based on the positive feedback we’ve gathered, we will belaunching Afternoon Affairs at The St.Regis Singapore, with weekly group and private art tours, paired with ourafternoon tea at the Brasserie Les Saveurs.
4) With bespoke service soimportant to the St Regis concept, how important is it to find the best stafffor your hotel, and how does the current labour market in Singapore facilitatethis?
We offer extensive trainings toour staff not only for enhancing their technical skills but also for increasingtheir understanding of brand service culture. In addition, selection of ourstaff members who represent and champion our commitment to service excellenceis extremely important.
The Singapore’stalent market yield good staff who have the attributes we are looking for: highlevel of service and language skills; more importantly, positive attitudes andmotivated to go the extra mile.
5) What developments are we likelyto see at the St Regis Singaporein 2009?
We will continue the momentum of 2008 and to exemplify luxury in how wetreat every single guest who walks through our door.
We endeavour to refine our product offerings at our restaurants toprovide our guests a nonpareil epicurean experience that aspires to please theseasoned palate. The St. Regis Chefs areinspired by diverse culinary heritage and philosophies, our culinary teams willcontinue to reinterpret traditional recipes to delight our guests with gourmetinnovations.
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