Hilton’s premium Conrad brand will be expanding in Singapore, with the opening of a second property. This is an interesting one.
In this post:
Regent Singapore will become Conrad as of 2023
The Regent Singapore will become the Conrad Singapore Orchard. The rebranded property is expected to open in two phases:
- The hotel’s meeting spaces and 10 restaurants and bars, including Manhattan, Basilico, and Summer Palace, will welcome guests as of January 1, 2023
- Following extensive room refurbishments, the hotel is scheduled to fully reopen as of Q1 2024
The Conrad Singapore Orchard will feature 440 guest rooms, starting at 36 square meters (~388 square feet). The hotel is located on the famous Orchard Road, known for its shopping and luxury retailers. The hotel is roughly 22 kilometers from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), or a 30-minute drive away (though of course public transportation is great as well).
The Regent Singapore initially opened in 1988, so it’s quite an old property. While I’m sure the interior will be nicely renovated, I feel like it’s tough to bring the exterior of the property to a level where it doesn’t look a bit past its prime.
Below are some renderings of what the refreshed property will look like.
As a point of comparison, below is what the guest rooms currently look like.
This is an interesting rebranding
There are a couple of things I find noteworthy here:
- The property is leaving the Regent brand, which IHG took a majority stake in as of 2019
- This will be the second Conrad in Singapore, along with the Conrad Centennial Singapore
Let’s talk about both points in a bit more detail. First of all, while I appreciate IHG’s acquisition of Regent, as it helps the company in the luxury space, I can’t help but find the brand a little… stray? The brand has six properties in Asia and two in Europe, so there’s not exactly a whole lot of global name recognition or brand loyalty.
One would think that Regent gaining the power of IHG’s global distribution power would help Regent properties with selling rooms, though I find it surprising that the hotel is rebranding shortly (within the timeframe of its existence) after the IHG acquisition. Are the hotel’s owners not finding that the hotel is selling as well as they hoped? Are IHG’s fees too high for what’s being provided?
This doesn’t exactly set a great precedent for IHG’s Regent acquisition, since the Regent Singapore was one of Regent’s biggest properties.
Then there’s the hotel being rebranded as a Conrad. Hilton has been killing it lately when it comes to picking up contracts for premium and luxury hotels, and I’m thrilled to see that portfolio continue to grow. However, I’m still surprised to see a second Conrad open in the city. I generally assume that there’s some cannibalization among the potential consumer base when the same brand has two hotels in a city.
You’d think that we’d instead see a Waldorf Astoria or maybe LXR. However, I suppose in this case the hotel is so big that it could be kind of tough to brand it as either of those. Conrad, which is more of a competitor to Grand Hyatt type properties, is a better fit for a property of this size.
Bottom line
The Regent Singapore will be rebranding as the Conrad Singapore Orchard. The hotel will be leaving IHG as of the end of 2022. The hotel will then progressively open as a Conrad as of 2023, with the full renovation expected to be completed in 2024.
I’m not sure what exactly to make of the hotel owners choosing to rebrand the property shortly after IHG’s Regent acquisition, and especially to choose a brand that already has a property in the city.
What do you make of the Conrad Singapore Orchard, and of the rebranding in general?
IHG Has two Intercontinental hotels in Singapore.
I actually think the design of the building is pretty on keeping with 'modern design' which is synonymous with Conrads brand
Why expand? SG hotels and conferences are bonkers right now, i can't see it slowing down.
btw, new MRT station TE13 Orchard Boulevard is opening in November and its entrance should be only 2-minute walk from Conrad Orchard hotel. Definitely a selling point for tourists.
Conrad orchard is probably geared towards rich indonesians, mainland, middle eastern tourist where’s centenniel will be used more for business travelers. But good grief hotel price in singapore is high af.
There’s no change of owners. The owner owns the land and the building. He can choose who runs the building, get it?
Owner of Conrad Singapore is the same owner as The Regent. So he knows Conrad well enough to know he wants another one.
This hotel has always been an outlier, as Four Seasons continued to manage it until 2018, long after Four Seasons had sold Regent hotels as a group. It was called “The Regent Singapore, a Four Seasons Hotel”. The restaurants and public areas are kept well, but the rooms, while decent size, have become very dated. Hopefully Hilton and the local property owner pump some substantial money into a significant updating of the rooms.
My first impression from seeing the cover photo is that looks VERY similar to the atrium of Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World. All it needs is a monorail line running through the middle of it.
A little off subject. Has anyone received their Hyatt Business Card Double Nights yet?
My first international trip back 1984 was to Singapore for a conference sponsored by a distributor. Hotel definitely on Orchard Rd, believe it was the Conrad. Never forget while checking in with the distributor few feet away, clerk said, " And would you like a Singapore lady tonite ?" My jaw dropped, paused, and said I would get back. Was a great place.
It could not have been the Conrad (Millennial) back in 1984 because the hotel opened in 1996. In 1984, the only Hilton hotel in the city was 'Hilton Singapore' , which opened 1970 on Orchard Rd and was recently rebranded as 'voco', an IHG hotel.
It could not have been the Conrad (Millennial) back in 1984 because the hotel opened in 1996. In 1984, the only Hilton hotel in the city was 'Hilton Singapore' , which opened 1970 on Orchard Rd and was recently rebranded as 'voco', an IHG hotel.
I am nearly certain that the clerk, who could have been fined or jailed or both for pimping in an unauthorized venue, did not offer you a "Singapore lady." Rather, the offer was for a "Lady of Singapore" cocktail:
Ingredients
1½ parts Aged rum
1 part Pineapple juice
½ part Lime juice
½ part Cream of coconut
½ part Sweet cream
1 tsp Grenadine
Instructions
Blend all ingredients with a half-cupful of crushed ice, or else shake with ice and strain into a goblet or tiki mug filled with crushed ice. Garnish with lime wheels, pineapple wedges, edible flowers, or any other tropical decoration
Then DRINK ;-)
Regent was at one point known worldwide as the world’s most luxurious hotel brand. It was the case until the early 90s when Four Seasons bought them and took over all of their best regarded properties. This particular Regent (which was designed by John Portman) still maintained a contract with Four Seasons until 2018, when it became a full-fledged Regent.
Talks around then was to rebrand it as a Capella (which was owned by...
Regent was at one point known worldwide as the world’s most luxurious hotel brand. It was the case until the early 90s when Four Seasons bought them and took over all of their best regarded properties. This particular Regent (which was designed by John Portman) still maintained a contract with Four Seasons until 2018, when it became a full-fledged Regent.
Talks around then was to rebrand it as a Capella (which was owned by the hotel’s majority owners, Pontiac), as the FS contract was expiring, but that never happened.
Bear in mind the hotels majority owners also own the other Conrad in Singapore.
It is interesting that this IHG hotel is rebranding as a Hilton hotel, while earlier this year what was known as Hilton Singapore since 1970 rebranded as voco by IHG.
I am doing 3 award stays in 4 weeks at the new Hilton Singapore Orchard, which replaced the 'old' Hilton Singapore, in January 2023 so I might check out the bars and restaurants at the Conrad Orchard.
Hopefully this second Conrad in Singapore will...
It is interesting that this IHG hotel is rebranding as a Hilton hotel, while earlier this year what was known as Hilton Singapore since 1970 rebranded as voco by IHG.
I am doing 3 award stays in 4 weeks at the new Hilton Singapore Orchard, which replaced the 'old' Hilton Singapore, in January 2023 so I might check out the bars and restaurants at the Conrad Orchard.
Hopefully this second Conrad in Singapore will be more "interesting" than the Conrad Centennial which I thought was sort of "underwhelming" for a Conrad. I preferred the 'old' Hilton...
voco (IHG) took over the former Hilton Singapore and now Conrad takes over Regent Singapore. Tit-for-tat, eh?
Am literally typing this on my bed at the Regent Singapore. First off, the property is NOT on the famous Orchard Road, it's on a little side street called Cuscaden Road (facing the side of the St. Regis Singapore) leading to Tanglin Road which then merged to Orchard Road. Roughly 5 minutes walk to the start of Orchard Road surrounded by mostly residential apartment towers which isn't where the real Orchard Road action is. Secondly,...
Am literally typing this on my bed at the Regent Singapore. First off, the property is NOT on the famous Orchard Road, it's on a little side street called Cuscaden Road (facing the side of the St. Regis Singapore) leading to Tanglin Road which then merged to Orchard Road. Roughly 5 minutes walk to the start of Orchard Road surrounded by mostly residential apartment towers which isn't where the real Orchard Road action is. Secondly, the hotel's public area especially the atrium and FnB outlets are still in fabulous conditions. That explains why Conrad will take these parts of the hotel earlier than the rooms which, although still pretty good (I think the bedding here is really TOP notch), definitely need some polishing. Bottom line, the location is perfect for people who like some respite from the hustle and bustle of a modern metropolis yet still be close to all the city action.
Not sure how much cannibalization would occur. If I wanted to stay by the Bay, I probably would not even consider the Orchard Road property, and vice versa.
I’ve always found the property to be out of the way and not really convenient at all. Not even for someone who wants to be on Orchard!
Regent Singapore is the only hotel I have ever stayed at which unilaterally increased the price of my room after I booked. After booking a room well in advance the reservations desk presumably decided they could now get a higher price so emailed to demand a price surcharge or they would cancel the booking.
I have never stayed at the Regent Singapore since.
It is a shame as it is in a quiet but convenient location for me.
Indeed a big surprise. I'm a long term affectionate of the Conrad Centennial and really also like the new Hilton on Orchard (not so much the previous one). What does this mean? Will the Centennial stay or also rebrand? Of course, my preference would be if it would stay, but one never knows.
The Regent Hotels was acquired by the Four Seasons back in the early 1990's. Back in the day, The Regent Singapore was branded as "Regent Singapore - a Four Seasons Hotel" and used to be very nice. Hopefully the new owners will bring the property to its former glory days.