Japanese hospitality company Seibu Prince Hotels & Resorts, a subsidiary of Tokyo-listed Seibu Holdings, announced its entry into the Southeast Asian market with the launch of Park Regis by Prince Singapore on September 3.
Located in the vibrant Clarke Quay area, the 203-key hotel has gone through extensive refurbishment and upgrades to its guest rooms, elevating the guest experience. The renovations include the addition of complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi and 50-inch smart TVs with casting capability. In line with their sustainability efforts, the hotel has also replaced most single-use plastics, such as water bottles, with alternative options like water filters.
The demand for condos in Singapore remains steady, and one of the main factors behind this is the limited land availability. As a compact island nation with a constantly increasing population, Singapore struggles with a scarcity of land for development. This has resulted in strict land utilization measures and a fiercely competitive real estate market, where property costs continue to rise. As a result, investing in real estate, especially in Singapore Condos, proves to be a profitable venture due to the potential for substantial capital appreciation.
Alex Barnett, director of global brand and communications at Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide, shared that the hotel’s base room rates have increased following the refurbishment and rebranding exercise. The basic nightly rate has risen from around $200 in 2019 to approximately $230 after its relaunch.
Park Regis by Prince Singapore offers four room categories, ranging from 215 sq ft to 463 sq ft, catering to both business and leisure travelers in the mid- to high-tier range. It is the first Park Regis hotel to be rebranded under the Seibu Prince brand.
Exporting Japanese hospitality, Seibu Holdings is one of Japan’s largest hospitality conglomerates, with over 50 hotels, 25 hot spring facilities, and 28 golf courses under its portfolio. Yoshiki Kaneda, president and CEO of Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide, believes that there is a growing demand for Japanese-style hospitality in the luxury segment abroad, and the group is well-equipped to fulfill it. With over 80 years of experience in the Japanese hospitality industry, the company is committed to providing exceptional service to its guests.
Steven Tang, general manager of Park Regis by Prince Singapore, defines Japanese-style hospitality, or omotenashi, as having three defining characteristics: anticipation, selflessness, and sincerity. This has led to the implementation of digital room keys, a first for the hotel chain.
Tang explains, “We realized that business travelers don’t want to wait in line at the front desk to check into their rooms.” With the new feature, guests can now check-in through the hotel’s app and go straight to their rooms. The hotel also offers other guest-centric features, such as an AI chatbot on their app to assist with guest service requests, provide updates on flight details, and recommend nearby attractions.
Seibu Prince has also started sending its Japanese staff overseas to train local hotel staff. For instance, the group’s hotel in New York, The Prince Kitano New York, has almost 12% of its staff from Japan, including a team of master chefs.
Seibu Holdings has been expanding its flagship brand, Prince, outside of Japan. In April, the company unified its three international subsidiaries – Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide, StayWell Holdings, and Prince Resorts Hawaii – under a single identity: Seibu Prince Hotels & Resorts.
The conglomerate had acquired Park Regis and Leisure Inn brands in 2017 by purchasing Australian hotel operator StayWell Holdings for A$50 million. The portfolio included 30 hotels across seven countries at the time of acquisition. Park Regis by Prince Singapore is the first Park Regis hotel to be rebranded under the Prince name.
Kaneda shared that the group’s focus will be on expansion efforts in Asia and Southeast Asia. “We would like to establish our Prince hotels in capital cities like Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Jakarta,” he said.
The brand is set to debut in two other Southeast Asian countries next year with the opening of Park Regis by Prince Menteng in Indonesia in early 2025 and The Prince Akatoki Riverside Bangkok in Thailand by the end of 2022.
Outside of Asia, the group opened its first property in the continental US in February. Previously known as The Kitano Hotel New York, it was rebranded as The Prince Kitano New York after a refresh of its 150 accommodations. The hotel is situated at 66 Park Avenue in New York, near iconic landmarks like the Grand Central Terminal, Chrysler Building, and Empire State Building. According to Barnett, Seibu Holdings owns and operates the property.
Seibu Prince Hotels & Resorts has a goal to triple its global portfolio of over 80 hotels to 250 by 2035. Kaneda shared, “Our vision is to have 100 hotels in Japan and 150 internationally.” Currently, the group operates over 50 hotels in Japan and 33 hotels outside Japan across 11 countries, including China, Hawaii, Taiwan, Australia, and the UK.