Mondrian Singapore Duxton redefines luxury hotel experience
By Timothy Tay
/ EdgeProp Singapore |
SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - The Mondrian Singapore Duxton is not a typical luxury hotel. According to its general manager, Robert Hauck, the newly completed hotel property forgoes many of the trappings that characterise a luxury hotel.
The set-up of the Mondrian Singapore Duxton is different from the conventional luxury hotel. Its proposition leans into its strengths which are its prime location in a trendy upmarket shophouse area, as well as its approach towards guest engagement and positive staff experience.
Hauck’s management of the hotel is as avant-garde as the artworks that fill a Mondrian hotel, and he is proud that more than 50% of the staff in the new hotel are first-timers in the hospitality industry.
The 302-room Mondrian Singapore Duxton is nestled among the conservation shophouses on downtown Duxton Road. (Picture: Samuel Isaac Chua)
“While a new generation of travellers are prioritising experiential and lifestyle-led travel itineraries, the focus of travel is still the same as it was 20 years ago. The core of a meaningful travel experience are the human engagements you encounter during the journey,” says Hauck.
The opening of the Mondrian Singapore Duxton marks the brand’s maiden entry into Southeast Asia, and the ninth Mondrian hotel in the world. Mondrian is part of Ennismore, a collective of lifestyle resort, hotel and co-working brands, which is jointly owned by Accor.
Boutique hotel
With just 302 rooms, the Accor-managed Mondrian Singapore Duxton is a boutique hotel in Singapore’s downtown Duxton Road neighbourhood. Most guests will stay in one of the 237 sq ft rooms, which make up 96% of the hotel rooms.
There are only 10 suites at the Mondrian, including five suites that range from 490 to 753 sq ft in the main hotel block. However, the standout rooms are the five Shophouse Suites which range from 538 to 1,377 sq ft.
These Shophouse Suites each occupy the top-floor unit of a row of five 2-storey conservation shophouses in the hotel. Situated in a separate wing, these Shophouse Suites are accessible through a courtyard garden on the second floor. Each suite features vaulted ceilings and separate living, dining and bedroom areas.
A typical 237 sq ft room at the Mondrian Singapore Duxton. (Picture: Samuel Isaac Chua)
While suitably luxurious, the Mondrian Singapore Duxton faces stiff competition from five-star hotels in the area such as Sofitel Singapore City Centre, another Accor-managed luxury hotel. The 223-room hotel in Tanjong Pagar boasts rooms of 409 sq ft and several suites that range from 818 to 1,227 sq ft.
“With only 10 suites in the Mondrian Singapore Duxton, we have fewer suites to offer compared to neighbouring (luxury) hotels,” says Hauck. He adds that it will be difficult for his hotel to compete on a purely revenue per available room basis.
The goal once the hotel operations are stabilised is to hit an average room rate of about $350 per night; but Hauck says that based on the performance so far, the hotel will likely far outperform that target very soon. To date, the hotel has enjoyed a high occupancy of about 80%.
Unlike many of its contemporaries, the hotel does not have function rooms or meeting halls to lease out for events. But since its soft launch five weeks ago, several lifestyle and technology brands have booked its Shophouse Suites for private launch and showcase events.
Guest experience
The focus of the guest experience at the Mondrian Singapore Duxton is easing barriers between hotel staff and guests, fostering a deeper level of engagement which Hauck sees as the luxury experience that defines a stay at the Mondrian.
So far, the hotel has been popular among locals and expats. Hauck says that these guests range from the young to the young at heart and are drawn in by the eclectic atmosphere of the hotel.
The hotel will have a variety of F&B and retail offerings on the ground floor, including coffee bar Christina’s. (Picture: Samuel Isaac Chua)
This starts at the entrance along Duxton Road flanked by rows of shophouses. Most of the ground-floor space has been set aside for F&B including Christina’s, an artisanal coffee bar in the day and a wine bar by night. This is Hauck’s favourite spot during the day because most people pass through this space before entering the lifts to go to the second floor. “Over the past five weeks, I’ve had the chance to encounter many guests, locals and nearby business owners while working at Christina’s,” he says.
The hotel reception is hidden beside the flagship restaurant Bottega di Carna, which dominates the second floor and serves as the so-called lobby of the hotel. This floor also features the courtyard that connects to the shophouse suites, and around a vine-covered “secret” walkway is the cocktail bar named the Jungle Ballroom.
Accor is keen to expand the Mondrian brand internationally. So far, the hospitality group has lined up nine more Mondrian hotels in its pipeline over the next few years. In the Asia Pacific region, new Mondrian hotels will appear in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Australia and Bangkok. Other locations include France, Spain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh.
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