Resorts World at Sentosa on track to open 4 hotels by 2010

SINGAPORE: Operator of Singapore's second integrated resort, Resorts World at Sentosa, said it is on track to open four of its six hotels by the first quarter of 2010, adding some 1,350 rooms in the Republic.

Even though tourist arrivals, hotel occupancy and room rates have been falling due to the global economic slowdown, the integrated resort (IR) will be launched as scheduled.

The IR expects to fill 9,000 job vacancies by the end of this year and to bring the total number to 10,000 when its doors open.

Of these positions, 3,000 will be for the casino, 3,000 for theme park operations and about 4,000 for hotel and other entertainment facilities.

Tan Hee Teck, CEO, Resorts World at Sentosa, said: "Right now, we have 400 over employees and we will continue to grow that over the next many months. The peak of that hiring will probably come at the end of the third quarter, in the early fourth quarter of this year.

"Those people who will need training, especially in specialised equipment for the theme park and even for the casino, will be hired first. We already have an internship programme where we hire Singaporeans to be sent to Osaka in Japan and Orlando in the US for training and for familiarisation."

The resort operator revealed this on Thursday as it unveiled plans for a Hard Rock Hotel at the IR. The US$223 million venture is one of the four hotels that will be opened at the integrated resort by next March.

The Hard Rock Hotel, comprising 10 suites and 350 deluxe rooms, will also feature one of Asia's largest ballrooms that can seat up to 7,300 people.

Room rates at the hotel have not been fixed, but the resort operator said it would be comparable to other theme parks worldwide and on par with five-star room rates here.

While that may seem steep to some during these difficult times, its venture partner said it is confident business will do well.

Hamish Dodds, president & CEO, Hard Rock International, said: "We have a very healthy business in Japan. We're now opening in Macau and targeting the Chinese market. Southeast Asia, with our relationship with Ong Beng Seng here in Singapore, has always been very important to us."

Some 1,800 hotel rooms are expected to come onto the market when all six hotels at Resorts World are ready.

Source: Channel News Asia, 26 Mar 2009