By Crystal Chan

A NEW hotel's daring offer to let guests pay any amount they like to stay there has worked like a charm.

Thousands of guests from all over the world have snapped up rooms at Ibis Singapore for as low as $1.

The promotional gimmick which began on Feb 4 and ended last Saturday, was thought up by the hotel to generate publicity amid the current downturn, and then hopefully translate that into business.

Ibis, an economy hotel chain run by French hospitality giant Accor, opened its Singapore hotel two weeks ago.

With 538 rooms, Ibis Singapore, which is along Bencoolen Street, is the largest Ibis hotel outside Europe.

It has over 800 hotels worldwide, with over 300 hotels in France.

To attract guests, the hotel launched a website at www.paywhatyouwant.com.sg, inviting people to book rooms at whatever price they liked.

You can book a room for any duration, but only one room at a time. If you have to book a second room, you will have to log on during the next sales period.

The submissions can be made only during the daily sales period, which varies every day and lasts 15 to 20minutes.

The hotel's usual room rate is $138++ per night.

The three-star hotel, which cost $145 million to build, boasts chic interiors and free wireless Internet access in all rooms.

Ibis Singapore's marketing director, Mr Hiro Inoue, told The New Paper that the sales period was varied so that it could cater to guests from all over the world.

He said: 'The sales period could start at 5pm (Singapore time) one day, to cater to guests from Asia. The following day, the sales period could start at 3am (Singapore time) to cater to guests from the US and Europe.'

Guests will be told of the sales period once they log on to the website.

The price is still subject to 7 per cent GST and 10 per cent service charge.

At least 15,000 visitors have registered since the promotion began, and rooms for certain days were sold out in minutes, with bookings coming from all over the world, said Ibis Singapore's general manager, Mr Puneet Dhawan.

Mr Dhawan said: 'Response was overwhelming - we have registrations from 100 countries. This shows how far our promotion has gone.'

One satisfied guest is Miss Stephanie Clements, 26, a personnel manager from New Zealand.

She booked two rooms for herself and her parents for two nights in March, at just a dollar per night.

She told The New Paper: 'How else can you stay in a decent hotel at a low price? It's a good deal that can't be missed.'

Loss in takings?

But wouldn't the hotel make a loss if everyone paid just a dollar a night?

Mr Inoue said: 'We're adopting a long-term view. We're sure that guests who stay with us will be happy and come back again, and recommend the hotel to friends.

'It's good that people have a keen interest in staying with us, and the brand awareness obviously is going up.'

When asked about the promotion, Mr Robert Khoo, chief of the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore, said: 'It's a very innovative and smart way of getting yourself known, especially when it's a new hotel and we're in a recession.'

Despite the recession and the presence of other hotels on Bencoolen Street, Mr Dhawan is optimistic his hotel will do well.

He said: 'We just have to offer guests more bang for their buck. We're three-star in terms of facilities but our service can be as good as the luxury hotels.'

Accor Asia Pacific's vice-president for communications, Mr Evan Lewis, said plans for Ibis Singapore were made as early as 2006.

The group is already managing hotels in Clarke Quay and Katong under its Novotel and Mercure brands.

Mr Lewis said: 'Ibis' presence in Singapore will help to position the brand to travelling Singaporeans, especially when it is expanding quickly throughout the region.'

This article was first published in The New Paper.