BY: Crystal Chan

Call it the Formula One buffet.

You can tuck into a sumptuous meal of roasted lamb with herb crust or ravioli stuffed with ricotta and chives, while watching cars in the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix roaring past.

But it will cost at least $585 per head just to enjoy both lunch and dinner with an F1 view.

Fairmont Singapore (formerly Raffles The Plaza) will be opening up seven of its 18 meeting rooms in the Raffles City Convention Centre during the race days, from 26 to 28 Sep.

The selected rooms, which are on the fourth level, overlook the street circuit around St Andrews Road, Raffles Avenue and Republic Boulevard.

Buffet

And to whet guests' appetites, Fairmont will prepare a tantalising buffet spread, Ms Belladonnah Lim, the hotel's director of marketing communications, said.

The menu also includes roasted cod fillet with lobster sauce, prawn with saffron foam, sauteed wild mushrooms with fresh herbs and roasted veal with herb crust.

The food will be prepared by the convention centre's in-house chefs, including Mr Otto Weibel, 59, the director of kitchens of Fairmont Singapore.

Mr Weibel oversaw the preparation of food for the 117th International Olympic Committee, which voted for London to host the 2012 Olympics at the convention centre.

As part of the package, guests can pay an extra $1,800 to have projector screens in the "suites" to see the race from all angles.

While the meeting rooms may look like corporate boardrooms now, they will be transformed into hospitality suites during the race.

Instead of the usual oval table and swivel chairs, the suites will have furnishings to make them look like private dining rooms.

"We're combining the experience of luxurious comfort and entertainment in a five-star hotel ambience," Ms Lim said.

Response to Fairmont's package has been good so far.

Ms Lim told The New Paper on Sunday that the hotel is still receiving enquiries about the hospitality suites. She said: "We remain optimistic that the convention centre will be fully blocked out during the races."

But you have to form a group to book the suites. You can buy a package for 10 persons for $12,000. The price will depend on the date and time of booking, size of the suite and duration of the booking, such as half-day or full-day.

The buffet meals, which are optional, come at an additional price.

Lunch on pre-race days (26 and 27 Sep), for example, is priced at $190 per person, but you will need to fork out $300 per person for dinner on 28 Sep. Evening cocktails are also offered at about $200 per person on 26 and 27 Sep, and at about $300 on 28 Sep.

Other trackside hotels said they do not plan to open up their convention centres as they do not offer views of the track.

Fairmont is also reporting good business for its 769 guest rooms, of which 70 per cent have been reserved during the race period.

It is charging between $8,500 and $69,000 for a five-night package for rooms with a track view.

Also seeing good business is the Conrad Centennial Hotel. All of its 507 guest rooms have been reserved for the period.

Cashing in

Hotels have been quick to cash in on the festivities surrounding Singapore's first F1 race.

The Singapore Tourism Board is spearheading events to rev up the buzz, attract more tourists, and provide entertainment alternatives for those keen on the race as well as non-fans of the sport.

Highlights include the first Singapore Beer Festival at Fort Canning Park, the opening of the Singapore Biennale arts extravaganza and the Singapore Motorshow.

The Ritz-Carlton Millennia has also sold more than 95 per cent of its rooms for the last week of September. Ms Michelle Wan, Ritz-Carlton's director of public relations, said: "We're now working with clients who were wait-listed to re-confirm the remaining rooms."

Not all trackside hotels have reported brisk sales, though the race expects to draw 100,000 visitors to Singapore. Some hotels have even resorted to lowering prices from $1,500 a night to $1,300 to lure customers.

Industry players have blamed the slow business on the 30 per cent tax on their room revenue for the five nights surrounding the race. Non-trackside hotels will have to pay 20 per cent.

This article was first published in The New Paper on June 29, 2008.