Genting Singapore breaks ground for Jurong hotel

SINGAPORE - Genting Singapore last Thursday broke ground on what is slated to be the first hotel to open in the Jurong Lake District.

Scheduled to open in the first half of 2015, the 550-room hotel will have a contemporary look with clean-line furnishings, said Genting Singapore.

A "hotel in a garden" theme was adopted to complement its surroundings, with extensive landscaping and greenery, roof gardens, and sky terraces incorporated into the design. The hotel will also feature open spaces such as courtyards and gardens.

The facilities include an all-day dining restaurant and a 24-hour deli, a swimming pool, a gym, a launderette, meeting rooms and a ballroom.

Complimentary WiFi will be offered throughout the hotel, as well as Internet stations and media pods in the lobby.

Lim Kok Thay, chairman of the Genting Group and executive chairman of Genting Singapore, said: "This hotel signifies our commitment to reinvesting in Singapore, where Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) is based.

"With our hotel being the first to open in this growing precinct, we hope to create another unique hospitality product that will crank up the buzz meter in this already vibrant area to even higher levels. This will be a new landmark in the Jurong Lake District."

Jurong Lake District has been earmarked by the Urban Redevelopment Authority as a new growth area with commercial, business, and leisure facilities.

The hotel is on a 0.9 hectare site which has a lease period of 99 years. It was clinched by Genting Singapore at $1,167.35 per square foot per plot ratio at a state tender last year. This was a record price set for hotel land in Singapore.

Tan Hee Teck, president and chief operating officer of Genting Singapore, said: "We are excited to be the first hotel investor in the Jurong Lake District. Our flagship RWS is one of the most successful integrated resorts in the world today, and the Jurong Lake Precinct should expect nothing less from this hotel in its category.

"We will deliver a product that will bring incremental business to neighbouring merchants, accommodation convenience to companies in the vicinity, and amenities to Jurong West residents. We will deliver an exciting property."

The hotel will be the seventh hospitality development for Genting Singapore, which owns six hotel properties at RWS.

Genting Singapore shares closed trading on Friday at $1.365, up 2.5 cents.


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