Northstar

HOTELS www.travelweeklyweb.com High-end cabin concept hotel to open in Singapore SINGAPORE – Imagine sleeping in a room that is bigger than a Japanese capsule accommodation but smaller than a traditional hotel room. Add that thought to the idea of flexible and convenient first – class airlines cabin luxury and you will get the DNA of a YOTEL room. Very soon, travellers coming into Singapore will have an option to stay at a YOTEL property when it opens here in 2018. Following is opening of the 669-room cabin hotel in Times Square, New York, the YOTEL concept springboards its way into Asia with the 600-cabin property on 360, Orchard Road. YOTEL is the brainchild of YO! Founder Simon Woodroffe and YOTEL chief executive officer Gerard Greene who aim to provide 'first class' hotel experience at affordable prices. "Given Yotel is heavily inspired by Asian culture, it is fantastic that we are launching such an iconic project as our first project in Asia. The location is one of the best in Singapore and we have fantastic partners in Hong Fok Group who share our vision. YOTEL will bring a unique hotel experience to Singapore, it's a perfect time for the city to embrace a new and exciting brand, a first for Singapore and the launch of affordable luxury for the hotel scene in Asia," said Greene. YOTEL's cabins are uncompromisingly designed around guests to give them a bigger experience in a smaller space. The intelligent use of space means guests can enjoy perfectly designed cabin in which to relax, refresh, connect and sleep. As in all YOTELs, super strength WiFi throughout all the 'cabins' and public spaces will be complimentary. The Singapore hotel will have YOTEL's signature elements of its flagship 'city' properties and will include a Club Lounge space with 'Club YOTEL's premium cabin with a view, at Times Square, New York cabins' that double up as meeting and work spaces during the day, transforming to a restaurant/bar space in the evenings and weekends, and large outdoor terrace space with a pool and a gym. The luxury sleep box concept hotel is targeting both business and leisure visitors to Singapore. The management agreement has been made with Yat Yuen Hong Company Limited a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Fok Corporation Limited. Whether or not YOTEL Singapore will choose to replicate 'YOBOT' – the now infamous 'world's first' luggage storing robot, which has become an attraction in its own right and who is a permanent feature at YOTEL New York is yet to be decided. An ultra-cool luxury HONG KONG – Apex Property, a boutique Hong Kong developer has announced the launch of LOFT Niseko, an ultra-luxury development comprising just four loft-style three-bedroom apartments in the high end Japanese ski resort of Niseko. The new luxury apartments will offer visitors to Niseko the most exclusive designer accommodation complete with a private concierge service to take care of all of their needs, starting from February 2014. Uninterrupted views of mountain vistas at LOFT Niseko 14 | ■ TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA | AUGUST 2013 But there's a unique concept attached to this luxury offering. The resort will launch on an invitation-only basis for the first season. This is to allow the resort to handpick members of Hong Kong society who will become the first to experience the ultimate in luxury alpine living. LOFT Niseko offers guests a dedicated on-site concierge that can provide services such as organising lift passes, equipment hire, activity and lesson booking, as well as restaurant reservations, in-house catering and entertainment, chauffeur services, and airport transfers. Apex Property employed yoo Design Studio, a company founded by world renowned designer Philippe Starck and international property entrepreneur John Hitchcox, to develop the eco-friendly LOFT Niseko. Representing the first foray into Japan for both Apex Property and yoo Design Studio, it was important to collaborate with an architect with Japanese sensibilities and so award-winning Riccardo Tossani Architects, the Tokyo based firm responsible for shaping the look of Niseko's prime real estate over the last decade, was selected. "We have been keen to enter the Japanese ski resort market for some time as the demand for luxury skiing holidays in Japan is growing, yet there is still a lack of very exclusive experiences and facilities that cater to the very top of the market," said Sylvia Tang, Hong Kong based co-founder of Apex Property. www.travelweeklyweb.com

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