Frasers Hospitality's Capri residence in China Square Central to open Q1 2019

FRASERS Hospitality will open a hotel residence at China Square Central in the first quarter of 2019 under its Capri brand, to serve what it sees as a growing group of young business travellers worldwide.

With a gross floor area of 16,000 sq m, the 304-room, 16-floor Capri by Fraser, China Square will boast new technologies aimed to make guests' stay more convenient and lifestyle-focused.

Frasers Hospitality will roll out an app with chatbot technology through which guests can make reservations and request housekeeping. Room cleaning order will also be optimised using motion sensors that detect guest occupancy and housekeeping requests from the app.

Frasers is also looking into installing sound systems in the showers to allow guests to play music from their playlists.

Technology will be used to improve the work of hotel staff. RFID tags will be attached to items to be washed and robots will pick up trolley carts on each floor to streamline the linen delivery process.

Choe Peng Sum, chief executive of Frasers Hospitality, said the aim is to cater to millennials' desire for convenience, speed and lifestyle options during their stay.

"We believe in being customer-centric, and we see that a lot of travellers right now are young executives and the needs have changed," Mr Choe told media at the topping-out ceremony on April 10.

The China Square location is owned and managed by Frasers Hospitality, and is one of eight Capri residences around the world currently in the works and slated to open by 2021.

There are eight other Capri locations already operating in Southeast Asia, Australia, China and Europe.

This includes Capri by Fraser Changi City in Singapore, which was opened in 2012 and is the first Capri-branded residence.

Mr Choe said the company is bullish for the Capri brand to grow in Europe, such as in Germany, Spain and Italy, due to the prevalence of interstate business travel there, as well as in North Asia and China.

In Southeast Asia, it is looking at Bangkok and Hanoi for possibilities for new Capri locations as well as Ho Chi Minh City where there is already a Capri residence, opened in 2013."