Hotel operators gear up for F1, with many almost at full capacity for the race

WHILE hotel operators are gearing up to welcome the influx of international visitors eager to catch the first Singapore Grand Prix event in 3 years, tourism players located outside the Marina Bay area are bracing themselves for a fall in activity, as regular holidaymakers are expected to delay their travel plans until after the Sep 30-Oct 2 race weekend.

Some popular hotels located near the Marina Bay street circuit are already close to full capacity for those 3 days, operators told The Business Times (BT), with daily rates going for many times their usual levels.

Checks by BT showed that as of Monday night (Sep 19), Marina Bay Sands no longer has any available rooms over the entire race weekend. Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay’s website shows rooms still available for booking from S$2,159 per night, while the Mandarin Oriental has rooms that start from S$1,950 a night.