Meet Quincy, the one-price player

By Yeoh Siew Hoon

There’s a new player in town in Singapore and he’s named Quincy.

Quincy is the name of a new boutique hotel from the Far East Organisation group which owns the Fullerton, Changi Village, Orchard Parade and Landmark Hotel, as part of its hospitality business.

I don’t know why I call Quincy a “he” because his name was actually inspired by the Elizabeth Hotel (which the group also owns, along with York).

He had originally been planned as an extension of the Elizabeth but then being astute real estate developers, the group decided that the way to maximise that piece of prime real estate was to build a brand new, different kind of hotel that would be able to fetch a higher price point.

So Elizabeth equalled Queen, equalled English and Queen became, well, Quincy. It’s a bit of a stretch for me personally but anyway, who cares how they came up with the name?

Point is, they wanted to build a different and quirky hotel and the name Quincy is both that.

Don’t get me started on the taxi driver bit though.

“Quin?”

“Quin what?”

“Quin See?” (Which in Hokkien could mean “the queen is dead?”)

What’s different about Quincy other than the design elements – it’s a kind of stripped down Starck and Schrager version – is that it comes with an all-inclusive stay, a first for Singapore.

One rate buys you a limousine transfer from the airport, free Wi-fi access, all three meals at the hotel, all min-bar amenities, and cocktails and drinks each evening.

It may be an old concept for resort holidays in Europe but it’s the first time a business hotel in Singapore is doing it. “We wanted to be different,” said Chia Boon Kuah, executive director in charge of Far East’s hospitality business.

It’s a bold move. In a city like Singapore, which is probably the easiest city in the world to get out and about for foreign visitors, the thought of having to eat all meals inhouse may be strange.

I can see it working in cities like Jakarta or Manila which can be more daunting to foreign visitors, for example.

But according to the hotel, customers love the choice. “All of them have breakfast, about 30% have lunch and about 70% have dinner. They like to have the choice and they like it that they don’t have to worry about hidden surprises in their bill,” said Chia.

At the right price point and with the right product offering, it works, said Raphael Saw, director of hospitality operations.

The hotel, which opened in February, offered an all-in promotional rate of S$198 and now has a rate of S$208. That’s great value, I reckon.

In February, the hotel did 76% occupancy and in March, will do close to 80%.

The all-in price also bucks the trend at a time when the industry is unbundling but as Saw reiterates, they are a niche property (108 rooms) and it gives them a differentiator in a competitive market where there is dwindling demand.

One surprise for them is that with their positioning as a “cool’ hotel – I lost count of the number of times that word was used at the media conference – they had expected a younger crowd but it seems they are getting more oldies who also like the “cool” look and feel of the hotel.

I am somewhat of a sceptic when it comes to designer hotels – one always ends up with bruised knees on strangely-angled furniture – but with Quincy, the design elements in the hotel and rooms are not overdone. I suspect it’s the budget which, well, then is a blessing in disguise.

Here’s what the literature says about the design by Ong & Ong – “Dark grey metal, anodized steel and shimmering windows form large modular shapes – giving the building a strong, modern, almost monolithic air. But breaking the almost severe lines is a whimsical, illuminated glass-enclosed pool which is cantilevered from the 12th floor of the building”.

That pool, by the way, is heated. Apparently customers complained that it was cold up on the roof.

Another quirky thing about Quincy – it has unisex toilets and its sinks look like urinals and I am told apparently some men have thought so.

Queasy thought.

Catch Yeoh Siew Hoon every week at the Transit Café .