Will greed cook the goose for Singapore?
SINGAPORE – A prominent Australian travel wholesaler was reflecting this week on why he won’t be taking any of his large incentive groups to the Singapore F1 Grand Prix next year.
Quite simply, he blames greed on the part of the Lion City’s hotels.
“Rates have gone way beyond what most large corporate groups can afford,” he told Travelmole. “A $400 room today will be $1200 during the Grand Prix,” he said.
“And when I complain to the hotels, they tell me, ‘There’s not much we can do because the government is taking 30 percent of the room rate’.”
In her weekly column in this Travelmole newswire, Yeoh Siew Hoon also has something to say about Singapore hotels.
“Rates are soaring to stratospheric levels,“ she writes. “I got rate quotations from a four-star hotel which went from S$340 to $480 to $800 in a week – for the same room type.
“I fear these wild fluctuations – which sent my heart into palpitations – could soon lead to bar room brawls and street fights between customers/travel agents/event organisers and hoteliers.
“It’s not just that rates are soaring that is the problem; it’s that it’s happening at a time when service levels are dropping off.
“Taxi drivers misbehaving badly, sloppy service in restaurants, patchy service in hotels – the customer experience isn’t getting better; yet rates are rising.”
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt