Hilton have officially announced an agreement to open a new Conrad Singapore Orchard. This will be a rebrand of the current Regent Singapore, located at the Tanglin end of Orchard Road. This will the second Conrad in Singapore, after the existing Conrad Centennial Singapore. Interestingly, both properties share the same co-owners, Pontiac Land and Kajima Development, so it appears the new Conrad is be an extension of their existing partnership.
The new Conrad Singapore Orchard is set to be refurbished in two phases. The first phase will see the hotel’s meeting rooms and ten F&B venues welcome guests from 1 Jan 2023. Room refurbishments will take longer, with an expected completion of Q1 2024, per Hilton. The extensive refurbishment will bring “new levels of sophisticated, modern luxury to Singapore’s Orchard Road.” It’s unclear if any rooms will be operational at all during the refurbishment, but currently the new Conrad is not yet bookable on Hilton’s platforms for 2023.
My thoughts on the new Conrad
Hilton is certainly on an expansionist roll in Singapore, with this Conrad following hot on the heels of the Hilton Singapore Orchard which opened earlier this year. I’m a big fan of the Conrad brad, it’s my favourite brand in the Hilton portfolio. My experiences at various Conrads around the world have largely been positive. I find that at Conrad, I get a high enough level of service and luxury, without the price tag of a Waldorf Astoria.
It’s quite interesting that Hilton have opted to rebrand this property as a second Conrad for Singapore. To my knowledge, the only other city with two Conrads is New York, and in my opinion those two are far enough apart to appeal to different guests depending on what they’re doing in NYC. A Waldorf Astoria might make more sense for Hilton to compete against the Ritz-Carlton and St Regis in Singapore, but perhaps the size – the new Conrad will have 440 rooms – and age of the property isn’t appropriate for the Waldorf Astoria brand. I could see the Conrad Singapore Orchard appealing more to tourists who want to be near Orchard Road (although Tanglin is hardly the heart of Orchard Road), while the Conrad Centennial might be aimed more at the corporate travel crowd.
I’ve never stayed at the Regent Singapore, but from the few occasions I’ve been there to dine or attend functions, the property was rather unimpressive. Some of the F&B outlets are well-regarded though, namely Summer Palace, Basilico and Manhattan.
When I’ve had reason to browse through IHG rates in Singapore, I’ve found the rate for the Regent might be below the two Intercontinental hotels here, which is weird considering the relative brand positioning. I can only surmise that this rebranding and refurbishment is a much-needed revamp, and necessary to get the most value out of the property.
Conclusion
Hilton has announced a rebranding of the current Regent Singapore into the Conrad Singapore Orchard, adding to the existing Conrad Centennial Singapore. As a big fan of the Conrad brand and a Hilton Honors Diamond, I’m excited by this news and looking forward to 2024 when the full refurbishment is complete.
(Featured image: Hilton)