NEW YORK -- The Raffles Hotel in Singapore, the chain's first
property, is everything it used to be, having been restored to its
original 1915 design about a decade ago.
But Raffles is no longer just that single hotel. It's now
worldwide, with 40 hotels in 34 destinations, including two new
properties across the street from the original Raffles.
Earlier this year, Raffles took over management of the two
hotels in Singapore's Raffles City, a complex that also includes an
office center and a shopping center.
The properties -- former Westin's -- were renamed Raffles the
Plaza and Swissotel the Stamford, Singapore.
It's all part of an aggressive Raffles expansion plan (in Asia,
the company is looking at Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo) that aims
to nearly double its worldwide room inventory by 2005, according to
T. Markland Blaiklock, the managing director of the two Raffles
City properties.
"We are now the 60th largest hotel company in the world," said
Blaiklock. "We hope to be in the top 10 by 2005."
Reaching out to agents
One way to achieve that goal is by reaching out to U.S. agents.
In September, Blaiklock and three other representatives of Raffles
crisscrossed the U.S. visiting agencies and spreading the word
about the new Raffles.
"We think of agents as our partners, and we are very happy to
work with them," Blaiklock said.
Blaiklock and a team of Raffles representatives visited Chicago,
Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco and San
Jose, Calif., Seattle and Washington.
"We are trying to increase awareness of Raffles the Plaza in
particular," said Blaiklock. "Awareness of Swissotel the Stamford,
Singapore has been quite good because it's the tower." (That
property was certified by Guinness as the tallest hotel in
Southeast Asia.)
But where Raffles the Plaza is concerned, "there is some
confusion with the original Raffles across the street," Blaiklock
said.
Meanwhile, the road show is coinciding with an ad campaign in
consumer and trade magazines.
"The ads suggest that Raffles is a combination of the ultimate
in comfort, business facilities and recreational facilities," said
Blaiklock. "All can be offered in the Raffles service
tradition."
Business-minded
The 1,200-room Swissotel the Stamford, Singapore and the
800-room Raffles the Plaza target business travelers. (The original
Raffles is about 60% leisure, Blaiklock said.)
Raffles the Plaza underwent a $45 million renovation prior to
being rebranded.
Occupancy rates still are strong in Singapore, said Blaiklock,
although U.S. traffic slowed after Sept. 11.
"In order to maintain volume, the rates have come down a little
bit," he said. "It's more a factor of supplementing the occupancy
with local business, which pays lower rates."
The Raffles the Plaza and the Swissotel the Stamford, Singapore
are offering promotional rates starting at $117 a night for deluxe
rooms for an indeterminate amount of time.
Raffles International pays a base 10% commission, with some
promotional increases. The company also works with net rates.
Much about history
The original Raffles Hotel in Singapore, meanwhile, was founded
in 1886 by four Armenian brothers: Arshak, Aviet, Martin and Tigran
Sarkies. They named the property for Sir Stamford Raffles, the
founder of modern Singapore.
In 1899, the main building was opened, marking Raffles'
beginning as a grand hotel. Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling,
Somerset Maugham and Noel Coward all were said to have stayed at
the hotel at different times.
The hotel was declared a national monument by the government in
1987. It was closed for restoration and then reopened in 1991.
In 1989 a new company called Raffles International was formed as
a platform on which to expand Raffles into an international chain.
In June 2001, the company bought the Swissotel chain, which
increased the portfolio by over 20 properties. The company's
second-tier Merchant Court brand is being merged into
Swissotel.
For additional information, call (800) 637-9477 or visit www.raffles.com.