Monday, September 2, 2013

IFA HOTELS AND RESORTS LIMITED : IFA HOTELS & RESORTS EXPANDS ... - 4

1:10 PM  Koomhoo  No comments

Dubai, UAE: XX July 2013 – International real estate and resort developer IFA Hotels Resorts (IFA HR) has announced that it will expand its YOTEL brand into Asia with a city-centre location on Orchard Road in the epicentre of Singapore.


Talal Al-Bahar, Chairman and Group CEO, IFA HR stated: “With each new location announcement, we see YOTEL fulfilling its potential to not only lead the airport hotel category, but to also create and dominate an entirely new category of affordable luxury within the competitive set for city-centre hotels.”



The revolutionary hotel concept can now add Singapore to its existing footprint, which already encompasses airport hotels in London Heathrow, Gatwick, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and a 669-cabin city-centre property, two blocks west of Times Square in New York City.



Scheduled to open in 2018, the 600-cabin YOTEL Singapore will be located at 360 Orchard Road, in the heart of the vibrant city, making it perfect for both business and leisure visitors to Singapore. A management agreement for the property has been signed with Yat Yuen Hong Company Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Fok Corporation Limited.



Gerard Greene Co-Founder and CEO of YOTEL, said of the announcement, “Given YOTEL is heavily inspired by Asian culture, it is fantastic that we are launching such an iconic project as our first in Asia. The location is one of the best in Singapore and we have fantastic partners in Hong Fok Group that share our vision.”



Inspired by first-class airline travel, YO! Founder, Simon Woodroffe OBE and YOTEL CEO Gerard Greene conceived the innovative YOTEL cabins to provide a flexible and convenient ‘first class’ hotel experience at affordable prices. The cabins are uncompromisingly designed to provide guests a bigger experience in a smaller space. The cabins feature luxury bedding, rejuvenating monsoon rain showers, relaxing purple mood lighting and YOTEL’s ‘techno wall’ with flat screen TV, multi power points and iPod connectivity.



The Singapore hotel will have YOTEL’s signature elements of its flagship ‘city’ properties and will include a Club Lounge space with ‘Club cabins’ that double up as meeting and work spaces during the day, transforming to a restaurant/bar space in the evenings and weekends, and a large outdoor terrace space with a pool and a gym.



Whether or not YOTEL Singapore will choose to replicate ‘YOBOT’ – the now infamous ‘world’s first’ luggage storing robot, which has become an attraction in its own right and is a permanent feature at YOTEL New York, is yet to be decided.



“YOTEL Singapore will be the brand’s springboard into Asia,” said Joe Sita, CEO of IFA Hotel Investments. “To call London, New York, Amsterdam and Singapore home is a dream for any brand. For YOTEL to expand to these locations as such a young brand simply reaffirms our belief that YOTEL represents the future of hospitality.”



YOTEL’s unique hotel experience will be a first for Singapore, a harbinger of a new era offering affordable luxury is the Asian hospitality sector.



“The beauty of YOTEL is that it’s a streamlined concept that’s flexible enough to work almost anywhere. At its heart is logic and luxury, which is what makes it such a brilliant investment for us. Whether you’re a businessperson, tourist, financier, investor or environmentalist – YOTEL delivers,” Al-Bahar concludes.



-end-



About YOTEL

YOTEL was created by YO! founder Simon Woodroffe and YOTEL CEO Gerard Greene. The idea was conceived by Simon after he was upgraded to first class on a flight. He decided to translate the language of luxury airline travel and Japanese capsule hotels into a small but luxurious cabin. YOTEL launched as a revolutionary hotel concept in the summer of 2007, with its first location inside London’s Gatwick South terminal. In December 2007, the brand opened its second airport location inside London’s Heathrow Airport Terminal 4, followed by its third location in the airside transit area at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam in September of 2008 supported by IFA Hotels Resorts.



In addition to its airport locations, YOTEL opened its LEED Gold status and flagship 669 cabin city centre hotel in 2011 in New York City, located off of Times Square on 10th Avenue and West 42nd Street. YOTEL New York features 20,000sqft of dynamic and flexible entertainment space on FOUR, including Club Lounge, Studiyo, Dohyo restaurant, and the largest outdoor hotel Terrace in New York City.



YOTELs, strategy for expansion led by Gerard Greene and an experienced team based at their HQ in London and in New York includes plans for more city and airport hotels in the US, Asia and Europe.



www.yotel.com

Twitter: @YOTELHQ/Facebook: facebook.com/YOTELHQ



IFA HOTELS RESORTS:

The largest investor in YOTEL, IFA Hotels Resorts (IFA HR) is an international mixed-use hotel and resort developer with projects designed to meet a broad spectrum of hospitality and residential needs.



The company has dozens of projects throughout the Middle East, Europe, Africa, North America and the Indian Ocean. Each of the company’s operational assets, including its YOTELs and five-star Fairmont properties in Dubai and South Africa, is managed by its wholly owned subsidiary – Dubai-based IFA Hotel Investments.



In addition to hotels, IFA HR’s portfolio includes mixed-use residential resorts and sound appreciating investment opportunities ranging from hotel condominiums and vacation clubs to private residence clubs and stunning homes.



In every market in which it operates, IFA HR partners with leading companies offering local expertise, including Related Companies in the USA, Istithmar in the UAE and Tongaat Hulett in South Africa. Listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange, IFA Hotels Resorts (IFA HR) has a market capitalization of approximately US$1billion. The company’s main shareholder is Kuwait-based International Financial Advisors.



HONG FOK CORPORATION LIMITED:

HONG FOK CORPORATION LIMITED is a public company listed on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited. The principal activity of the Company is that of investment holding whose subsidiaries are primarily engaged in property investment, property development and construction, property management, investment trading and investment holding and management.




IFA HOTELS AND RESORTS LIMITED : IFA HOTELS & RESORTS EXPANDS ... - 4
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Sleep tight as The Pod boutique capsule hotel opens in Singapore

1:10 PM  Koomhoo  No comments

  • Located at the fringe of the Singapore Central Business District

  • Each bed capsule has 300 thread-count sateen cotton sheets

  • The hotel’s modules are inspired by modern and minimalist living


By

Jill Reilly




PUBLISHED:


09:43 EST, 2 September 2013




|

UPDATED:


11:25 EST, 2 September 2013



It’s not exactly a room with a view – but this hotel in Singapore could be many travellers’ answer to a good night’s sleep.


Forget 20 bed dormitories and drunk, loud crowds, The Pod capsule hotel ‘fills the gap’ between budget and conventional full-service hotel. 


Each cosy capsule – starting at £40 for a single – adds a touch of luxury with 300 thread-count sateen cotton sheets and pull-down blinds, while guests also enjoy complimentary dry-cleaning and laundry, buffet breakfast, use of business centres and high-speed Wi-Fi connection.


86c5c article 0 1B945BAD000005DC 258 634x431 Hotel News We Noted: February 3, 2013

Compact: It’s not exactly a room with a view – but this hotel in Singapore could be many travellers’ answer to a good night’s sleep



d41f6 article 2408846 1B945D6B000005DC 260 634x693 Hotel News We Noted: February 3, 2013

Cosy: Each capsule adds a touch of luxury with 300 thread-count sateen cotton sheets and pull-down blinds



d41f6 article 0 1B945B69000005DC 877 634x408 Hotel News We Noted: February 3, 2013

Minimalist: Director of The Pod, Alan Tay said: ‘The hotel has 83 modules inspired by modern and minimalist living’


Located at the fringe of the Singapore Central Business District, Singapore’s latest boutique capsule hotel opened last week and merely two days after its launch, the hotel hit an occupancy rate of 85 per cent on August 9, a public holiday in Singapore.


Director of The Pod, Alan Tay said: ‘The hotel has 83 modules inspired by modern and minimalist living, providing guests the best of both worlds by offering them the premium amenities, services, look, and feel of a boutique hotel, along with the communal and affordable nature of a hostel.’


The emphasis on design and privacy is extended into the washrooms and vanity area.


d41f6 article 2408846 1B945A9A000005DC 408 634x425 Hotel News We Noted: February 3, 2013

Minimalist: Director of The Pod, Alan Tay said: ‘The hotel has 83 modules inspired by modern and minimalist living’



d41f6 article 2408846 1B945A67000005DC 68 306x459 Hotel News We Noted: February 3, 2013


d41f6 article 2408846 1B945D7E000005DC 696 306x459 Hotel News We Noted: February 3, 2013


Brand new: Located at the fringe of the Singapore Central Business District, Singapore’s latest boutique capsule hotel opened last



A long marble common vanity against a mirrored wall provides guests with easy access to a quick wash or touch up.


Separate

self-contained bathrooms comprising a shower separated from the water

closet and sink by a glass screen enable guests to enjoy the comforts of

a private toilet within a shared washroom.


d41f6 article 2408846 1B9458F3000005DC 485 634x420 Hotel News We Noted: February 3, 2013

Appeal: The Pod capsule hotel ‘fills the gap’ between budget and conventional full-service hotel



d41f6 article 2408846 1B945F58000005DC 683 306x454 Hotel News We Noted: February 3, 2013


d41f6 article 2408846 1B945C7A000005DC 328 306x454 Hotel News We Noted: February 3, 2013


Taking off: Just two days after its launch, the hotel hit an occupancy rate of 85 per cent






Sleep tight as The Pod boutique capsule hotel opens in Singapore
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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Starry turn in Singapore

12:59 PM  Koomhoo  No comments


Barely a week ago, K.L. Rahul piloted India Under-23 to a title triumph in the Asian Cricket Council’s Emerging Players Cup at Singapore. The opener’s unbeaten 93 helped India defeat Pakistan by nine wickets in the final but the 21-year old is in no mood to nurse the goodwill that is washing ashore his life.



Back in Bangalore, Rahul quickly returned to the Chinnaswamy Stadium. And on a warm Thursday evening, when he stepped out of the National Cricket Academy’s gym, he slipped on a t-shirt as the earlier vest revealed the tattoos on his shoulders. Soft-spoken and extremely focussed on the game, Rahul did not want the photographer to zoom in on his youthful indulgence. Having cemented his berth with the Karnataka team during the last season, the youngster, who is also part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad, has always been looked upon as a player to watch out for in the future.



A slot in the India Under-23 team that played in Singapore, it was an apt recognition of his talent and consistency. Rahul lived up to the selectors’ faith with scores of 46,88,51,43 and the decisive 93 n.o. in the summit clash.



The tournament’s highest run-getter, who relished his foray into the India colours, said: “At the competition level, I wouldn’t say that it was as high as Ranji Trophy, but it was a different kind of challenge being abroad. You don’t know anything about the opposition or the conditions.”



It wasn’t a perfect script though as India suffered a shock-defeat against Afghanistan in the preliminary stage.



“The atmosphere in the dressing room was positive. We had one bad game against Afghanistan but we realised where we were lacking and worked harder.”



Soon it was time for the biggest match – a final against Pakistan. Rahul was ready. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As a kid, you always dream of playing for India against Pakistan in a final. I told myself that I am not coming back to the dressing room till we get those 160 runs. That is the only thing that was running in my mind,” he said.



A stroke-player, who dabbles both as an opener and as an occasional wicket-keeper, Rahul adds value to whichever team he represents. “I enjoy whatever role that is given to me, be it my position in the batting order or keeping wickets, I enjoy doing that for my team. I am happy to do anything,” he said. Indebted to his parents and coach Jairaj from his hometown Mangalore, Rahul believes that he is in a good space at the moment and said: “I keep watching the ball and now the ball looks good to me. I just want to continue the flow.”



There is also the inevitable comparison with the more famous Rahul – Dravid, who is one of his idols along with Sachin Tendulkar. “Some say I look like Rahul Dravid but I don’t think that I look like Rahul Dravid; maybe it comes from how much I have watched him. I also like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers (his RCB team-mates),” Rahul said. As for the future, he quipped: “Whatever opportunity comes my way, I need to make sure that I do well.”




Starry turn in Singapore
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Singapore Stocks Worst in Developed World: Southeast Asia

12:58 PM  Koomhoo  No comments

Singapore stocks tumbled by the most

among developed markets last month as investors pulled cash from
Southeast Asia on concern about the future of global stimulus.


Singapore’s Straits Times Index, the benchmark gauge for

the region’s biggest market, dropped 7.5 percent in the 10 days

through Aug. 28, its longest losing streak since 2002. The gauge

slumped 6 percent in August, the worst performance among the

world’s developed equity markets. Jardine Cycle Carriage Ltd.,

the largest shareholder of Indonesia’s PT Astra International (ASII),

and commodities trader Olam International Ltd. led declines.


Stocks in Southeast Asia sank faster than global equities

on signs regional economic growth is slowing and as Federal

Reserve policy makers prepare to reduce U.S. bond buying that

had prompted investors to buy riskier assets. Investors pulled

$2.2 billion from Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines in

August, after plowing $6.8 billion into the markets in 2012,

data compiled by Bloomberg show.


“Singapore is a barometer for Southeast Asia,” Wellian Wiranto, Singapore-based Asian investment strategist at Barclays

Plc’s wealth-management unit, said in an interview on Aug. 28.

“Choppiness elsewhere brings ripples here. Investors are

probably concerned about the risk of contagion amid capital

outflows from neighboring markets like Indonesia and the

Philippines.”


Stimulus Tapering


The Straits Times Index has slumped 12 percent since Fed

Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said May 22 the central bank may start

tapering $85 billion in monthly U.S. bond purchases if the

world’s biggest economy improves. The city’s stock market

benefited from loose monetary policy in the past few years as

shares offered investors attractive dividend yields, said Khiem Do, Hong Kong-based head of multi-asset strategy at Baring Asset

Management Ltd., which manages about $57 billion.


Policy makers were “broadly comfortable” with Bernanke’s

plan, minutes of their last meeting showed. The Fed will

probably begin paring bond purchases when it next meets Sept.

17-18, according to 65 percent of economists surveyed by

Bloomberg last month.


Singapore is the only developed market among countries in

the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which also includes

Laos, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and

Vietnam.


Asean Redemptions


Shares listed in Singapore are worth $558.4 billion,

compared with $455.4 billion for Malaysia, the second-biggest

equities market in the region, according to data compiled by

Bloomberg.


“Singapore has been affected by redemptions from Asean

since it’s the biggest market,” Baring’s Do said in a telephone

interview on Aug. 26. “It’s being lumped together with

Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines where capital outflows

have accelerated.”


While Singapore’s assets are more attractive than those in

neighboring Indonesia, investors may be choosing to sell their

holdings in Singapore because the city-state’s currency is more

stable, he said.


The Singapore dollar fell 0.3 percent against the U.S.

dollar last month, compared with a 5.9 percent decline for the

Indonesian rupiah, a 2.8 percent drop for the Thai baht, a 2.5

percent slide for the Philippine peso and a 1.2 percent loss for

the Malaysian ringgit, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.


Currencies Slump


Regional currencies slumped as capital markets began to

price in reduced inflows when the Fed starts tapering stimulus,

Kelvin Tay, Singapore-based chief investment officer for

southern Asia-Pacific at UBS AG’s wealth management unit, wrote

in a note on Aug. 23. UBS said Singapore was its preferred

market in Southeast Asia, upgrading its rating from neutral.


“Singapore is likely to outperform,” Tay said.

“Singapore’s strong currency, resilient domestic economy, good

earnings-growth potential and exposure to developed markets’

recovery make it appealing to foreign investors.”


The nation’s economic growth rate accelerated to 3.8

percent in the second quarter from a year earlier as services

industries expanded, offsetting weaker exports. In the same

period, economic expansion slowed in Thailand, Indonesia and the

Philippines.


Singapore’s Straits Times Index (FSSTI) traded at 14 times

estimated earnings as of Aug. 30, compared with 16.1 for the

FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index, 17.4 for the Philippine Stock

Exchange Index and 10.4 for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index,

according to data compiled by Bloomberg.


‘Less Attractive’


Shares on the Straits Times Index offer an average dividend

yield of 3.4 percent compared with 2.7 percent for 10-year

Singapore government bonds, the data show. CapitaMall Trust (CT), the

retail property trust controlled by Southeast Asia’s biggest

developer CapitaLand Ltd., and Hutchison Port Holdings Trust,

partly-owned by billionaire Li Ka-shing’s Hutchison Whampoa

Ltd., are among the gauge’s 30 members.


“We don’t see a lot of catalyst for the market to recover

at this stage,” Daphne Roth, Singapore-based head of Asian

equity research at ABN Amro Private Banking, which oversees

about $207 billion, said in a telephone interview on Aug. 26.

“As investors start to price in rising interest rates,

Singapore’s high-yield REITs become less attractive.”


The FTSE Real Estate Investment Trust Index, which tracks

prices of the city’s biggest REITs and has an average dividend

yield of 5.3 percent, sank 6.7 percent in August. U.S. 10-year

bond yields climbed for a fourth month, touching the highest

since July 2011.


“Singapore is getting hit from two sides,” Nader Naeimi,

Sydney-based head of dynamic asset allocation at AMP Capital

Investors Ltd., which manages more than $130 billion, said in a

telephone interview on Aug. 23. “Firstly, it’s being lumped

together with other Southeast Asian markets like Indonesia and

the Philippines. Secondly, investors are selling high-yield

Singapore REITs as bond yields are rising.”


To contact the reporter on this story:

Jonathan Burgos in Singapore at

jburgos4@bloomberg.net


To contact the editor responsible for this story:

Sarah McDonald at

smcdonald23@bloomberg.net



Singapore Stocks Worst in Developed World: Southeast Asia
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Global education lessons: Singapore leads in STEM, now takes on the arts

12:58 PM  Koomhoo  No comments



Just as the US is abandoning funding of arts programs in schools to focus more on testing of core subjects, a leader in math and science education turns to the arts as a way of improving “entrepreneurial” thinking it admired in Americans. Will it beat the US at it’s own game?



By


Tom Benner, / Contributor /

September 1, 2013



Singapore


Chew Jun Ru knew he wanted to become a musician back in high school. But the eldest of four had parents who shared the traditional Singaporean view of the arts – they insisted he find a career with a solid future.


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“It was crazy at the time. They could not believe what they were hearing,” says Mr. Chew, now 24. “It’s just music. I’m not doing drugs. It’s not something I should be ashamed of.”


In June, Chew – who plays the erhu, a traditional Chinese two-stringed bowed instrument – graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, an undergraduate arts institution here. In August he left for Beijing on full scholarship to the China Conservatory of Music.



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1912 eighth grade exam: Could you make it to high school in 1912?


His ability to win over his parents – they couldn’t be prouder now – speaks to the growing acceptance of, and focus on, arts education.


Innovation and creativity are seen as increasingly important to core curricula in this traditionally buttoned-up financial center, at a time when American schools are cutting back on arts. Singapore’s embrace of the arts isn’t just for art’s sake, but because of the growing recognition that arts education is crucial to Singapore’s growing innovation-driven economy.


This is new thinking for Singapore, where schools are pressure cookers of high-stakes exams and sky-high expectations, and where the overwhelming focus is on learning examinable skills and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses.


Despite its international math scores – routinely at or near the top of PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) rankings, and well ahead of US scores – Singapore historically scores low in “perceived entrepreneurial capability” as determined by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, a worldwide study.


Hence the push for innovativeness and entrepreneurialism. Tan Thiam Soon, president of the Singapore Institute of Technology, cites the recent example of two students trained in creative digital design who landed jobs in the automotive industry, designing interactive dashboards.


“It shows how kids with an education in arts are not necessarily going to be employed in the arts industry,” Mr. Tan says. “Industries of all kinds need students who have different approaches and can help them create an attractive product.”


An earlier recognition of the need for creativity and innovation prompted Singapore’s “Teach Less, Learn More” policy, an initiative that adds open periods into the schedule so that students have the time to delve more deeply into a subject or project. The policy seeks to move away from rote learning and repetitive tests – which young Singaporeans are very good at – with a focus on classroom interaction, individual expression, and innovative teaching approaches to promote greater creativity.


Singapore’s first arts high school, The School of the Arts, opened in 2008, offering a joint arts and academic curriculum for students ages 13 to 18. The results to date are impressive: All students in the first graduating class passed the International Baccalaureate diploma exam last fall; 44 percent of them scored in the top 5 percent worldwide.


A surge in government funds has made professionally run arts programs accessible to all schools and reinforced among staff the importance of arts in learning.


Alicia Lim, a young professional who spent a few unhappy years in advertising thinking she was supposed to find a money-centered career, went back to school to study film and now runs a film incubator program. She thinks all students, regardless of career choice, need exposure to the arts.


“Arts,” says Ms. Lim, “[is] about human relationships. It’s about expression, communicating ideas and stories, changing mind-sets. That’s what the arts are about. You don’t find this in math [or] in science; it’s totally different.”



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1912 eighth grade exam: Could you make it to high school in 1912?



Global education lessons: Singapore leads in STEM, now takes on the arts
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Singapore Jewelfest 2013 returns

12:58 PM  Koomhoo  No comments

ASIA’S only curated luxury jewellery fest returns to Singapore from October 11-20 and will see the debut of 15 jewellery designers and jewellery houses. 



To be held in the custom-built Jewel Pavilion in Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza, Orchard Road, Singapore Jewelfest will feature a lineup of fine jewellers from the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including the likes of Forevermark, Miiori New York, Kavant Jewelry, and Caratell.



This will satisfy jewelry connoisseur’s desire for high-vaue investment pieces and art lovers’ demand to see masterful design and innovation.



Debuting at this year’s edition are home-grown and Asian brands such as House of Fine Gems and Sharart Design, while European brands that will make their first appearance include Messerer Juwelier from Switzerland and Germany’s Heinz Mayer.

 



Singapore Jewelfest 2013 returns
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Superheroes show their might at Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention

12:39 AM  Koomhoo  No comments

American cosplay artist Vampy Bit Me (left), who will come dressed as Psylocke from the Marvel comics, and South Korean cosplayer Aza, who will turn up as Milla Maxwell from the Tales Of Xillia video game at the Singapore Toy, Game Comic Convention which will be held Sands Expo and Convention Centre on Aug 31 Aug and Sept 1 2013. — ST FILE PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG



Superheroes show their might at Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention
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