i'mpact Singapore Tourism Board Annual Report 2010/2011

Tourism Sector Performance
Hotels
Building Towards Design and Personalisation
The average hotel occupancy rate rose by nine percentage
points to 85 per cent for 2010 and the average room rate
increased 14.7 per cent to S$217, despite a 10.6 per cent
jump in room numbers or an addition of more than 4,500
rooms. Total hotel room inventory now stands at over 47,000.
The new hotels that opened in 2010 embodied the creativity
and exciting diversity found throughout Singapore’s growing
accommodation sector. Establishments ranging from boutique
to full-service hotels are building on different concepts and
offering quality, singular experiences to create greater value for
discerning guests.
The country’s recent surge in visitor arrivals has precipitated
the need for the hospitality industry to become even more
productive. To meet this rise in demand, the Singapore
Hotel Association, supported by the Food Drinks and Allied
Workers’ Union and STB, launched Hotel Transformation
2010. This initiative brought over 70 hotels together in a
pledging ceremony to formalise their commitment towards
strengthening industry competitiveness by implementing
productivity initiatives.
A hotel productivity plan was subsequently introduced
to increase the sector’s core capabilities and reduce its
dependence on low-skilled foreign labour. This plan will tackle
key challenges such as raising the value and attractiveness
of hotel-related jobs for a better-skilled workforce, improving
service quality and ensuring continuous improvements to
sustain the sector’s development in the long run.
The newly opened Fullerton Bay Hotel adds to the diversity of Singapore’s
hospitality offerings.
Sector Development
Service comes first
Going even further for service is the second phase of the
“Go the Extra Mile for Service” (GEMS Up) movement.
Represented by SPRING Singapore, STB, the Singapore
Workforce Development Agency, the Institute of Service
Excellence at the Singapore Management University and
the National Trades Union Congress, GEMS Up focuses on
service research, thought leadership, capability development
and promotion and recognition.
This drive for greater service awareness brought about Can
You Serve, the world’s first reality TV series to pit contestants’
customer service skills against each other. Making its debut in
June 2010, the eight-part series saw nine contestants compete
in various challenging roles across different service-oriented
industries for the top prize of S$70,000 in cash and S$30,000
in training opportunities. As a joint initiative between activeTV
and the GEMS Up movement and supported by the Restaurant
Association of Singapore, Singapore Hotel Association and
Singapore Retailers Association, Can You Serve showcased
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