Bookmark & Share
The facility will feature over 1,300 guest rooms and around 340 meeting rooms, and is expected to be fully constructed by mid-2021. Image: Changi Airport
In view of the government’s new segregated travel lane initiative, Connect@Changi, a pilot short-stay facility located at Singapore EXPO, is set to open to business travellers in February, reported Channel News Asia (CNA).
Developed by a Temasek-led Singapore consortium comprising Changi Airport Group, The Ascott, SingEx, Sheares Healthcare Group and Surbana Jurong, the facility will feature over 670 guest rooms and around 170 meeting rooms during its first phase of opening.
It will boast over 1,300 guest rooms and around 340 meeting rooms once fully constructed in mid-2021.
Before leaving their home country, travellers intending to stay at the facility should present a valid negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. They will undergo another PCR test once they arrive in Singapore.
They will not be required to serve a separate quarantine period as they are travelling under the segregated travel lane, known as the Connect@Singapore initiative. Instead, they will be directly taken to the Connect@Changi segregation facility, which is just five minutes away from Changi Airport.
Sheares Healthcare Group Chief Operating Officer T K Udairam said the travellers will be transported in batches according to the flights they arrive on and be separated and “speedily” admitted to the hotel facility.
“Most of the registration, all the other administrative features will be done in the background before they come, so that when they come, there will be minimal contact time at the registration desk and then they will just get into their facility,” he said as quoted by CNA.
Travellers under the segregated travel lane will have to follow the national safe management measures, including the donning of masks as well as the use of SafeEntry and TraceTogether. This will enable authorities to identify close contacts that should be quarantined in case of a positive COVID-19 case, said Udairam.
For travellers staying under three days, room rates at the facility start from around $390 per night for an Executive room, while a Premier room cost $430 per night. The price includes the cost of transfer from and to the airport, testing and three meals per day.
Alan Thompson, Senior Managing Director at Temasek, revealed that the arrival and departure times of the traveller are captured in the system once a booking is made for the rooms. He added that the room rates are calculated on an hourly basis.
“This is so that nobody has to worry about checking in at 11 in the morning and then … hanging around until their flight to return back to their home country is ready,” he said as quoted by CNA.
Travellers are required to stay with their pre-declared travel group within the facility during the business trip. Socialising with other traveller groups is not allowed.
However, they are allowed to conduct meetings with other traveller groups and local visitors within the controlled meeting room environment.
Each of Connect@Changi’s meeting room will be equipped with air-tight glass panels which separate the parts of the room occupied by travellers and local guests. As such, each group will have its own ventilation system, minimising the risk of transmission among the groups.
Local visitors will enter and exit the facility via a separate door from that used by travellers.
Connect@Changi staff will not be around during face-to-face meetings to minimise contacts.
After the meeting, travellers can choose to eat together in the room or within their own rooms. The facility’s no-contact F&B services mean that meals will be left on shelves located outside the rooms of travellers for collection. Additional vending machines and self-serving Starbucks kiosks will also be provided to cater for snacks and beverages.
Travellers can also browse the shopping options provided in their rooms through an e-concierge service, or try the Gympods, to which they have 24-hour access.
Travellers are required to undergo antigen rapid tests for COVID-19 on days three, five, seven and 11 of their stay.
Once their stay is up, they will leave the facility by the exit designated for business travellers. They will also have to undergo pre-departure tests required for their arrival in their country. After which, they will be transferred to the airport, without any contact with other travellers or the public.
Looking for a property in Singapore? Visit PropertyGuru’s Listings, Project Reviews and Guides.
Related Articles:
Coronavirus outbreak: Changi Airport tenants to enjoy 50% rental rebate
STB, Airbnb Experiences in partnership to support international tourism recovery
SingapoRediscovers vouchers to “go a long way” in supporting tourism businesses