Good news for those of you going crazy at home: Singapore hotels will soon be able to accept staycation guests again.
According to Today Online, hotels can now apply to the government to accept staycation bookings. They will need to demonstrate their ability to comply with safe management measures drawn up by the STB, MTI, Enterprise Singapore and MOH.
Don’t expect to go somewhere this weekend though- the STB will take up to 14 days to assess each application, so it’s probably more realistic to look at end July/ early August as potential staycation dates.
What’s the status of staycations now?
Staycations have been off the cards since Singapore started the Circuit Breaker on 7 April, and most guests have been people serving Stay-Home Notices (SHNs).
Even though we’re now in Phase 2, the STB has stated that hotels can currently only accept reservations from the following groups of people:
- individuals whose current place of residence is not available due to home renovation;
- individuals who have sold their current place of residence but have not secured alternative residence;
- individuals whose existing rental lease have ended but have not secured alternative places of residence;
- returnees who completed their stay-home notice (SHN) at dedicated facilities but do not have a place of their own as they do not ordinarily live in Singapore; or
- healthcare workers who wish to isolate themselves from other family members living in the same residential unit;
- Green/ Fast-lane Travellers; and
- Travellers, including Long-Term Pass holders entering Singapore from 17 June 2020, 2359hrs, and who had remained in Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, Mainland China, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Taiwan and Vietnamese in the last consecutive 14 days prior to their entry, who wish to serve their 14-day SHN
in a Hotel.
Which hotels will be open for staycations?
There’s no official list yet, obviously, but the STB has set up a page that will compile all the hotels approved for staycation guests.
See the list of hotels approved for staycations here
It seems logical that hotels which are not currently hosting SHN guests will be the first to get approval for staycations, however.
What will the staycation experience be like?
Not quite how you remember it.
Don’t expect breakfast buffets and self-serve happy hour spreads in the executive lounge. It’s more likely that hotels will transition to an a la carte dining experience, or a system where buffet items are handled and served by staff members only.
Hotels will be required to limit occupancy to no more than one person per 10 sqm in public spaces, and reduce face-to-face contact by staggering the times that guests can be in the hotel lobby and guest facilities.
Lifts may have capacity limits, meaning longer wait times depending on the crowd. There will be an increased focus on contactless service (e.g items delivered to rooms via robot butlers), and rooms will (hopefully) be obsessively cleaned. For what it’s worth, I’ve just bought myself a UV light on Qoo10 and can’t wait to do my first room inspection.
On the bright side, hotel facilities should be up and running. Gyms, swimming pools, and spas have been given the green light to reopen, with capacity constraints.
What deals can we expect?
At the moment, hotels are not allowed to advertise staycation deals, in order to avoid confusion. This moratorium will presumably be lifted as hotels get approved to take staycation guests.
The Singapore Hotels Association (SHA) has a dedicated staycation deals page, which as you might have guessed is empty at the moment. Do bookmark it, though, because it’s bound to get really busy over the next couple of months.
Check out staycation deals here
I’ll also be on the lookout for great deals, and publish them on The Milelion as and when I spot them. Feel free to forward me any deals you come across.
Conclusion
It looks increasingly likely that leisure travel won’t be possible for Singaporeans until early 2021, so a staycation is probably as good as it gets for now.
I’m personally looking forward to using my Regent Singapore voucher, and I’m sure we’ll see a deluge of deals in the near future.
Any hotels on your wish list now?
Regent told me the following:
“However, we have recently received some updates that we would like to share with you in the interest of full disclosure. In the past months, Regent Singapore has been operating as a SHN-designated hotel offering returning citizens and visitors a safe haven for seeing out their mandatory 14-day Stay Home Notice. We have been recently asked to extend these services for a few more months and will not be able to accept any bookings till mid-October. Regent Singapore will continue to support the government in their efforts to provide accommodation to Singaporeans and travellers returning from abroad as a precautionary measure.”
With everyone one rushing when things open I wonder on the possibility of using our vouchers and points to make bookings because everyone’s gonna think the same.
Hotels would be more keen to entertain cash paying customers and limit vouchers n points redemptions as they are cash strapped too
agreed. cash is priority for proprietors. they sold vouchers and points for cash. if they accept all the vouchers and points right after CB, till operating capacity, it wouldn’t make sense for them. vouchers and points won’t pay their operating costs.
reading about offers engenders FOMO about saving money and getting experiences
reality is that not doing staycations saves more money.
and neutered staycation experience in singapore can’t compare to regular holiday elsewhere
reviews, websites, hotels, airlines are about making money. Fair play to them trying to drum up interest. I would do the same in their shoes. but as a consumer, i’d put my cash elsewhere. we won’t be poorer if we don’t bite now, whether financially or experientially.
IMO the only worthwhile vouchers now are dining-on-site F&B since it is a relatively normal experience. Which is probably one of the reasons restaurants have mostly withdrawn large discounts (food delivery offers aren’t dining out)
Cash is king.
i suppose it boils down to what you value. you could just as well make the argument that not eating out saves more money too. the reason why people eat out and do staycations is because they value the recreational aspect of it, and ultimately there’s no way to put a price on that. even a scaled back staycation (and from the sound of it, the most noticeable difference will be at breakfast- people will probably appreciate less crowded gyms and pools) can be a nice change of pace from staying at home.
eating out for small parties now IS similar to before CB. Maybe better. I’ve already eaten out every other day since 19/6. And I must say service has been excellent and the more popular places have had to place tables further apart (hooray!) and limit reservations (finally!) and some of the iff-ier places have definitely stepped up on hygiene (incroyable!) and attentiveness to personal space (never before!). Discounts nada but that’s ok. Definitely agree with Aaron on not eating out saving more money but it’s the ‘normal value’ for the time and money spent that I am concerned with.
Staycations in the immediate future will NOT be the same as before CB. Lining up for slots at the gym/pool/sauna/lounge due to spacing requirements? uh. walking around the grounds to shoot the breeze with a mask on? um. mall next door for some carefree shopping? urr please queue to enter XYZ boutique. Snack & sip in the club lounge? umm what queue? Peruse the breakfast buffet? i doubt most Singapore hotels will provide unlimited menu orders like MO or Pen (or Majestic Malacca for that matter). walking tour of the area with the concierge? don’t think so. concert tickets and after-party in the room? nope.
Stay in and order room service? ok yes that would be the same if only I can stop watching youtube horror videos about hotel staff cleaning items guests have intimate contact with (the beijing ones….. and where are singapore hotel cleaners from?). yes hotels have fancy certifications but that’s when the inspector is in. it’s a bit like no smoking under covered walkways when the NEA guy is there. Room cleaners clean alone – hence the videos from mssr Huazong If it wasn’t for covid it wouldn’t be a big deal but…..
YES, staying in the room will be same as before CB. But it might feel like SHN in hotel to me. 14 days was too long.
Ultimately, Aaron is right. It depends on the value one places on staying out of the home. i suspect young married/unmarried couples still living with parents would be cheering the most (why??). If I wanted to stay in my room for 2 or 3 days then Netflix Prime Disney+ are better on the 65″ at home with my friends Haagen & Daaz. And the rainshower at home feels the same to me. Plus the theragun ohh-hhh. Staycations for me are for things that aren’t better at home – I guess I’m fortunate to have privacy. To each his/her own. Maybe there are more corny couples in Singapore than I thought.
Staycations now? I’d rather spend on something that hasn’t been degraded by CB. I’m sure some will disagree – certainly some people may be desperate to get away from home. But then again, i wouldn’t fly to LA now even with a free ticket in F. Just my own thoughts.