Four strong earthquakes signal angry "Ring of Fire"

The Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ is a region plagued by earthquakes and volcanoesThe Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ has been angry over the past day, producing four strong earthquakes since yesterday afternoon.

Epicenter of magnitude 6.8 Chile earthquakeNorth-central Chile was the first to feel the Ring’s wrath, as a magnitude 6.8 quake went off at about 3:15 p.m. EST, centred roughly 40 km north of Vallenar, the capital city of Chile’s Huasco Province. Reports say that it shook buildings as far away as Santiago, nearly 600 kms to the south, and closer to the epicenter, some buildings in lower-income areas of Vallenar suffered collapsed walls. According to a Reuters report, one unfortunate woman died shortly after the quake, of an apparent heart attack.

[ Related: Strong earthquake rattles southern Alaska, no tsunami danger ]

Epicenters of magnitude 6.2 and 6.0 earthquakes east of the Solomon IslandsThe Solomon Islands, in the south Pacific, were next, as two strong earthquakes, registering as magnitude 6.0 and 6.2 on the Richter Scale, struck just east of the island of Nuendö at 6:03 p.m. EST. No reports of any damage or injuries from either of these earthquakes as of yet, however the area is sparsely populated, with Lata, a community of just over 550 residents at the northwestern end of Nuendö, being the closest settlement to the quake.

Epicenter of magnitude 6.0 earthquake off the southern coast of AlaskaFinally, this morning, at 4:53 a.m. EST, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake shook an already battered region along the southern tip of Alaska. The Alaskan Earthquake Center is apparently reporting that today’s tremor is an aftershock of the magnitude 7.5 quake that shook this same area on January 5th, and it is just north of where a magnitude 7.7 earthquake shook Haida Gwaii (the Queen Charlotte Islands) in October of last year. No damage or injuries have been reported from this latest quake.

[ Related: South Korea joins ranks of "satellite powers" with rocket launch ]

Although earthquakes around the ‘Ring of Fire’ have been known to touch off tsunamis, no alerts were sounded as a result of any of these four events.

These earthquakes occurring in relatively quick succession, separated by distances of thousands of kilometres, punctuates just how active the ‘Ring of Fire’ is and just how unpredictable it can be. Although efforts are being made to put early warning systems into place, true earthquake prediction remains a lofty goal.

(Images courtesy: CBC and US Geologic Survey)

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Four strong earthquakes signal angry "Ring of Fire"

Days Hotel first property in Singapore to offer smartphones to guests - e

 
 

New service to provide travellers with unlimited 3G internet, local and international calls to 26 countries

The newly opened Days Hotel Singapore at Zhongshan Park has become the first property in the country to offer travellers a unique service called ‘handy’, a convenient smartphone rental service specifically designed for travellers visiting Singapore.

‘Handy’ will be available to customers with a one-night package stay at Days Hotel Singapore at an attractive rate of S$142. Also available at an affordable rental fee of S$18nett per day, ‘handy’ will provide travellers with a Samsung Galaxy Note device, which comes with unlimited 3G internet access, as well as unlimited phone calls to 26 countries, Singapore inclusive. The device will also be preloaded with a mobile city guide specifically designed for tourists visiting Singapore and a handpicked selection of other travel-friendly smartphone applications. The hotel has teamed up with Tink Labs, a Hong Kong based company, for this service which provides a comprehensive mobile travel platform to inbound travellers.

“Days Hotel Singapore at Zhongshan Park is part of an integrated development in Balestier which is an area rich in culture and history. We want to ensure travellers make the most of their stay with us and offering ‘handy’ will help them explore some of the best places in Singapore,” said Tony Cousens, General Manager, Ramada and Days Hotels Singapore at Zhongshan Park.

Offering a combined total of almost 800 rooms across the three- and four-star hotel segment, the Ramada and Days Hotels Singapore at Zhongshan Park is the first hotel-by-the-park development in the country and is expected to play an integral part in the transformation of the Balestier locale. The S$300 million development will also include a commercial tower, a shopping mall, and a range of restaurants and bars flanking Zhongshan Park offering guests and visitors a wide choice of dining options.

“We are excited to work with the Days Hotel Singapore, who shares our passion for innovative travel, and enhancing the way people experience all that Singapore has to offer.  Whether traveling for business or pleasure, no one should have to lug around paper maps, multiple SIM cards, heavy guide books, or be misinformed by out-of-date information.  We want our customers to experience the same level of connectivity while travelling in Singapore as they do at home, and to never get hit with an exorbitant mobile phone bill the month after their trip,” said Terence Kwok, CEO and Founder of Tink Labs Limited, the holding company offering handy services.  

Offering ‘The Best Value Under the Sun’, the 14-storey Days Hotel Singapore at Zhongshan Park, opened its doors to guests at the end of last year and has 405 contemporary guest rooms decorated in a vibrant avant-garde style. The property has all ‘the smart basics’ that every traveller seeks in a hotel room, such as complimentary hi-speed WIFI, 24-hour gym and a hearty breakfast worth waking up for. The hotel also has an all-day dining restaurant, 21 on Rajah, offering a wonderful selection of Mediterranean, local and South East Asian fare.

The 17-storey Ramada Singapore at Zhongshan Park will be the only four-star international chain hotel in the Novena district. When open, the hotel will have 384 well-appointed guest rooms with contemporary elegance enhanced by distinctive décor and refined touches designed to cater to both business and leisure travellers. The hotel will feature an all-day dining restaurant, Flavours at Zhongshan Park, offering Straits Chinese and western cuisines as well as The Heritage Lounge lobby bar, 24-hour room service, a business centre, gym and a pool. The hotel will also offer 540 square meters of meeting and banquet space, making it a perfect venue option for smaller-scale corporate meetings, social and wedding events.

Days Hotel first property in Singapore to offer smartphones to guests - e

New wing at Movenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa writes history

SINGAPORE – On Singapore’s famous island resort of Sentosa, Movenpick Hotels Resorts has rewritten history. Literally.

The new all-suite wing of the Movenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa was once a barrack base that housed British artillerymen during World War II. Now it has been meticulously restored to offer discerning guests a sense of history that’s been fully updated with every contemporary comfort.

The three-storey Heritage Wing now features 62 sumptuous suites and an all-day restaurant.

During restoration by Singapore’s DP Architects, the wing’s atmospheric original features such as colonial doors, window frames, high-ceilings, wide covered ‘link way’ corridors and other architectural details were fully renovated to their former glory.

The building’s colonial ambience was also enhanced by contemporary flourishes.

Taking inspiration from Singapore’s culture and tropical climate, the designers also incorporated atmospheric fans (as well as air-conditioning), floor-to-ceiling windows, slate bathroom floors, patchwork carpets, natural wood finishes and local design motifs.

Exquisitely sculpted gardens underline the rustic beauty of the hotel’s surroundings while, adding an unforgettable sense of place, rooms facing Imbiah Lookout enjoy a view of Singapore’s famous icon, the 37-metre-high ‘half-lion, half-fish’ Merlion.

The new Heritage Wing is the final stage of the Movenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa to open.

In 2011 the hotel unveiled a Contemporary Wing featuring cutting edge interiors by the Japanese company Super Potato.

Design features such as a box shelves arranged with paint-adorned vintage books to create a quirky chess board effect, lush vegetation growing from high interior walls or the famous aquarium pool have cemented the hotel’s reputation for offering an innovative approach to hospitality.

Following the completion of the Heritage Wing, the 191-room hotel now enjoys the widest range of accommodation options on Sentosa.

In addition to the 62 Heritage Suites, the Contemporary Wing offers 105 deluxe rooms, 19 onsen suites with outdoor hot tubs, three executive suites and two penthouse suites with private rooftop pools. – SG

New wing at Movenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa writes history

A rosy 2012 for Singapore hotels but slower growth momentum ahead

SINGAPORE hotels delivered a stellar performance last year, boosted by a record 10.7 million tourist arrivals to the country in the first three quarters of 2012 as well as the debut of several attractions, according to the latest CBRE Hotels MarketView.

 

Hotel occupancy for the 12-month period ending November stood at a robust 86.5 per cent, on par with last year’s level. Occupancy reached as high as 90 per cent in the month of July. Demand for luxury hotels stayed strong in 2012 as occupancy grew by 2.6 per cent, while upscale hotel occupancy rose by a mere 0.5 per cent.

 

Both midscale and economy tiers saw occupancy drop by 1.3 per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively.

 

In the same period, average daily rate (ADR) was S$260 (US$213), up 7.1 per cent year-on-year. September rates hit a new high at S$282 due to the F1 races.

 

Of the four hotel tiers, upscale properties witnessed the largest growth in ADR of 8.7 per cent, registering S$300. Economy hotels on the other hand rose by a mere 1.2 per cent to S$111.

 

Revenue per available room (RevPAR) of Singapore hotels rose by 7.2 per cent to hit $225 – a muted increment compared to the 16.1 per cent growth seen the year before. Luxury hotels recorded the strongest improvement in RevPAR – 10.3 per cent ­– among all tiers.

 

The review noted that Singapore welcome 1,200 new rooms coming from eight hotels. This year, a further 16 new hotels with 4,000 rooms are slated to be opened. In the next four years, a total of 11,000 rooms are expected to enter the market, representing a 25 per cent increase in the stock of gazetted rooms as at end-2012.

 

Midscale hotels will supply the largest number of rooms at 4,100. In addition, hotel sites on the 1H2013 Government Land Sales Reserve list, if triggered and sold, could add 1,800 more rooms.

 

The sizeable room supply and slower visitor growth could lead to lower occupancy rates and slower ADR growth, resulting in very limited RevPAR increments. CBRE expects an occupancy rate of 80-82 per cent and ADR growth of three-five per cent in 2013.

 

Meanwhile, labour shortage and manpower costs remain the main concerns for hotel operators, which if unmitigated, could impact profit margins.

A rosy 2012 for Singapore hotels but slower growth momentum ahead