Tuesday 26 February 2013
Photo tour: 18 hotels earn Five Star status for 2013
The crop of newly crowned Forbes Travel Guide Five Star hotels for 2013 ranges from a pink-stucco retreat in a tony Los Angeles neighborhood to one of Macau’s gleaming, glass-wrapped skyscrapers.
PHOTO GALLERY: See the 18 newly minted Five Star hotels
Besides a prime location, guests at Five Star-status hotels can expect top-notch service. Odds are high that employees will know your name before you introduce yourself.
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At Rhode Island’s 49-room Ocean House, which opened three years ago with the goal of earning Five Star status, guests are personally called 10 days before their arrival “so we can get as much information from them as possible so when they come here, they can disconnect without having to worry about anything,” says the Ocean House’s resort manager, Edward Villafane.
If it’s raining and you’re about to leave one of these hotels, you’ll likely be offered a hotel umbrella. If you need to get to a nearby restaurant or shopping destination, at many of these properties, you’ll be offered a ride in the chauffeur-driven house car, which might be a new Mercedes Benz, BMW or Rolls Royce.
It’s also not unusual for a staffer to discover a guest’s special anniversary or occasion that they hadn’t revealed at booking time, says Denise Flanders, general manager of the Hotel Bel-Air. When this happens, it’s common for the staffer to spread the word and, ultimately, for the guests to receive a complimentary amenity such as a bucket of iced champagne delivered to their door.
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Many Five Star properties offer the latest technology, such as in-room iPads that you can use to order room service or a couple’s massage.
And whether set on the ocean or in a city, these properties also pride themselves in giving high paying guests “experiences” – the biggest buzz word among luxury properties these days.
The Ocean House, for example, has a “food forager” on staff who can take foodie guests to local farms. Once there, they can learn about cheese making or select ingredients for their lunch or dinner. Last week, Villafane says the staffer took guests to century-old Schartner Farms, where they were able to pick local produce.
Some highlights from this year’s list:
- Few chains on the list: Most of the newly added hotels are independent, but Ritz-Carlton and Mandarin Oriental each have two new Five Star awards,
- USA vs. Overseas: 10 of the hotels are located in the USA, while the rest are all in Asia, underscoring the soaring demand for luxury in that region – and luxury hoteliers’ scramble to fill the need. The destinations that can claim the biggest wins this year are California, Florida and Macau, with three new Five Stars apiece,
- Longevity: For some hotels, the award came after a major renovation while others earned it following years of striving to meet Forbes standards
Forbes’ new Five Star hotels:
USA
Arizona – The Canyon Suites at The Phoenician
California – Hotel Bel-Air
California – Montage Laguna Beach
California – Resort at Pelican Hill
Florida – Acqualina Resort and Spa on the Beach
Florida – Mandarin Oriental Miami
Florida – The Ritz-Carlton Naples
Illinois – Trump Chicago
Nevada – Aria Sky Suites
Rhode Island – Ocean House
Overseas
China – China World Summit Wing Beijing
Hong Kong – InterContinental Hong Kong
Hong Kong – The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong
Macau – Crown Towers
Macau – Encore Macau
Macau – Mandarin Oriental Macau
Singapore – Capella Singapore
Singapore – The Fullerton Bay Hotel
For the hotels, Forbes Travel Guide’s top honor will mean a boost in business from celebrities, corporate leaders and other well-heeled travelers.
If you are one of the high rollers who can call these places home, odds are you’re spending at least $500 a night to get into the cheapest room. If money’s truly no object, however, you can easily spend thousands of dollars.
The presidential suite at the celebrity magnet Hotel Bel-Air hotel, for instance, runs $15,000 per night.
Part of the London-based Dorchester Collection, the Bel-Air sits on land dotted with 100-year-old sycamore tree, palm trees, flowers and a pond where swans swim during the warmer months. Wolfgang Puck runs its high-end restaurant, which features outdoor seating decorated with real lemon trees. The hotel occupies pink-stucco buildings nestled within LA’s millionaire-studded Bel-Air neighborhood.
For this hotel, the award represents a victory since it had lost its Five Star status after its closure for a two-year, top-to-bottom renovation. It reopened in 2011, with a mix of veteran staff and new employees.
“It’s a coveted honor of recognition by Forbes,” Flanders, the general manager, says. “It confirms what our employees have been working towards since our reopening – our pursuit of creating exceptional, unique experiences.”
Photo tour: 18 hotels earn Five Star status for 2013
Singapore Budget 2013: What I Got
Last week, The Straits Times asked various Singaporeans for their Singapore Budget 2013 wish list.
We return to them to ask: Did Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam grant your wish in his Singapore Budget 2013 speech?
YOUNG FAMILY
Mr Darren Wong, 38, a medical sales personnel, lives in a four-room flat in Balestier with his 35-year-old wife Hannah, a housewife, and their two young children. The family income is $4,000 to $5,000 a month. She had quit her administrator job to look after the family. He noted the pressure of striking a balance between nurturing a family and being the sole breadwinner.
What he had hoped from Budget 2013: He had hoped the Government would lighten the burden of families with single incomes beyond schemes like the Baby Bonus.
What young families got in Budget 2013: Low-income and middle-income families will get an additional Goods and Services Tax (GST) voucher in addition to the permanent GST voucher scheme introduced last year.
All Housing Board households will also get a reprieve on their service and conservancy charges. Households living in three- to four-room flats will get two months rebate.
From March 1, families with young children, elderly dependents and persons with disabilities will get a concession on foreign domestic worker levy. The levy will be cut from $170 to $120 a month, saving them $600 a year.
More than $3 billion will also be spent to improve the quality of the pre-school sector over the next five years. Money will go to increasing the number of pre-schools and improving the quality of pre-school education.
His reaction: The tweaks will help defray some of the expenses that weigh down a single-income household like mine. For instance, the reduction in maid levies may be of use should my wife decide to return to the workforce a few years down the road.
Other forms of assistance – for instance the GST vouchers, personal income tax rebates and Service and Conservancy Charges rebates – will go some way in defraying our expenses.
I am also looking forward to the improvement in standards of pre-school education. As a young parent, we want to know that we are placing our children in a system where they will benefit the most from. The changes give us the confidence that the Government is doing what it can for our little ones.
I am disappointed that no direct help was given to stay home mothers, but am grateful for the general financial assistance that will be disbursed over the course of the year.
DISABLED
Miss Nurulasyiqah Mohammad Taha, 29, works at the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore. She has spinal muscular atrophy and makes her way around in a motorised wheelchair.
She lives in a five-room flat in Pasir Ris with her younger brother and parents, who own the flat. The family income is $6,000 a month.
What she had hoped from Budget 2013: More subsidies to help defray the transport costs of the disabled.
What the disabled community got in Budget 2013: An agency dedicated to persons with disabilities so that there is a focal point for all their needs.
Her reaction: I am disappointed that there is no direct assistance given to alleviate the rising cost of living such as transport costs for the disabled. But I am heartened that an agency for us is being set up. I hope it will serve as a one-stop centre that will collaborate across the different agencies as our needs are varied, from education to housing to transport to caregiving.
THE RETIREE
Mr Georgie Chng, 71, a retired army warrant officer, lives with his 63-year-old wife in a three-room flat they own in Waterloo Street. They have two children and one grandchild who do not live with them. The couple get $1,200 a month from his pension.
What he had hoped from Budget 2013: More GST and utility vouchers to combat the rising cost of living, and top-ups to Medishield.
What elderly Singaporeans got in Budget 2013: There will be a $1 billion top-up to Medifund to provide extra help with healthcare bills, and a $250 million top-up to the Eldercare Fund to support patients tapping on subsidised nursing homes and other long-term care services.
Seniors who need to buy assistive devices such as hearing aids and motorised wheelchairs can tap on the Senior’s Mobility and Enabling Fund, which will be topped up to $50 million. Pensioners like Mr Chng will also get more allowance. The Singapore Allowance will be raised by $20 a month to $280 and the monthly pension ceiling will be increased to $1,210.
His reaction: I have no complaints. Getting half a loaf is better than none. My increased pension will go to household expenses such as buying basic essentials like oil and rice. It is a pity that nothing was done to help with transport fares. They are rising year on year even though we already have senior citizens’ concession fares.
SINGLES
Miss Linah Lui, 44, an administrator who is single, lives in a three-room flat in Toa Payoh with her 66-year-old widowed mother, a housewife. Miss Lui owns the flat. She has two younger brothers, one of whom is married. Her family income is $6,000 to $7,000 a month. She was concerned about singles having to look after aged parents even as they themselves grow older.
What she had hoped from Budget 2013: She wanted policies to be tweaked to better cater to singles and to signal how their needs are not forgotten. There could be, she said, subsidies when singles apply for maids that look after aged parents, and it should be mandatory for employers to grant singles leave to take care of parents when the latter are ill.
What singles got in Budget 2013: There was nothing specifically for singles, although three-room households like hers got two months of service and conservancy rebates.
From March 1, families with young children, elderly dependents and persons with disabilities will get a concession on foreign domestic worker levy. The levy will be cut from $170 to $120 a month, saving them $600 a year. She does not believe she is eligible for the maid levy due to her income level, but she is awaiting more details on the scheme which will cost the Government $73 million a year.
Resident individual taxpapers aged below age 60 as at Dec 31, 2012, will get a 30 per cent income tax rebate, capped at $1,500 per taxpayer.
Her reaction: The tax rebate is a negligible amount but it’s still better than nothing. I wish that the service and conservancy charges rebates could have been further extended beyond the two-month period for three-room flats, as the rebate is the same amount of money I got last year. Conservancy charges are going up but the rebate period has stayed the same. The Budget is very skewed towards the family. It’s the same thing every year and there’s nothing much for us singles to look forward to.
LOWER INCOME FAMILY
Mr Tay Keng Leong, 60, a cleaner, lives in a one-room rental flat in Hougang with his wife, 44, a housewife, and their three children aged 13, 11 and nine. He earns $640 a month. The family is on various financial aid schemes which help them with about $520, and also get supermarket vouchers and canned food.
What he had hoped from Budget 2013: He wanted help coping with the higher cost of living, in particular transport subsidies and vouchers.
What low-income families got in Budget 2013: A 25 to 50 per cent increase in Workfare Income Supplement payouts. At present, Mr Tay gets about $1,760 in cash and CPF money a year.
Low-income and middle-income families will get an additional Goods and Services Tax (GST) voucher on top of the permanent GST voucher scheme which was introduced last year. This means a doubling of the amount that eligible households get, which is $1,480 a year for regular households.
Singaporeans aged 45 and above will also get $200 CPF Medisave Top-up.
His children will benefit from the expansion of the Opportunity Fund by $72 million, and a top-of up of the Edusave Endowment Fund by $300 million. These will be for programmes which encourage students to do better in school and participate in subsidised school-based enrichment programmes.
His reaction: Any help from the Government is appreciated. Although I’m disappointed that transport subsidies are not included in this year’s Budget as it costs us about $120 every month paying for our children to go to school, I’m appreciative of the other forms of financial assistance.
The 25 per cent increase in Workfare Income Supplement payouts and the additional GST voucher will make a significant difference to me.
I like that the Government is focusing on the young. Likewise, I’ve pinned my hopes on my children. I always remind my elder son to work hard and to get a good job.
For more news and analysis on Singapore Budget 2013, click here for ST’s Big Story coverage.
Singapore Budget 2013: What I Got
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