SINGAPORE’S Marina Bay Sands, where ITB Asia (October 29 to 31) was held, is arguably one of the world’s most iconic hotels.
Since its opening in April 2010, the edifice has transformed the city’s skyline, giving tourists an unforgettable takeaway each time they visit its neighbourhood.The luxury address, owned by Las Vegas Sands Corporation, has ‘mega’ written all over it – the hotel boasts 2,561 rooms and suites spread across three 55-storey towers, 200 club rooms and 64 ultra-luxurious suites. The three towers are capped by the Sands SkyPark which offers a 360-degree view of the city’s skyline and has the world’s largest public cantilever housing an observation desk. “The number of visitors to Marina Bay Sands has continuously increased, having received 40.3 million in 2013, a 5 per cent increase from 38.5 million in 2012,” says Ian Wilson, senior vice president of hotel operations, proudly. Adds the official: “We also saw an average of close to 99 per cent occupancy rate all year round for two consecutive years, 2012 and 2013.” The hotel offers top-class shopping options, night clubs and a casino. Guests and visitors have over 60 gourmet dining choices including an all-day international buffet restaurant and five celebrity chef restaurants helmed by Mario Batali and Daniel Boulud (both from New York), Wolfgang Puck (Los Angeles), Tetsuya Wakuda (Sydney) and Justin Quek (Singapore). Joining them in 2015 will be chefs Gordon Ramsay and David Myers launching their own lines. Celebrities Marina Bay Sands has hosted include Hugh Jackman, Victoria Beckham, Jessica Alba and Sir Richard Branson, all of whom took to social media to post images of their visits at the integrated resort.Tiger Woods was last here in November 2013, and in March of this year, the hotel held The Rolling Stones-14 On Fire Tour performance at the Event Plaza. Mrs Beckham was at the hotel in May to present an exclusive personal edition of her Spring/Summer 2014, Pre-Autumn/Winter 2014 and ICON collections to a select group at the ArtScience Museum. The museum has a lotus-inspired design and features blockbuster exhibitions. There are also four theatres and the outdoor Event Plaza, which stands along the waterfront promenade, is a clear attraction being a venue for large-scale performances. The Sands Expo and Convention Centre, the ITB Asia venue, has 1.3 million sq ft of flexible convention and exhibition space that can host over 45,000 delegates, 2,000 exhibition booths and 250 meeting rooms. It also features Southeast Asia’s biggest ballroom accommodating 6,600 people for a banquet and up to 11,000 to an auditorium-style lecture. The hotel listed a record 70 trade shows in 2013.Highlighting a commitment to the environment, Wilson commented: “Marina Bay Sands offers green meetings as a default not just as an option. As an ISO-certified venue we’re already greener than most Mice operators to begin with …” By Salvador Almeida