FIVE-STAR HOSPITALITY GETS SMART
From chaos to change, One Farrer Hotel’s GM Gilbert Madhavan shares how they have turned things upside down to make it right, ready and responsive for Covid times. By Esther Faith Lew
Fast and furious would be apt in describing the way the Covid-19 pandemic has swept through the world. But it is also apt in describing how businesses have responded to the chaos and turned the challenges into opportunities. As the world waits with bated breath for international travel to find its wings and to plot safe flights, the hospitality industry has been kept on their toes looking for ways to navigate the challenges brought upon events, F&B and travel activities. Since Singapore’s circuit breaker in April, One Farrer Hotel has been busy transforming itself and has unveiled a comprehensive $2m refurbishment that puts it ahead of the game in facing Covid times.
“In a pandemic, obviously hygiene and sanitisation issues become a top priority in people’s minds. So, when you are staying in a hotel that has undergone complete renovation using antivirus, antibacterial and antimicrobial materials for the flooring, the walls, the ceiling and the corridors, it gives a good sense of assurance in terms of safety. This will be a very attractive USP for future travellers who will be looking out for such criteria, and at this point in time, I don’t know of any other hotel that has invested quite so extensively into it,” says Gilbert Madhavan, GM, One Farrer Hotel.
Both hotel- and hospital-ready
One Farrer has spared no expense in its refurbishment and has sought the expertise of medical practitioners at Farrer Park Hospital to recommend detailed changes from top to toe. As a result, One Farrer has removed carpets from guest rooms and common areas; put in custom gapless vinyl flooring; treated wall coverings for antiviral properties; installed antimicrobial blind fabrics; retrofitted guest
“In a pandemic, obviously hygiene and sanitisation issues become a top priority in people’s minds. So, when you are staying in a hotel that has undergone complete renovation using antivirus, antibacterial and antimicrobial materials for the flooring, the walls, the ceiling and the corridors, it gives a good sense of assurance in terms of safety.” Gilbert Madhavan, GM, One Farrer Hotel.
rooms with moveable furniture for easy sanitisation and functional configuration; and implemented housekeeping procedures to disinfect guest rooms and amenities with ultraviolet-c (UVC) lamps and chests. These changes have been implemented for the 176 rooms in the newly launched Mint Hotel, previously branded as Urban Hotel.
However, Gilbert stressed that the essence of hospitality remains, with these changes addressing key safety concerns as well as a luxe experience. The ambience of the guest rooms remain warm and vibrant, with earthen tones and mood lighting to welcome guests into a relaxing space. On top of that, One Farrer has taken the typical pillow menu offered by luxury hotels one step further.
“We have recently launched the Pillow Lab to ensure that our guests enjoy good sleep to keep them in top form, mentally and physically. When guests check in, they are able to select their preferred pillows and have peace of mind knowing the pillows they are laying their heads on for eight or more hours every night have undergone disinfection in our industry-leading UVC Chamber to remove pathogens, natural microbiota, molds and yeasts. We are probably the first hotel here to offer it, and we have even converted our old business centre into the UVC chamber to ensure we are able to disinfect a large quantity of pillows within a quick turn-around time line. Not only that, guests who like our pillows may even buy them and bring them back regularly for disinfection,” says Gilbert.
Experiential stays
Being a pandemic-prepared hotel gives One Farrer the flexibility to extend their hospitality with confidence and to maintain expectations for both private fine dining and food safety away from the bustle of restaurants. Gilbert shared that One Farrer’s luxurious villas and suites on level 20 afford an indulgent ‘home fine dining’ experience by the hotel’s award-winning culinary team. “It’s nice to be able to walk into your own private suite or villa and have the space to entertain friends for pre-dinner cocktails before sitting down to a bespoke meal of your choice, after which you can lounge in comfort to enjoy the city view,” says Gilbert.
He adds, “When the rules relax even further, we could even have live entertainment such as a harpist or pianist to accompany the bespoke experience. Or if it’s a Japanese dinner, we could have a sake master talk about the nuances of sake pairing. There are many different elements that can be incorporated into it; the goal is to create a sense of exclusivity and privacy for our guests. And so far, we have had a medical clientele who have enjoyed private dining here and it has been very well received.” Future plans are also underway to showcase culinary experiences by a roster of international chefs.
More importantly, One Farrer has also addressed the issue of food safety and quality. “We converted one of the villas into a fully-equipped chef’s kitchen so that meal prep and service are more efficient and dishes take a quick, direct route from
kitchen to table, thus minimising the time spent in travel and minimising the risk of food contamination. Guests can rest assured that their meals are prepared in an exclusive kitchen for private groups only.”
One Farrer is also an advocate of the farm-to-table movement and places importance in sourcing locally for ingredients. “Besides fine dining, we also want to offer a local experience for our guests. Our very own urban farm has more than 50 varieties of vegetables, herbs, fruits and edible plants. And we are very near to Tekka Market which is a great source of local produce. So, we offer staycation packages that include culinary masterclasses where guests get to pick their own produce, visit the market and interact with our chefs in the cooking studio. These experiences, including art and heritage tours make it engaging for our guests.
“We are in an area with a rich history, and we want to share it with guests who go on the Heritage Trail. What is now known as Little India used to be called Little England. This was the area that had the first golf course, the first airport and the first automobile, just to name some trivia. In local history, it was also where the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew had one of his first political rallies. There is a lot to discover and that makes it interesting for guests, elaborates Gilbert.
“Besides fine dining, we also want to offer a local experience for our guests. Our very own urban farm has more than 50 varieties of vegetables, herbs, fruits and edible plants... So, we offer staycation packages that include culinary masterclasses where guests get to pick their own produce, visit the market and interact with our chefs in the cooking studio.”
Future-proof
Beyond local tourism, Gilbert added that the pandemic proved to be the fire-starter for One Farrer to refine its offerings in medical tourism, a key market due to its association with Farrer Park Hospital. “We set up One Farrer Concierge to take care of all the needs required by medical tourists. It’s a one-stop shop that will handle visa arrangements, hotel bookings, hospital bookings, medical appointments, dining arrangements, even recreational activities such as shopping or going on tours. Our staff have been trained to handle the needs of medical tourists. Also, in the future, there will be a seamless and direct access for our guests to go from hotel to hospital in privacy, and this will complement their personalised welcome in the private lobby when they arrive.”
One Farrer is also a venue of choice for conferences organised by the medical fraternity as attendees are able to receive live feeds in the ballrooms coming through from the operating theatres. To prepare themselves for future events, Gilbert believes that significant changes must leverage on technology to succeed. “The pandemic has spurred us to create what we call Hybrid In-person Virtual Events (HIVE) which comprises a combination of live and virtual formats within the event. This has proven to be successful in two recent conferences. In one of them, we had virtual delegates from the US streaming in while Singapore attendees caught zoom sessions with speakers in the conference room. We are currently working with an audiovisual company to set up a stage with a green wall in our ballroom so that we can better facilitate the virtual element in future events.”
The future may remain uncertain, but One Farrer has placed itself in a strong position to capitalise on the first-mover advantage when opportunities arise, be it in private dining, staycations, medical tourism or conferences.
“We set up One Farrer Concierge to take care of all the needs required by medical tourists. It’s a one-stop shop that will handle visa arrangements, hotel bookings, hospital bookings, medical appointments, dining arrangements, even recreational activities such as shopping or going on tours.”