OUE to rebrand Mandarin Orchard as Hilton property, making it the biggest Hilton hotel in Asia.

A beacon of hope shines for the hospitality industry in these dark times, as a deal is signed between Hilton and OUE to rebrand the existing Mandarin Orchard Singapore as Hilton Singapore Orchard.

The rebrand will see around $90m injected into the hospitality industry. We find out more.

A light at the end of the tunnel

These are strange and uncertain times for every sector of life and the economy, but perhaps international travel, and by extension, tourism and hospitality, have been the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis that has brought the world to a sudden halt.

However, one certain thing is that the COVID-19 pandemic phase will end, and things will eventually return to some semblance of normality, and for the hotel industry, that means plans must continue to be made.

Enter a new deal signed between property group OUE and Hilton to rebrand an existing hotel in Singapore as Hilton’s new flagship property in the country. The Mandarin Orchard Singapore will become the Hilton Singapore Orchard following a $90m-rebrand that is set to take place over the course of two years, with works scheduled to be completed by late 2021.

In comforting news for the hotel industry, Tan Shu Lin, chief executive officer of OUE C-REIT’s manager, says that the COVID-19 shutdown and its challenges “present a timely opportunity for us to carry out extensive renovations. The rebranded hotel is expected to be ready in time to take advantage of the sector’s anticipated recovery.”

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Hilton’s strong position

Perhaps it goes without saying that long-established companies with significant capital behind them will be less affected than smaller businesses when it comes to unprecedented events like the coronavirus crisis.

Hilton is in a better position than most to be able to undertake a rebranding exercise of this kind and to the tune of such a hefty price tag, and OUE reckons it will see an ROI of 10% of its $90m-expenditure. Given Hilton’s profile, in the long term, the hotel will benefit from Hilton’s loyalty programme and existing partnerships.

The property is vast, boasting 1,080 rooms and 3,765 sqm of events, conference and meeting space, which also includes three ballrooms. This puts the property in a unique position to cater to MICE events and travellers, and new meeting and F&B facilities will be added to help boost the hotel’s status in this regard once the hotel opens as a Hilton property in 2021.