Singapore has launched a travel “bubble” business hotel that allows executives to do face-to-face meetings without a risk of exposure to the coronavirus, in one of the world’s first such facilities.
The hotel has meeting rooms outfitted with airtight glass panels to reduce the risk of transmission and even has a special compartment with an ultraviolet light to sanitise documents so they can be shared between participants.
Connect@Changi has welcomed its first batch of overseas guests. Some of its first guests have come from France, Germany, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.
“Given that we have operations in Singapore, I need to be able to travel to conduct face-to-face meetings with the team based in Singapore, as well as process some paperwork,” said Olivier Leroux, who was among the first guests when he checked in on Monday after his flight from France.
Leroux is the chief executive and president of Oasis Smart Sim, a French and Singapore-based firm providing certified eSIM, iSIM and Cloud SIM solutions.
The pilot short-stay facility, developed by a Singapore consortium led by Temasek Holdings, opened its doors last month as part of Singapore’s efforts to resume international business meetings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since its launch, Connect@Changi has received “a steady stream of enquiries” from business travellers coming from various regions such as Asia, Europe and the United States.
The hotel differs from quarantine hotels in the city-state, where guests are isolated for two weeks and must pass COVID-19 tests before being cleared to leave and join the local community.
Hotel has said it allows business travellers to meet their Singapore-based counterparts, as well as guests from other countries, “safely”.
The accommodation facility which also serves as a business centre is “bubble-wrapped” such that the visitors do not mingle with the community in Singapore.
Meetings at the facility are held in specially designed meeting rooms with air-tight glass panels to reduce the risk of transmission. Large-scale video conferences can also be held, to allow for hybrid meetings.
Visitors to the bubble hotel are not permitted to enter Singapore and must leave via the airport.
Singapore is expected to host the World Economic Forum in August this year, and the bubble hotel has been floated as way to facilitate business meetings during the event.
Room rate starts at S$384 ($284.70) per night, which is includes meals, two-way airport transfer and COVID-19 tests required during the course of the stay.
Due to strictly enforced curbs and quarantine measures, regional business hub Singapore has kept a tight lid on its coronavirus infections, despite clusters emerging last year in migrant workers’ dormitories. (Reuters/Agencies)