Westin set for Singapore return via Asia Square Tower 2

  luxuryasiahome on October 14, 2010 

Following a nearly ten-year absence, the Westin brand will stage a comeback in Singapore when a 280-room hotel opens on the top floors of Asia Square Tower 2 by 2013.

Industry sources say that Starwood Hotels & Resorts has clinched the management contract to manage the hotel under the Westin brand.

The hotel will be located on the 32nd to 46th floors – sitting above 26 levels of offices. There will be retail space on the first two floors and carpark lots on the third to fifth floors.

Starwood already has a presence in the Singapore market through a management contract for the St Regis Singapore at Tanglin Road, which opened in 2008. The property is owned by Singapore’s Hong Leong Group. Starwood will also manage under the W brand a hotel of about 240 rooms that is being developed by City Developments at Sentosa Cove. This hotel is slated to be ready in 2012.

There is also Sheraton Towers Singapore at Scotts Road, which operates under a franchise agreement with Starwood.

Leasing interest in the office space at Asia Square’s Tower 1 has been gathering momentum in recent months. Market sources suggest that over 40 per cent of the 1.26 million sq ft of net lettable office space in the 43-storey tower is at an advanced stage of negotiation or let. Besides Citigroup, which is expected to lease 250,000 sq ft of space, Google is said to be in talks to take two floors. US law firm White & Case will lease a floor.

Bank Sarasin will take the 25th floor, while Swiss private bank Julius Baer has signed up for the top two floors.