Hotel manager Accor will likely oversee the new hotel at the former Ogilvy Centre conservation building opposite Lau Pa Sat, according to The Business Times.
Located at the junction of Robinson Road and Boon Tat Street, Ogilvy Centre will be redeveloped as a hotel by Royal Group Holdings, with which Asok Kumar Hiranandani and his son Bobby are affiliated.
The group acquired the 60-year leasehold hotel site via a public tender in January this year, submitting the highest bid of S$86 million (around S$1,072 psf ppr). The site has a maximum permissible gross floor area (GFA) of 80,191 sq ft and the developer plans to retain the existing four-storey conservation building and redevelop the section behind it into a new five-storey property.
According to the report, several sources noted that Accor will manage the new hotel under its luxury brand, Sofitel.
Currently, there are more than 100 Sofitel hotels worldwide, including more than 30 in Asian markets such Cambodia, China, Macau, Thailand and Vietnam, but not Singapore. However, several Accor brands like Mercure, Ibis and Novotel are already present in the country.
Earlier this year, Sofitel decided to move its Asia-Pacific headquarters to Singapore, joining its parent company Accor, which had made Singapore its Asia Pacific HQ several years ago.
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