“DO you think this thing will ever end?” asked my niece this week as Singapore announced a tightening of Covid restrictions – groups of eight to five, workforce in office back to 50%, events down from 750 pax to 250 pax (with pre-event testing), three-week quarantine for travellers from “higher risk” countries (which means all countries except for Australia, Brunei, mainland China, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao) …
For the first time, I found myself stumped for an answer. There had been a light. There were talks of quarantine-free bubbles to Hong Kong and possibly Australia. The light flickered ever so briefly. But now it’s gone out – doused by rising community cases in Singapore which had been moving ever so slowly, ever so cautiously towards a fuller reopening.
Singapore which had been managing ever so well now joins the ranks of its neighbours in Asia which have had to tighten restrictions yet again to stem a new wave of infections. And of course, there’s India to whom we send our heartfelt thoughts and wishes.
One step forward, three steps backwards. We should be used to this dance by now – the Covid shuffle. We’ve been doing it for 14 months. Some of us have had our arms jabbed, thinking this would be the shot-in-the-arm needed for borders to reopen. But now, it looks like we’ll have to get used to doing the Covid shuffle for a while longer.
Just a week ago, we had held our Travel Roadshow Episode 2 which was themed “BC Global, DC Local, AC – Which Way Forward?” Well, it looks like the way forward will still be some ways away but one thing’s for sure – from the stories shared during the 150-minute event, Covid will go down in history as one of the most creative periods in travel.
Let me share a couple of interesting stories shared by local businesses during the event.
How a 75-year-old cabinet maker became a shophouse hotel’s most valuable employee
Meet Chew Kah Pit, a cabinet maker, who’s been plying his trade for 60 years. After he was retired from his previous company, Wah Dah, where he worked for 55 years, Chris Ong, founder of Georgetown Heritage Hotels offered him a fulltime position in 2018 as inhouse cabinet maker. Ah Lai, as he is known, is possibly the last of Penang’s traditional craftsmen skilled for their intricate carving works.
He also turned out to be the hotel group’s most valuable employee during Covid, said Ong, whose retail business selling antiques and collectibles proved resilient. “Who knew my most valuable employee would be my oldest employee?” he said during the Roadshow. (Watch video of Ong interviewing Ah Lai)
With 20% of his business BC coming from domestic, it has been a challenge for Ong and his collection of shophouse hotels. Domestic travel has been limited in Malaysia with numerous “lockdowns” and no interstate travel allowed and so Ong has had to get creative to survive.
“We have had to tap into the expat and MM2H (Malaysia My Second Home) markets which have proved to be fruitful. Kebaya, our restaurant, is a special occasions place, so we need to curate special events and gourmet experiences to get people to come.
“Of course we had to go into the takeout food segment and other specialty catering such as for ancestor prayers. It’s been challenging but never dull. In the past 12 months, I have had to offer ID services , manufactured bespoke furniture and personally hosted private tours.”
“It’s a bit of a fumble in the dark but at least it’s better than doing nothing.”
The hotel farm that keeps on giving
Fairmont Singapore and Swissotel The Stamford is opening a third e-commerce business, this time “a supermarket”. Its first e-commerce shop was its retail shop, followed by a gift centre in which customers can buy gift vouchers for friends.
The supermarket, which will offer fresh produce and groceries, is an extension of the farm it built BC and what a valuable resource it’s proven to be during the pandemic when the hotels had to keep a tight lid on costs. The farm now supplies 84% of the salad leaves it uses in its restaurants and all the tilapia fish sold in the hotels comes from the farm.
Marcus Hanna, general manager of the Raffles City hotels, seemed most excited about the edible flowers crop which he said can cost a lot when bought but now his chefs harvest and get them for free from the farm.
During Covid, it is clear every cent counts – earned or spent – and his hotels have also created another revenue stream with its tech solutions. “We have to do what we can to earn money at this time,” said Hanna.
Japan’s work culture changes, spawns new startup around workations
If there is one significant change coming out of Covid in Japan, it’s a rethink of the Japanese work culture. So long entrenched, the acceptance of remote work, WFH (work from home) and the blurring of lines between work-and-play has spawned a new breed of entrepreneurs and startups.
For example, hotelier and entrepreneur Aya Aso has teamed up with former Spacemarket founder Iso Saito to start a new venture called PerkUP. The partnership between Aso’s company SAVVY Collective and Saito’s AnyWhere will offer co-workation.com, a matching platform between corporate and co-workation content (for example, hotel, ryokan, camping, villa and training games, local activities).
The business, due to be launched in July, taps into the change in working trends being seen in Japan due to Covid. Said Aya, “WFH has been a norm in DC lifestyle, especially the market size of “workation” has recorded US$699 million which is expected to grow five times more by 2025.”
Be your own light: Montara takes a bet on wellness
I will give the last word to Kittisak Pattamasaevi, CEO of Montara Hospitality Group (pictured right), a family business which spent the pandemic investing and building a purpose-built wellness resort and residential community project, Tri Vananda. His advice to all of us who keep looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. “Be your own light.”
Makes sense given the other light keeps flickering on and off.
• Featured image is the Aquaponics Garden at Fairmont Singapore, Swissotel The Stamford