Ascott prepares for growth in post-COVID-19 era
CapitaLand’s wholly owned lodging business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), will review the design of its lodging products and services to ensure they are future-ready for continued growth in a post COVID-19 landscape.
Leveraging the existing design strengths of Ascott’s serviced residences, it aims to redefine the guest experience to take advantage of emerging trends such as the increased popularity of working from home, deeper health and safety concerns, and a rapidly digitizing world. Kevin Goh, chief executive, lodging, CapitaLand Group and chief executive, Ascott, said: “Ascott’s serviced residences have remained resilient amid COVID-19. We continue to be the accommodation of choice by providing a safe haven for our guests who have placed their trust in Ascott. To cement Ascott’s position as a dominant lodging player and deliver more value for our guests and business partners, we are taking steps to ready Ascott for a post COVID-19 landscape. Ascott is reviewing every touchpoint within the living and workspaces of our apartments to tap on the work-from-home trend. We are also improving our digital solutions and looking at leveraging smarter technologies to provide value and safety to our guests.” As global and domestic travel restrictions ease, the group has launched “Ascott Cares” across its properties, to reassure guests and staff of the stringent cleanliness and hygiene measures in place, as the global properties begin to welcome new and returning guests home. These measures will also be effective across Ascott’s properties within the Middle East and Turkey: Ascott Park Place Dubai, Citadines Metro Central Dubai, Ascott Tahlia Jeddah, Ascott Sari Jeddah, Citadines Al-Salamah Jeddah, Spectrums Residence Jeddah, Ascott Rafal Olaya Riyadh, Ascott Corniche Al-Khobar, Somerset Panorama Muscat, Somerset Al-Fateh Bahrain, Somerset Maslak Istanbul, and Somerset West Bay Doha.
Vincent Miccolis, Ascott’s regional GM for Middle East, Africa, Turkey and India, said: “We have implemented enhanced sanitization measures across our regional properties in the Middle East and Turkey. These include daily temperature checks, and governmental directives on leisure and health facilities. In addition, the obligatory regulations of face masks, gloves, and hand sanitizers are in place, while sterilizing efforts have been ramped up across apartments, lobbies and public utilities. Ascott has always been a trusted brand and we look forward to the same momentum, assuring our long and short stay guests of a care-free and safe haven when they come home to Ascott.”
To tap in to the work-from-home trend, Ascott is looking at upgrading its design to create a more productive workspace within the serviced apartment. Improvements to the overall ergonomics of the workspace may include better task lighting, better use of space and appropriate wall features suited for videoconferencing or webcasting.
HIGHLIGHT
The hospitality group has launched ‘Ascott Cares’ across its properties, to reassure guests and staff of the stringent cleanliness and hygiene measures in place, in addition to introducing a new mobile app later this year, providing a onestop, contactless service.