29 | October | 2009 | Lush Dream Home

New Village brand for its mid-range hotels, residences

Albert Court Village Hotel is one of three hotels and four residences that make up the new brand so far. — ST PHOTOS: SAMUEL HE

PROPERTY giant Far East Organization is spending $25 million to refurbish and re-badge its mid-range hotels and residences into a new brand that can be expanded overseas.

A range of the firm’s local properties is being grouped under the name Village Hotels & Residences, which will give the firm a launch pad for expansion.

Three hotels – Albert Court Village Hotel, Changi Village Hotel and Landmark Village Hotel or the former Golden Landmark Hotel – and four residences aimed at long-stay guests make up the new brand so far.

Far East said the Village brand will offer guests a local experience. Continue reading →

Scotts Tower units to be downsized

Posted on 29 Oct 2009 | Comments Off

FAR East Organization is shrinking the units at its luxury Scotts Tower development at the junction of Scotts and Cairnhill roads to make them more affordable.

Architect Ole Scheeren is working with the property firm to reconfigure the units.

Far East executive director Chia Boon Kuah said the eye-catching freehold project will not be launched yet as the firm is ‘reviewing the project’ with a view to reconfiguring unit sizes.

The 31-storey tower – one of Mr Scheeren’s two residential projects in Singapore – features four individual apartment towers suspended from a central core.

The gravity-defying design was commissioned in 2006 when the property market was on the way up. Far East had expected to launch it late in 2007.

Targeted at the global market, Scotts Tower was designed to offer 68 luxury apartments with elevated panoramic views. The smallest was to be a three-bedroom duplex unit.

But the plan now is to offer smaller units, which would lower the absolute price quantum of each apartment. Continue reading →