PARKROYAL Hotels & Resorts launches a new brand experience “All Things Local”, enticing guests to go beyond the guidebook and explore the culturally rich precincts of its properties from Singapore and Malaysia to Japan and Australia, and beyond.
Ms. Cinn Tan, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, Pan Pacific Hotels Group, said: “With PARKROYAL Hotels & Resorts positioned as a gateway to vibrant locales, we invite guests to join us in keeping cultures, crafts and cuisines alive through discovering local stories, engaging in activities to understand local art, and supporting local businesses. We hope these new brand experiences will provide our guests with authentic, immersive and novel ways to connect with people and places when they stay with PARKROYAL.”
Discovering Vibrant Locales
PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore has kicked off the ‘All Things Local’ program with a series of curated, hands-on, interactive guest experiences, including culinary activities to connect with the city’s rich heritage and artisan workshops led by local entrepreneurs. The hotel is situated in the historic and vibrant precinct of Kampong Gelam which is famous for its larger-than-life street art, historic retail businesses, Malay traditions and the narrowest street in Singapore – Haji Lane
Hotel guests can now select packages including an intimate visit to the home of local kueh heritage culinary mould collector Jasmine Adams, or ketupat/bazhang leather crafting workshop by local atelier Crafune on lively Haji Lane.
Guests joining the leather workshop can try their hand at creating a leather coin pouch, using weaving techniques inspired by the woven palm leaf packets of iconic local foods ketupat (a traditional Malay dish) and bazhang (a Chinese-style glutinous rice cake).
Available from 6 October 2023 to 6 April 2024, PARKROYAL on Beach Road’s ‘All Things Local’ stay packages are priced from SS$380++* and include a one-night room stay with one activity of choice for two persons. The activities are provided in partnership with a local curator Culturally, which creates inroads into some of Singapore’s most enticing, immersive experiences.
Guests can book their All Things Local Experience – Leather Crafting stay package at PARKROYAL on Beach Road here, and the All Things Local Experience – Household Treasures with Jasmine Adams here.
Savouring Local Flavours at PARKROYAL on Beach Road
Food is at the heart of Singaporean culture, and PARKROYAL on Beach Road showcases fabulous local flavours throughout the menu in its on-site restaurant, Ginger. Rich and complex sambal balado also known as “chili sauce with chili” is a popular condiment in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and Chef Low’s enhances his dishes with a signature childhood-inspired version of sambal balado, whether it’s added to a humble tin of keropok crackers or with a hearty plate of crab bee hoon (rice vermicelli). For those who fancy experimenting with it at home, Ginger’s sambal balado is also available for sale at S$8++ per jar.
For signature cocktails inspired by the district’s rich spice trading history, head to the hotel’s Club 5 for a menu creatively designed by its resident mixologist to transport guests on a journey through the past and present cultures of Beach Road, Arab Street and Bugis in the neighbourhood of Kampong Gelam.
Examples of some of the distinctive flavours from each precinct include:
- Beach Road: High Tide Swizzle – a refreshing, tropical vodka sour that transports guests to the sandy shores of Beach Road when it was a shoreline pre-1843;
- Arab Street: Merchant’s Old Fashioned – a spiced rum Old Fashioned featuring spices that were once heavily traded in Singapore in open air markets, and Nasi Lema’rgarita – a margarita with all the flavours of the popular local nasi lemak breakfast;
- Bugis Junction: Pasar Malam Sipper – a rum sour inspired by the spicy foods in a pasar malam (night market); and Calm Waters – a refreshing non-alcoholic Dark n’ Stormy with tropical spicy notes.
Enjoy ‘All Things Local’ with PARKROYAL Hotels & Resorts in Asia Pacific
With more than 40 hotels, resorts and serviced suites across Asia Pacific, PARKROYAL serves as a gateway to vibrant locales throughout the region where travellers can enjoy hyper-localised activities.
Examples include:
- At PARKROYAL Melbourne Airport, Australia, guests can embark on a unique experience through a spectacular day in the historic Woodlands Homestead which includes getting up close and personal with former racehorse champions, a private guided horse tour of the Living Legends horses that call Melbourne home, or a craft beer tasting experience with Melbourne’s independently owned local craft brewer, Two Rupees.
- At PARKROYAL Monash Melbourne guests can experience a showcase of delicious local craft beer creations and guided beer tastings.
- PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney promises to immerse guests in the best of Sydney with experiences such as its Aboriginal guided walk with a picnic lunch. This memorable outing invites participants to discover the ancient Aboriginal Dreamtime stories, learn about indigenous languages, and learn how flora and fauna continue to influence indigenous culture today.
- At PARKROYAL Penang Resort, Malaysia, guests can participate in the Garden Nature Tour within the resort, led by a hospitable PARKROYAL’s ambassador three times a week.
- Pan Pacific DISCOVERY members can also enjoy unforgettable curated local experiences in their preferred destinations.
Over the next two years, PARKROYAL will continue to expand its footprint across the region with a pipeline of six properties, creating a collection of captivating local experiences. Forthcoming properties include PARKROYAL Serviced Suites Jakarta, Indonesia (opening 1Q 2024); PARKROYAL A’Famosa Melaka, Malaysia (1Q 2024); PARKROYAL Dalian, China (2Q 2024); PARKROYAL Jakarta (4Q 2024); and PARKROYAL Siem Reap, Cambodia (4Q 2025).
