Singapore – A S$15 million (US$9 million) renovation has changed the 34-year-old Copthorne King's Hotel beyond recognition, a preview for BTN Asia-Pacific shows.The 308-room property will be officially relaunched as a business hotel on November 26. It sports a modern stylish look with hints of Chinese heritage. Everything, from the lobby to the rooms and kitchens, is new.

The hotel is going all out to increase its share of business travellers and has all the necessary facilities and services to attract them. Among these are wireless broadband access throughout the building, a fitness centre, an executive club floor, a club lounge that opens to a garden which even has a putting green, a fully-equipped business centre, two state-of-the-art meeting rooms, satellite TV entertainment and so on. Restaurants have also been renovated. The Chinese restaurant, Tien Court, alone was done up at a cost of S$1.5 million.

General manager Mr Eddie Yeo said: "Our renovation shows first-generation hotels in Singapore can improve and earn a new place in the market for themselves." The hotel hopes to get a slightly higher rate, S$120 compared with S$112 now. Its market mix is also expected to change. Now, 60 per cent of the market is Asian, with Japan comprising 35 per cent. A mix of 50 per cent longhaul and 50 per cent Asian is envisioned.

Copthorne King's renovation makes it a serious contender in Singapore's riverside area which includes hotels such as sister property Grand Copthorne Waterfront, Concorde and Furama RiverFront.

Mr Yeo said: "We are the brand new hotel at Robertson Quay. We are a four-star, classy business hotel."

He added: "Now is the time to look at rate recovery in Singapore and for us the only way to do that is to resegment our market, let go of some old leisure contracts and go after new customers who are more receptive to our pricing. We have to aim for a higher rate, since we have spent millions on the renovation."

The hotel is part of the Millennium & Copthorne group.