Marina Bay Sands, RWS Rates Soar as Singapore Waits on F1 Race, Investment Confabs

With Singapore welcoming back major investment conferences and Formula 1, room prices in the city-state are soaring, and that’s benefiting the two integrated resorts there.

Room rates at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World Sentosa are soaring in advance of the return of F1 and the SuperReturn confab, among other marquee events. In some cases, rates are creeping to $2,000 a night and beyond.

SuperReturn runs from Sept. 19 through Sept. 23 at Marina Bay Sands, which is operated by Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS).

The event brings together 800+ Asia-focused institutional investors, fund managers and service providers from across the globe to network, do business and discuss latest market developments,” according to Visit Singapore.

The conference was canceled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. But as is the case with their counterparts in the US, Asian companies and their employees want to get back to doing business in person, including conferences and meetings.

F1 Revs Up Singapore Room Rates

F1 returns to the city-state on Sunday, Oct. 2, and even that is contributing to the higher guestroom costs at MBS, Resorts World Sentosa, and non-gaming venues in Singapore.

“Away from the track, the entertainment lineup includes performances by Westlife and Green Day. Other big names coming to Singapore later this year include Justin Bieber, Maroon Five, and Guns N’ Roses,” reported Bloomberg.

Proving the potency of the F1 race, the least expensive room for Sept. 30 arrival/Oct. 3 departure at Crockfords Tower, which is one of several hotels in the Resorts World Sentosa complex, is $2,874 per night, not including taxes and fees.

Singapore Rebounds as Rivals Lag

While not all the way back to 2019 tourism and convention levels, Singapore is well ahead of regional rivals, such as Hong Kong and Macau. The meeting and convention calendar remains light in Hong Kong, while Macau’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) is at rock-bottom levels.

Indicating it doesn’t want to repeat China’s mistakes, Singapore is taking a different approach, and that’s to the benefit of the two gaming companies operating there. Today, MBS represents about half of the market value of Las Vegas Sands, while takeover rumors recently swirled around Resorts World parent Genting Singapore. According to analysts, Genting isn’t likely to sell with the city-state rebounding.