10 Facts About Connect @ Changi Whereby Travellers Can Come to S’pore Without SHN

Every day, we check the news, hoping to see a headline with these four magic words:

Leisure Travel is Back. 

Instead we keep seeing these four annoying words:

Additional Border Restrictions Introduced. 

Let’s fact it: we’re not going to be able to travel for leisure for quite some time, given how the coronavirus keeps resurfacing in places it had previously been quashed.

If you’re a mighty wealthy individual and travel for business, however, you may have a little more luck.

Many countries who have restricted travel for regular visitors have allowed business tourism to resume for the sake of the economy.

Given its status as a business hub, Singapore is one country that cannot afford to shut its borders to such travellers.

Now, we’re welcoming them with open, luxurious arms.

I’m talking, of course, about Connect @ Changi, the new hotel for business travellers. Here are 10 facts about the initiative.

An Exhibition Hall Inside the Expo Was Converted into a 4-Star Business Hotel in Just 14 Weeks

If you were to visit Connect @Changi, you’d assume it was a luxurious hotel that had been operating for years.

But just 14 weeks ago, it was an exhibition hall inside the Singapore Expo.

Announced on 15 Dec last year, the Connect @ Singapore initiative is likely the first of its kind in the world.

It’s a Facility Where Business Travellers Can Stay & Work

The pilot programme allows short-term business travellers to stay, work, and meet without the need for quarantine.

Under the scheme, business, official and high-economic value travellers on short-term stays of up to 14 days will be placed in this lavish bubble away from the community.

It’s kind of like a stay-home notice, except you can actually leave your own room at times.

Travellers Are Not Allowed to Leave the Facility Until Their Stay Ends

When you first arrive in Singapore, you’ll have to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at Changi Airport.

Then, after passing through immigration, the traveller will be ferried directly to Connect  @  Changi in a dedicated vehicle.

Once the traveller has had his temperature taken and has checked in, he’ll have to wait for the result of his Covid-19 swab test, which is usually out six hours after the swab is taken.

If the traveller tests negative, they will be allowed to move around at Connect  @  Changi. If he tests positive, he will be sent to a medical facility.

Once there, the traveller will not be allowed to leave the facility until their stay ends.

Travellers Under This Scheme Will Have to Take 4 tests in Two Weeks

If you’ve ever undergone a Covid-19 swab test, you’d know that it’s a rather uncomfortable procedure.

But if you’re a traveller coming here under the Connect @ Changi programme, you’ll have to have swabs shoved up your nostrils four times in two weeks. 

That’s if you’re staying at the facility for two weeks, of course.

The first test is done when you arrive in Singapore, at Changi Airport.

Then, the traveller will have to take a PCR test on day 3, 7 and 14.

Even if you’re staying for a few days, you’ll have to take another test before departing from Singapore.

It’s Not a Reciprocal Green Lane Agreement; Business Travellers From All Countries Are Allowed Under the Scheme

The Connect  @  Singapore initiative is distinct from the reciprocal green lane (RGL) arrangements which Singapore has with other countries like China, and was meant to complement it.

Unlike the RGL, the Connect  @  Singapore allows business and official travellers from all countries to enter and stay at the Connect @ Changi facility.

The RGL allows travellers to move around Singapore more freely but is restricted to a few countries, while Connect  @  Singapore permits all business travellers but segregates them and restricts movement.

Guests Can Have Meetings There With Other Businessmen, Including Local Ones

The scheme will allow business travellers to have face-to-face meetings within a safe, contained environment, without the need for quarantine.

As seen above, the meetings rooms are separated by a glass panel, which means only half the group will be physically interacting with each other.

So, those who test negative in the facility can meet with local businessmen and businessmen from other countries.

How is this done without compromising their safety?

Well, the areas that local residents and business travellers can access are physically separated, and have different ventilation systems, according to ST.

There’ll Be a Slew of Safe Management Measures

Even with all the Covid-19 tests, the facility will still have a host of strict safe management measures in place to prevent transmission of the virus.

Food deliveries and amenities, for instance, will be placed on shelves installed outside guest rooms to reduce contact.

And if Singapore residents are passing documents to a guest at the facility, it will have to go through a document transfer box equipped with ultraviolet lighting for disinfection.

Cleaners will only enter the guest’s room after they check out, and will do so while wearing full personal protective equipment. This includes at least 6 face shields and face masks.

Travellers in the Facility Will Have to Pre-declare Their Travel Group

The only people the guests can physically interact with will be their pre-declared travel group of up to 5 travellers.

Once travellers clear immigration in Singapore, they will be kept segregated from the public and only allowed to move within their pre-declared travel group.

While on their business trip, travellers must stay within their pre-declared travel group  within the facility and are not allowed to mingle with other traveller groups.

By Mid 2021, The 4-Star Facility Will Have 1,300 Rooms and 340 Meeting Rooms

Initially, the 4-star hotel will have 150 guest rooms and 40 meeting rooms.

But it will increase its capacity to 1,300 guest rooms and 340 meeting rooms by mid-2021.

While that might seem like a lot, there’s certainly demand for such stays.

Around 9 in 10 of business travellers to Singapore last year stayed in the country for five days or fewer, according to ST. 

And with this new facility accepting business travellers from all countries, those numbers will only grow.

Rooms Start From $384 For a Minimum Stay of 24 Hours

As you’ve probably guessed, these rooms are not cheap. 

They are for business and official travellers, after all.

Guest room rates start from $384 based on a minimum stay of 24 hours. Hourly rates apply after the first day.

Meeting rooms are a little cheaper, starting from $20 per hour for a four-person room, but can go up to $200 for a room that can accommodate 22 people.

The cost, time, and effort needed to maintain the facility might seem excessive to some, but the authorities have explained that such initiatives are vital for Singapore’s success as a business hub.

As Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat noted: “For some, physical meetings are still important for securing and closing business deals, and making important decisions.

“Face-to-face interactions are important for growing relationships, strengthening partnerships, and exploring new business opportunities.”

Featured Image: Facebook (Connect at Changi)