Staycations and Hotel Stays Without Valid Reasons Are Still Not Allowed in Phase 2 of Singapore's Reopening

Singapore will be moving to Phase 2 of its reopening on 19 June 2020 - this means that most businesses, as well as social activities will be allowed to resume so long social-distancing measures are in place. In order to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus as well as to accommodate for travellers and residents who had to serve their Stay-Home Notices (SHNs), hotel stays were not allowed during the Circuit Breaker period and Phase 1 of Singapore's reopening. Hotels have been closed to local residents for stays since 07 April 2020 but many properties have been offering fantastic F&B deals during the aforementioned periods. Even with Phase 2 of Singapore's reopening, hotel stays (i.e. staycations) are still not allowed at the moment unless hotel guests fall into one of the approved segments.

Photo Credit: The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore

Some hotels are still booked out as dedicated facilities for stay-home notices but even those that are not will not be able to accept reservations from location residents (e.g. staycations), unless they belong to one of the following segments:

1. individuals whose current place of residence is not available due to home renovation;

2. individuals who have sold their current place of residence but have not secured alternative residence;

3. individuals whose existing rental lease have ended but have not secured alternative places of residence;

4. returnees who completed their stay-home notice (SHN) at dedicated facilities but do not have a place of their own as they do not ordinarily live in Singapore; or

5. healthcare workers who wish to isolate themselves from other family members living in the same residential unit;

6. Green/ Fast-lane Travellers; and

7. Travellers, including Long-Term Pass holders entering Singapore from 17 June 2020, 2359hrs, and who had remained in Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, Mainland China, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Taiwan and Vietnamese in the last consecutive 14 days prior to their entry who wish to serve their 14-day SHN in a Hotel.

According to the latest FAQs published by the Singapore Tourism Board, hotels can operate club lounges so long they adhere to the Safe Management Measures (SMMs) outlined in Enterprise Singapore’s (ESG) advisory for F&B establishments. As many of you may already know, spas as well as F&B establishments located within the hotels will all be able to resume operations starting tomorrow but liquor sales and consumption must cease by 10:30 PM. Kids club and play areas located within hotels (e.g. buds by Shangri-La) will still not be able to resume operations at this stage. At the time of writing, there is no information on when hotels can resume staycations for local residents but as always, details will be shared when it becomes available.