Ascott is first serviced residence company to be conferred business superbrands status

19 Jun 2013  2039 | World Travel News

SINGAPORE – CapitaLand’s wholly-owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), has been conferred the coveted Business Superbrands status in Singapore. Business Superbrands is an internationally recognised accolade which pays tribute to the best and most valued business-to-business brands around the world. Ascott is the first serviced residence company to receive this recognition.

The accolade is presented to brands that have met the stringent standards set by the Superbrands organisation in the areas of achievement, innovation, market share, reputation and corporate social responsibility. Brands were evaluated by Superbrands’ independent panel of marketing and branding experts as well as senior business leaders. Some of the notable brands that were accorded Business Superbrands status last year were SAP, IBM, Microsoft, Canon, SingTel and Singapore Airlines.

Mr Lee Chee Koon, Ascott’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Being the first serviced residence company to be recognised as a Business Superbrand has further cemented Ascott’s position as the industry leader. Ascott pioneered Asia Pacific’s first international-class serviced residence with the opening of The Ascott Singapore along Scotts Road in 1984. We have since grown to be the world’s largest international serviced residence owner-operator. Our target is to increase our brand footprint to 40,000 apartment units globally by 2015.”

Mr Lee added: “As we expand, we ensure that we give back to the local communities in markets where we operate and we also launch various innovative initiatives to enhance the Ascott experience for our customers. This Business Superbrands accolade goes to our staff for their dedication and hard work, and we will continue to strive to do better.”

Mr Mark Pointer, Chief Executive Officer of Superbrands Singapore, said: “To achieve Business Superbrands status, companies must have established the finest reputation in their fields, gain significant market share and attain a high level of brand recognition to be able to qualify. Achieving Business Superbrands status means that Ascott is seen as more trustworthy, of higher quality and has a better reputation.”

“Ascott is a renowned global serviced residence provider that offers high quality serviced residences across many of the world’s most vibrant cities. We are delighted to recognise Ascott as one of Singapore’s leading business brands and we pay tribute to the management and all of the people who work behind the scenes to build the business and the brand,” added Mr Pointer.

In Singapore, Ascott currently operates more than 700 apartment units in seven properties. Ascott opened Ascott Raffles Place, its premier serviced residence in Singapore, in 2008 after a S$60 million restoration effort. Ascott had carefully preserved unique features of the former Asia Insurance Building which was Southeast Asia’s tallest building in the 1950s while transforming it into Ascott Raffles Place. In 2009, Ascott brought its Citadines brand to Singapore with the opening of Citadines Mount Sophia. Citadines is an established chain of apart’hotels in Europe which Ascott acquired in 2002. Besides Ascott Raffles Place and Citadines Mount Sophia, Ascott also operates Somerset Bencoolen, Somerset Liang Court, Somerset Orchard, The Heritage and Riverdale Residence in Singapore. The company will be opening another prime serviced residence in the premier shopping and lifestyle district of Orchard Road in 2017.

Ascott continues to enhance its customer experience through various initiatives. These include launching mobile-friendly websites and online chat facility to enhance guests’ search and reservation experience, and introducing an ‘Around our Residences’ Facebook application which allows guests to share tips with fellow travellers on what to see and do around Ascott’s serviced residences. Ascott also enhanced its Best Rate Guarantee programme to give customers a stronger reason to book stays on Ascott’s websites. In addition, since the launch of Ascott’s global sustainability drive, Go Green @ Ascott, in 2012, its properties have rolled out green products and services which have received positive feedback from guests.

Through Ascott’s corporate social responsibility programmes, the company aims to make a meaningful difference to the lives of underprivileged children by supporting their educational, healthcare and shelter needs. The programmes include donation drives to collect books and furniture for children from low-income families, building a classroom for disadvantaged children to create a conducive environment for learning, and creating a garden for a children’s home so that the children can learn to grow plants.

 

Sourced: TravelDailyNews

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