They are situated at industrial owner JTC Corporation’s startup cluster Launchpad @ One-north near Buona Vista. The long-term plan is to maneuver them closer to the beaches in the long run.
From Saturday, anyone can book a stay in considered one of the 300-square-meter cottages – barely smaller than the dimensions of two parking lots – for between S$150 and S$200 ($150) via the Shipping-Container Hotel website or on Airbnb .
Each container can accommodate as much as 4 people and is provided with air-con, two queen-size beds, a rest room, a kitchen with a dining area, a TV, a settee and Wi-Fi.
Seah, owner and founding father of Shipping-Container Hotel, said it costs A$100,000 to repurpose and repair one container.
Hopelessness in Hong Kong: why the terrible state of housing can never be fixed
Hopelessness in Hong Kong: why the terrible state of housing can never be fixed
The property doesn’t provide room service or every day housekeeping. Guests shall be supplied with a 24-hour contact number to call in the event that they need anything. The containers shall be cleaned by Seaha itself after each stay.
The entrepreneur said the cottages are a singular alternative to hotel bookings for business travelers in the realm, in addition to for nearby office staff working late into the night to unwind.
“There is a demand for accommodation here because it is impossible to sleep all night in the office at JTC Launchpad. This is JTC’s decision,” he said.
To launch the Shipping-Container Hotel, Seah had to work with about 10 government agencies, such as the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Singapore Civil Defense Force, under the First Mover Framework developed by the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s Pro-Entrepreneur Panel.
Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, who was present at Friday’s launch, said the First Mover Framework aims to provide a safe space for businesses to explore new concepts and innovative ideas.
“This allows us to solve the chicken-and-egg problem where you have no experience, you go to a company and they ask if you’ve done this before.”
Chee added: “The [Pro-Enterprise Panel’s] role is to act as a liaison between the business owner and the rest of the government agencies, as sometimes multiple agencies may be involved.”
At first, Seah thought his concept was such a “crazy idea” that the Pro-Entrepreneur Panel would not work with him. Ultimately, nevertheless, all agencies agreed.
“If even one of them says no, I can’t operate here,” he said.
He selected JTC Launchpad as the placement for his hotels because the realm is often called a testing ground for brand spanking new ideas and startups.
“If I fail here, there’s nothing wrong with that, because ideas always fail,” he said.
Seah said several clients and friends have already expressed interest in booking the converted cottages.
Kong Chong Phang, 41, a business owner and friend of Seah, said he didn’t want his family of six to remain there for an annual stay.
The small container would offer him and his wife with an intimate atmosphere to spend time with their children, he added.
“I am interested in it because of its novelty. This is a new idea and we have never lived in a container before.”
Asked to comment on the brand new project, Dr. Wong King Yin, a lecturer specializing in tourism at Nanyang Technological University, said that relying solely on latest products could pose a threat to corporations resembling Shipping-Container Hotel.
“Over time, this sense of newness will wear off and visitors may no longer find it unique or worth visiting. “Hotels will need to consider other elements to continue to attract guests,” she said.
For example, they may pop up in unexpected locations, or more container hotels could possibly be creatively built close to one another, creating “Instagram-worthy architecture,” she said.
“Because the cost of building a container hotel is lower, it can more easily become profitable. However, this only happens when the hotel can provide exceptional value to guests,” she added.
True to his dream, Seah said he intends to maintain the hotel mobile by moving containers to other locations in Singapore, resembling Coney Island and Sentosa Beach, every few years after their move from JTC Launchpad. He also hopes so as to add more containers.
The one-year lease for the Shipping-Container Hotel at JTC Launchpad ends in December this 12 months, after which it might probably be prolonged again for a complete of two years.
This article appeared within the print edition of the South China Morning Post as: Shipping containers are the primary to change into hotel rooms in town
