Rewarding yourself with a well-deserved staycation amid a pandemic burnout doesn’t have to burn a hole in your pocket.
With the help of VIP Pass Pte Ltd’s newly launched VIP Pass platform, staycation prices across 73+ local partner hotels here are kept affordable and accessible.
Headquartered in Singapore, VIP Pass Pte Ltd is a booking platform that allows travellers to bag accommodation deals across Asia and Australia.
The team at VIP Pass has over eight years of experience in the travel and hospitality industry. The company first launched its VIP Pass in Malaysia last March, before rolling it out in Singapore earlier this month. By the end of this year, the company will also be launching the VIP Pass to 12 more cities across the region.
VIP Pass sales director Nicholas How says the VIP Pass aims to prove that staycations need not be expensive if you make bookings via the right channels.
“We decided to launch this product because we saw that on average, Singaporeans are spending S$200 per night on one room. If a family were to plan a week-long (7D6N) staycation in lieu of a holiday right now, they would be paying close to S$1,800.”
He adds: “Using the VIP Pass platform, travellers can get the same hotel stays at 70 to 80 per cent savings from the normal price they would pay. We are able to offer this because we were able to lock in very low rates with our hotel partners across Asia and Australia.
“We take up the hotel rooms that are normally not sold, at a fraction of the cost of the normal rate, and we are then able to give the savings back to our customers.”
Offering travellers a better way to unwind
Since its launch in Malaysia last year, the VIP Pass has seen good take-up rates among travellers, with almost 13,773 room bookings in Malaysia and Singapore. “The feedback we are getting is that guests are buying the VIP Pass as it is really value-for-money, and they would be utilising it for their next family vacations,” notes Mr How.
There are currently 20,659 pass holders across Malaysia and Singapore, and more than half have already made bookings for their hotel stays. “We even have repeat purchasers who are now on their fifth VIP Pass”, he adds.
“The VIP Pass is ideal because it caters to different kinds of travellers. Couples can utilise it as their stopgap holiday due to the pandemic limiting travel across country borders. It is also a good choice for larger families who are thinking of taking up multiple rooms.”
With the VIP Pass priced at a promotional rate of $399 (usual price: $600), travellers can redeem a 7D6N stay across any of the local partner hotels such as Carlton Hotel Singapore, Orchard Hotel, The Ascott and Ramada by Wyndham Singapore at Zhongshan Park. Travellers have the option of utilising their pass at one hotel for the entire duration of 7D6N, or dividing it into separate, shorter staycations.
The validity of bookings is for 24 months from the time of purchase, and if no bookings are made during that period, there is a money-back guarantee.
Encouraging travellers to see the benefits of the VIP Pass, Mr How says: “Consider viewing travel through the eyes of a long-term value investor. Why would you want to spend extra on another booking platform when you can book a 4- or 5-star hotel stay right now for half the price or even less?”
The disruptions caused by Covid-19 notwithstanding, VIP Pass hopes to continue making a positive impact on the tourism industry here by allowing travellers to indulge and unwind in a wallet-friendly way.
Says Mr How: “Let us not allow the pandemic to bring us down any further. Let’s have a little bit of fun and let us help you to travel without breaking the bank.”
