2 new hotels, 'mountain trail' part of RWS' waterfront expansion

$6.8b project on Sentosa set to be ready by 2030 as competition for tourists intensifies

- Anjali Raguraman

Come 2030, visitors to Sentosa will be greeted by a transformed landscape, featuring a cluster of buildings with lush greenery and a column of shimmering light.

These and a new 88m-high experiential "mountain trail" are part of Resorts World Sentosa's (RWS) new waterfront lifestyle complex, which broke ground on Nov 15.

The $6.8 billion project by Genting Singapore, to refresh RWS' offerings amid intensifying global competition for tourists, will also see two more hotels with 700 rooms added to RWS' stable of six hotels.

The six are Crockfords Tower, Equarius Hotel, Equarius Villas, Hotel Michael, Hotel Ora and a suites-only luxury hotel that will replace the Hard Rock Hotel.

In all, the plans will see the existing RWS property expanded by about 50 per cent, adding more than 164,000 sq m of new gross floor area, said Genting Singapore.

It was previously announced that Genting Singapore's RWS expansion would cost $4.5 billion.

When asked about the updated estimate, an RWS spokesperson said the cost increase "reflects a strategic focus on enhancing offerings to elevate the experiences of discerning visitors".

The first phase of the expansion, centred on non-gaming attractions, kicked off in the second quarter of 2022.