Hotel group ibis Singapore has launched a smartphone for guests staying at Bencoolen in a move which aims to reduce printed materials associated with travelling.
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The smartphone - called ‘handy’ - offers unlimited connectivity for guests, including 3G internet, local and international calls, and a complete city guide to Singapore at no additional cost, ibis said last week.
ibis, which is owned by European hotel operator Accor Hotels, said the smartphone devices were customised specifically for the hotel, and provides their guests the convenience of accessing local information, including the hotel’s full range of green facilities.
Guests can take the phone outside of the hotel and use it throughout the stay to help them navigate through Singapore’s city attractions, bars, restaurants and activities.
ibis said ‘handy’ is available for free on all ‘Rooms with Extra Benefits’, an upgraded class of a regular guest room, which would cost an additional S$20. These rooms comprise 15 per cent of all its guest rooms in the hotel or a total of 84 rooms, which will no longer provide typical paper-based materials, including maps, in-room directories and daily newspapers, the hotel noted.
The hotel also features green amenities such as recycling bins, meters to help guests measure their water consumption and access to a complimentary bike made of bamboo, as well as a smart card access to Singapore’s public transport to help them minimise their carbon footprint as they explore the island, it added.
“With guests using the handy instead of paper-based materials, we estimate that 4.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions are being saved over a period of one year,” Pierre-Etienne de Montgrand, Ibis Singapore’s general manager told Eco-Business.
‘Handy’ is the pioneer product of Think Labs, a Hong Kong-based technology incubator of mobile travel solutions.
