Singapore

Blame it on downsizing banks.

Did your boss make the cut?

But foreigner inflows will still be restricted.

They broke into the Top 15 for the first time.

The worst may be over, analysts say.

Earnings will be impacted by USD strength.

Short-term growth is clearly slowing.

Growth will rebound after a dismal 2014.

Expect more losses today.

And merchant commodity fund slumps steeply.

Royal Plaza on Scotts Singapore (RP) celebrates Singapore’s eighth night motor racing season with the display of a life-sized coffee capsules race car, the first to be created in the world. The culinary team has created other life-sized race cars with seashells, pasta, chocolate, bread and macarons in previous years. Tying in with the hotel’s green initiatives, this year’s life-sized race car features recycled coffee capsules, collected from the hotel’s 511 guestrooms and 11 meeting rooms which provide guests with complimentary gourmet coffee from Nespresso machines. The enthralling masterpiece plays up the vibrant colour palettes, using coffee capsules of nine different Grand Cru varieties. Keeping to the theme of Kopi GP, recycled coffee grounds are used on the wheels to create a contrast in textures on the car and give guests a whiff of the delightful aroma of coffee. Measuring 4.4 metres long, 1.9 metres wide and 1.3 metres tall, the structure took a dedicated team of 8 chefs and culinary staff 1108 hours to complete. The team was led by RP’s talented Executive Chef, Darren Ong. The hotel also aims to give back to the community by raising funds for the less privileged. A Community Chest donation box has been placed with the display. The hotel hopes to raise more than S$3,000 from the initiative and the total amount of funds raised will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the government under the Care & Share movement led by Community Chest. Mr Patrick Fiat, Chief Experience Officer (CEO) and General Manager of RP, shared, “The team has decided to play on the word ‘Kopi’, which means coffee in Malay and Hokkien, to embrace the national identity with the celebrated local lingo in the year of Singapore’s Golden Jubilee. We would like to bring some of the excitement for the world-class event to the Orchard area and do our part for the less privileged by raising awareness for the Care & Share movement by Community Chest.” Guests are also invited to join in the fun by taking part in the hotel’s social media contest to guess the total number of coffee capsules used for the life-sized race car. The closest guess wins a 2D1N weekend stay in RP’s Executive Suite with Club benefits and dinner for two at award-winning buffet restaurant, Carousel. Simply find the hotel’s post on the life-sized race car on ‘Royal Plaza on Scotts Singapore’ Facebook page to like, share and comment with the estimated number of capsules. RP’s life-sized coffee capsules race car is on display from now till 20 September 2015 at the hotel’s façade.

Increased competition will impact customer experience.

What should investors expect from its Cambridge City Hotel acquisition?

It’s a prime candidate for adjustment, experts say.

It moved up one spot on the global rankings.

It’s proposing a debt restructuring plan.