It’s been over a year since the pandemic hit, and most of us are starving for travel. And while we can get a shot of that with a regular staycation at a local hotel, nothing else in Singapore quite compares to D’Ultimate Xcape’s Vacay To The East.
Poised as a pop-up staycation concept, D’Ultimate Xcape’s Vacay To The East will feature a 10-room boutique container hotel at Downtown East’s Begonia Open Air Carpark, along with an entire theme park’s worth of activities, including carnival rides, an inflatable bouncy park, workshops, art installations and more.
Jointly developed by Ultimate, the team behind AIRZONE, ART-ZOO, and the pop-up Dessert Museum, together with container specialists LS Modular, SHOW (SG Hotel on Wheels) is the natural evolution of their previous pop-up retail engagement concepts. Combining their entertainment and attractions experience, SHOW was born as the ultimate staycation experience, roving from space to space, and offering brand new view, new activities, new experiences and a new backdrops each time.
“We hope to bring on an entirely new hotel/staycation idea for the market by constantly offering new unique experiences through our collaborations across a variety of venues,” says Sam Chiu, Co-Founder, Ultimate. “With the unique ability to pack up, dismantle, load up, and pop up at an entirely new location in a matter of days we challenge the notion of what hotels should be.”
The experience itself has you choosing from five uniquely designed family suites that comfortably accommodate 4 adults with one queen-sized bed and a double sofa bed for kids, a kitchen, dining area, and living room. Get inspired by the graffiti inspired art in the ‘street-themed’ suite; wake up to cheerful colours with the ‘pop-art-themed’ suite; take the kids on a jungle adventure in the whimsical ‘safari- themed’ suite; relive your Bali crusades in the ‘tropical-resort-themed’ suite; or celebrate your patriotism with the ‘SG Heritage-themed’ suite.
Couples can also pick from five differently themed ‘Hideaway’ suites that offer intimate accommodation for two adults furnished with a queen- sized bed, bathroom, and dining table. Enjoy the cosy warm atmosphere of the ‘resort-themed’ room with woody finishings; if you like it rough on the edges the ‘industrial-themed’ room will be right up your alley; live your rustic cottage dreams with the ‘country-themed’ room; step into a chic monochromatic getaway in the ‘minimalist-themed’ room; or get the party started in the psychedelic ‘retro-themed’ room. All SHOWrooms feature smart home technologies such as remote access lock, Google Home, Daikin Smart Aircon, Smart TV, and more.
Even room service is available, with free room delivery, contactless ordering and online payment that allows guests to order food from Downtown East’s wide array of F&B choices via direct-to-you delivery service. Guests simply have to scan the QR code provided and use the Makan Guru Mobile App to order up.
Unlike a regular staycation in the midst of the pandemic, an experience at SHOW also promises a variety of attractions and activities, from 2 complimentary day passes to Wild Wild Wet water park, to NTUC’s 60th anniversary carnival right beside. Located literally outside the rooms, look out for heart-stopping carnival rides such as Viking Ships, Meteorite, and Swing Chairs; while families can enjoy bouncy fun at the Dino Inflatable Park, featuring a 10m high inflatable water slide and four other giant bouncers and sliders; or test your skill with Ultimate’s carnival games and stand to win giant plushies.
For the art lovers, explore D’Ultimate Xcape’s two art installations that provide a different view in the day and the night. Presented by Ultimate, ‘Lumi Towers’ shows that creativity has no boundaries, with an awe inspiring four x 40-footer container art installation standing as vertical towers – each over 12 metres high – guarding over the SHOWroom compound. Each tower features its own unique design, bathed in a ‘cloud’ of neon lights spanning over Lumi Towers and all the SHOWrooms.
A second installation, ‘Galleria’ by Ultimate X Fara Design Studio, boosts a sustainable art gallery featuring art pieces made by Fara Feng, Art Director of Fara Design Studio. They are Singapore’s first art studio that focuses on Alcohol Ink Painting and provides more than 10 types of handicraft / creative art workshop experiences. The use of upcycled materials is one of their key unique positioning as they look to preserve the charm of art while preserving the environment too.
Wave Hello by Space Objekt is a sculpture piece inspired by gentle waves created in the water, it evokes curiosity for new ways of seeing. Inviting you to explore, it is a reminder of the awe and joy in discovering unexplored spaces, with instagrammable pastel colours that will encourage you to explore multiple angles and perspectives to get that ultimate mobile photo or selfie shot.
Other activities include a series of workshops, where you can up your skill level and have fun with your staycay mates, from a sustainable art workshop by Fara Design Art Studio, to a baking workshop, and even a wine and food pairing class.
Above all, safety is paramount at SHOW, with rooms and amenities cleaned and disinfected by NTUC Club’s team of SGClean certified housekeepers and cleaners and all operations strictly adhering to prevailing Safe Management Measures.
“We are proud to bring some excitement and joy to kick-off the year-end festivities with D’Ultimate Xcape’s Vacay To The East at Downtown East,” says Mr Ronnie Tan, Group Director, NTUC Club. “The flurry of activities also mark a momentous occasion for NTUC as we celebrate our 60th anniversary. As NTUC’s leisure and entertainment arm, we are always bringing new recreational activities to engage our members and guests. We hope that everyone can enjoy this fun staycation with a variety of leisure, retail and F&B experiences under one roof!”
D’Ultimate Xcape’s Vacay To The East runs from 14th October 2021 to 20th March 2022 at Downtown East’s Begonia Open Air Carpark. Book now via their website here
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