By Crystal Chan

Faced with a tight budget, Ms Wong Shok Ping, 29, decided not to travel overseas with her family last year.

The management executive, her twin brother and his girlfriend opted for a staycation - a holiday at home, away from home.

They checked into Rendezvous Hotel on Tuesday for two nights so they could take in the post-Christmas sales in nearby Orchard Road. Last night, they went to Marina Bay for the New Year countdown.

With tourist arrivals falling, some hotels are now rolling out promotions to lure more local guests like Ms Wong.

They aim to turn Singapore into the biggest holiday destination for recession-hit Singaporeans. The promotions are also open to Malaysians.

Visitor arrivals dropped 9.7% in November compared with the same period last year. There were 760,000 visitors in November, down from 844,000 in October. This excludes Malaysians who arrived by land.

Rendezvous Hotel has a promotion till 3 Feb, where Singaporean and Malaysian guests pay $218 a night for a superior room, inclusive of buffet breakfast for two.

The rate is about 30% lower than what foreign guests would pay.

Ms Wong said: "Staying in Rendezvous is convenient as it's near Orchard Road and I don't have to pay hundreds of dollars to fly to Hong Kong or Taipei to shop."

Rendezvous general manager Kellvin Ong said response to its weekend promotions "has not been fantastic" until the recession struck.

He said: "Our market has always been business travellers. Now, in anticipation of the lull period for all hotels, we decided to create a local package to cast our net wider."

So far, Singaporeans, PRs and Malaysians have booked more than 50 rooms, which Mr Ong considers a success.

Other hotels also have packages aimed at locals and Malaysians.

Marriott's weekend package costs $228++ per night, 38% less than a deluxe room booked online.

The Fullerton Hotel has a weekend deal where local guests can get buffet breakfast for two and a four-course dinner in the room at $398++.

"Recent trends show that many Singapore residents are planning for a short getaway and our weekend packages have proven an attractive draw," said The Fullerton.

Orchard Hotel's Merriment Festive Package, from now till 31 Jan, for two persons costs $205++ a night.

Its director of communications, Ms Amy Ang, said: "It's a weekend treat... especially for working couples with children who don't have time to plan or families on budget."

Those who want cheaper options are checking into boutique hotels. Hangout@Mt Emily, a budget 58-room hotel which charges $88 a night on weekends. It has seen a 40% rise in the number of local guests.

Its sales and marketing executive, Ms Jo Chieng, said: "As Hangout is a hip hotel, the guests are mainly young adult couples or a group of friends."

Some hotels already have a strong base of local guests even before the recession. For instance, Ritz-Carlton Millenia's Refresh Weekend package, at $400++ a night, has been popular with families for several years.

Fully booked for countdown

The Marina Bay hotels were mostly fully booked for the New Year celebrations. Fullerton Hotel's Spectacular Fireworks package costs $688++ a night.

In Pan Pacific Singapore and Mandarin Oriental, the only rooms available were those without a view of the fireworks.

However, not all hotels were affected by falling tourist arrivals.

A spokesman for the 182-room Siloso Beach Resort in Sentosa said its waterfront resort concept makes it attractive to both locals and foreigners.

He said: "During the recent holiday season, we were more than 80% full.

Being a resort, there'll always be demand from guests who are into outdoor activities."

This article was first published in The New Paper on Jan 1, 2009.

crystalc@sph.com.sg