Experience the night of the F1 Singapore Grand Prix with a new way of travel “Marriott Bonvoy Moments”
From the perspective of F1 fans, I understand it as “what is now?”. However, I would like to know what experience I had. I wonder if there is such a world.
Speaking of which, I experienced the F1 Singapore Grand Prix on October 2-3, 2022. The city of Singapore is certainly buzzing with excitement, perhaps because of the impact of the novel coronavirus, hosting it for the first time in three years. The word “package” might be incorrect. The entire city is an ignition point that generates heat. I gotta realize “Is this what it means to be surrounded by enthusiasm in the city?”
Bryn Lennon – Formula 1Getty Images
As far as I know, many famous hotels are fully booked. Traffic in the city center was restricted and the streets were packed with fans wearing the jerseys of their teams. This is just my personal opinion, but judging by the number of people wearing it, the most popular is “Ferrari”. Is it like “Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team” and “Red Bull Racing” battling for the runner-up?
Even walking through the city at night, you can’t help but feel the excitement. Loud dance music blared from the rooftop bar. It’s not hard to imagine F1-focused visitors getting lost in the music.
Well, the all-important Singapore Grand Prix is one of 23 in the F1 Grand Prix series. An urban race through the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore’s urban circuit surrounded by skyscrapers. It’s one of the few night races in the F1 Grand Prix series, so it’s very popular.
Access to the paddock is an ultra-platinum ticket
The place where I watched the F1 experience for the first time in my life was “The Ritz-Carlton Silver Arrow Lounge”, in a building called Paddock. Before we get started, let me briefly describe the paddock.
The paddock is the building directly above the F1 team garage and is the exclusive recreational space for management and team personnel. Taking advantage of its prime location (facing the track’s home straight with unobstructed views of the pit lane, start line and finish line), it’s a luxurious space where you can watch the race in style while enjoying a meal prepared by professionals food and wine. Top notch chef. It has become a lounge.
To enter the paddock, you need a ticket called paddock club pass, known as a super platinum ticket. It is very competitive and the price is high. Taking the Singapore Grand Prix as an example, a 3-day pass costs nearly 1 million yen, which can be called a treasure ticket.
Dan Istitene – Formula 1Getty Images
Additionally, within the paddock, each F1 team has its own VIP lounge. Only a very limited number of people, such as team officials and people invited by sponsors, can get in there. It will be an extremely closed and rare space.
The “Ritz-Carlton Silver Arrow Lounge” I saw was the lounge of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team. This is a prestigious team that has won eight consecutive constructors’ championships in the 2021 season, with the legendary Lewis Hamilton winning seven times. The Ritz-Carlton has signed an official partner contract with the team since 2019.
Another world called “The Ritz-Carlton Silver Arrow Lounge”
The first thing that catches your eye when you enter the lounge is its size. The space, which can easily accommodate 200 people, has a bar and food counter with a central dining area. The staff serving the luxurious dishes are moving briskly around it. Looking around, people from all over the world chatted with champagne in their hands. The paddock and lounge of the F1 Grand Prix are often used in business settings, so it is no wonder that it is called the “track social gathering place”.
Time to start qualifying
After enjoying the elegant atmosphere of the “Ritz-Carlton Silver Arrow Lounge”, it was already 9:00 in the evening, and the second day’s qualifying round officially started. The MC will enter the venue, a glass of champagne in one hand, and you, along with many others in the lounge, will watch the high-speed world unfold before your eyes.
peter foxGetty Images
The roar of the heart is about to explode, and the lights around the city suddenly appear in the man-made city. The flashes of the body piercing through it like a meteor disappeared instantly. Between the high-pitched engine sounds, you can hear the MC screaming. “Lewis Hamilton’s time is currently tentatively second.” When he beat his opponent by a few tenths of a second, the audience burst into cheers. The walls and ceiling of the lounge were shaking. What is this world? Even when white wine makes me feel a little better, I know I’m in a space cut off from everyday life.
Live music, mine tours, talk shows…there’s no end to it
The F1 racing experience goes beyond the lounge. Between practice sessions and qualifying, there’s an event called the “Pit Walk,” where you get out of your car and head to the pits and take a closer look at the team garage. There are also pre-match surprises. Surprisingly, ace driver Lewis Hamilton and up-and-coming teenager George Russell will appear in the “Ritz-Carlton Silver Arrow Lounge” to welcome guests. What a hospitality.
Live performances were also held at another venue near the paddock, with performances by many artists including The Black Eyed Peas, Green Day and TLC. I should add that even if F1 isn’t your thing, there’s plenty of entertainment to enjoy.
After watching the qualifying match for the highlight of the day, I went to the scene with my friends from Hong Kong. On the way back, I crossed the date, but did not miss the place where I stayed. We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, which is the closest hotel to the paddock and has been rated as “Singapore’s Top Hotel” by travel magazines.
As mentioned above, The Ritz-Carlton is the official partner hotel of “Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team”. The hotel lobby will display the “Mercedes EQS” painted according to the Ritz-Carlton specification, and the F1 Grand Prix will be celebrated until the end.
Experience the best of hospitality and immerse yourself in the fascinating world of F1. Although it was my first time watching an F1 race, I felt like I was able to experience the atmosphere and touch the depths of the popular teams. At least, without a doubt, it was a milestone experience that changed the way people think about F1 in the future.
A range of experiences including access to this VIP area, meet and greet with team staff, activities outside the paddock and an overnight stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. In fact, it’s all hands-on events planned for Marriott Bonvoy Moments, one of the benefits of the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program.
Before I explain, let me briefly introduce Marriott Bonvoy. “Marriott Bonvoy” is a travel program for the Marriott International hotel brand. Anyone can join, and there are no initiation or annual fees. Earn points when you stay at any of Marriott International’s 30 hotel brands and use an affiliated credit card.
Earned points can be redeemed for stays at Marriott International hotels, such as free nights and room upgrades, as well as air tickets, car rental reservations and airline miles. Another point redemption benefit that deserves attention is the hands-on project “Marriott Bonvoy Moments” that I participated in this time.
Highlights from Marriott Bonvoy Moments
“Marriott Bonvoy Moments” is an experiential event held all year round in 139 countries and regions around the world operated by Marriott. From the four categories of food, sports, life, and entertainment, we provide activities that you cannot experience anywhere else, as well as rare and high-value experiential items that cannot be easily bought with money.
Specific examples include “an exclusive tour of the ancient site of Petra in Jordan, one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World'” and “English football teams, Manchester United and legends” and a series of carefully planned activities that make you feel, “I Wish I had that experience…” Like watching a game from the VIP seats.
Some events are held in Japan. From Wednesday, October 26, 2022, W Osaka has launched a plan where you can enjoy private sushi meals by the artisans of “Sushi Ukiyo” in the “WOW Suite” with only two rooms. Request to Participate is an auction format in which Marriott Bonvoy Points are used to bid. It might be a good idea to enjoy the auction as a spectacle. Offers are updated irregularly and feature many once-in-a-lifetime events.
By the way, the points required for this Singapore Grand Prix package is 12.5 million points. That’s the equivalent of more than 100 nights at The Ritz-Carlton, Pali, Maldives.
Traveling requires a sense of travel and a sense of adventure. While always preparing such thoughts, I would like to ask travel professionals about things that I cannot easily experience myself with a flexible mind. One place you can count on is Marriott Bonvoy Moments, curated by Marriott. The world is surprisingly big, and there are many unknown experiences. Constantly seek new experiences and innovate ourselves. This is a new way of traveling and I would definitely recommend it to Esquire people like this.
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Marriott International
Official website
Marriott Bonvoy official website
