Known for its various attraction spots, Marina Bay has always appealed to tourists. Many of us love to enjoy the scenery which pleases the eyes. Giving the ‘city life’ a new meaning, Marina Bay’s architecture and skyline join hands with nature as you get a glimpse of everything Marina Bay has to offer. But did you know that beyond the land of Marina Bay, there is so much more to spill? In this piece, we will be taking a look at the secrets you never heard of in Marina Bay. Keep your eyes peeled for the smallest details!
1. Marina Bay was a reclaimed land
Since the early 1800s, Singapore’s Historic waterfront was the entry point for immigrants and visitors. 50 years ago, Marina Bay was just seawater with no land off Singapore’s southern coast. Due to the quick growth of Singapore as a financial centre and construction of new public and landmarks along the way, a reclamation of the land was in need. The project to reclaim the land at Bayfront started in 1971 which were finally successful in 1994 as 38 hectares were reclaimed to expand for business and financial hub. By late 1990s, 360 hectares of prime land was covered for development. Did you know that to complete the building of Marina Bay, it cost $5.7 billion? Today the major housing estates and landmarks such as East Coast Park, East Coast Parkway Expressway (ECP) Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay sits above this reclaimed land.
2. Marina Bay Sands Hotel has the longest elevated infinity pool in the world
With over 2000 rooms and suites available at Marina Bay Sands Hotel, be rest assured that there is plenty of space for you and your companions to have a staycation at the hotel. While you are there, expect to see one of the most breathtaking views of the lion city at the top of the building. Holding 380, 000 gallons of water is our infinity pool which sits at the top of the boat like structure with the length of the pool across all 3 towers of the hotel. Designed by architect Moshe Safdie, this one-of-a-kind pool was featured on National Geographic and Build it Bigger on Discovery Channel. While you can take pictures of the infinity pool from the restaurant Ce La Vi, you must be a guest in the hotel to enter the pool.
3. There is a Secret Underground Labyrinth for the staff only
Leading straight to the Heart of House, Marina Bay Sands Hotel’s private underground, from one of Bayfront MRT Station's exits, staff will need to tap their staff id cards to enter the area. The direct pathway from the MRT Station allows staff easily access the Heart of House without being seen by hotel guests and prevents staff from getting lost since it is a huge place especially for first timers. Not just scanning their id will do but staff will also need to provide their personal code so that their personalised uniform can be given to them! Once they have collected their freshly washed and ironed uniforms, they can get changed and begin working. Did you know that there are more than 10,000 staff working in Marina Bay Sands Hotel which requires a close estimate of 73,000 kg of rice, 438,000kg of meat and 547,500kg of vegetables to eat in a year?
Not only do they have a personalised uniforms which is delivered to them on a conveyor belt with the ease of pressing a few buttons, but they also have 43 kitchens to prepare food for everyone which are connected by a series of secret passageways without any dead ends. Cooking the food 24/7, the culinary team takes shift and produces the food regularly. To allow staff to have their meals comfortably, the Team Member Dining Room has a 750-seater dining area.
4. Special VIP only programme Paiza at MBS
Not many know about this programme that Marina Bay Sands carries but it runs on an invite-only basis. Paiza, derived from the Mongolian language, offers many types of benefits for users to enjoy. From complimentary tickets for attractions each month to access to various rooms in Marina Bay Sands Hotel, guests are entitled to these bonuses as long as they meet the requirement of Sand Points of 3,888 in the past year. Paiza tier is highest tier given to one, among 5 other tiers. Benefits such as parking, hotel and resort wide are given in higher rates for Paiza tier. These guests get to be treated like royalty with access to all drinks from champagne to premium brandy as well as prioritised access to all shows in Marina Bay Sands Theatres. Once you have reached a $100 million monthly turnover, selected members will be invited into the Marina Bay Sands Chairman Club.
5. Underground Cooling System
In order to keep Singapore cool, 25m underneath Marina Bay Sands and Art Science Museum lays the biggest underground district cooling network in the world. This underground cooling system combats heat and ensures there is no need for overhead cooling towers. Meanwhile the rooftop space is used for other amenities such as the Marina Bay Sands Infinity Pool. In a video released by Temasek Holdings, they provided a peek into the district cooling system plant which contrasts to traditional air conditioning systems. The cooling systems produce and distribute chilled water from a central plant to many other buildings and simultaneously get used water so that it may be chilled again. This helps to combat a huge reduction of energy costs and carbon emission levels. Just on an average building, about 50 per cent of energy usage is used just on air-conditioning alone. This underground cooling network helps to save up to 40 per cent on their energy consumption.
You might be wondering how exactly this system works, well firstly the district cooling plant produces chilled water at around 4.5-degree Celsius. The chilled water is then piped to buildings for air conditioning at 6 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile the warmer water is returned to plant for re-cooling at an estimate of 13 degree Celsius. Only in exceptional cases, unusable cooling capacity of the warmer water is also supplied to Airbitat Smart Cooler. Finally, the Airbitat Smart Coolers is deployed at the floating platform deliver cool air for NDP crowd to enjoy at 24 degrees Celsius.
In Conclusion
We hope you learned a little more about Marina Bay and hope you can spill these secrets to your friends as you learn something new! Make sure to check out Marina Bay if you want to feel like a tourist for a day and take plenty of photos as you explore all the places. Stay safe and have fun!
While most secrets may not be accessible, join us on our walking tour to find out more secrets about Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay! Feel free to check out our website for more information on our Marina Bay Walking Tour here: https://www.monsterdaytours.com/marina-bay-walking-tour. You can also check out the other walking tours we offer on our website here, https://www.monsterdaytours.com/singapore-free-walking-tours
