Hotels Licensing Regulations 1974

A decision at a meeting of the Board must be decided by a majority of votes and, in the event of an equality of votes, the chairman has the casting vote.

A meeting of the Board may be —

Where a member of the Board participates in a meeting as permitted under paragraph (2)(b), the member is taken to be present at the meeting of the Board.

The secretary must keep minutes of all proceedings of the Board.

The Board may transact any business for the purposes of the Act or these Regulations by the circulation of papers (including by electronic mail) among all members of the Board.

A decision in writing made by a majority of the members of the Board for the time being entitled to take part in the decision is a decision of the Board and is valid as if it had been made at a meeting of the Board duly convened and held.

For the purpose of a decision under this regulation —

Every application for the grant of a certificate of registration or for the grant or renewal of a licence must be submitted to the secretary —

If a person to whom a licence is granted to keep or manage a hotel is no longer able to keep or manage the hotel —

Any person may lodge a written notice of objection to the grant of a certificate of registration with the secretary within 2 weeks from the date of publication of the applicant’s advertisement mentioned in regulation 9(a).

Any person may lodge a written notice of objection to the grant or renewal of a licence with the secretary at any time.

Every notice of objection must be signed by the person lodging the notice and state briefly the reasons for his or her objection.

A person must not, for the purpose of lodging a notice of objection under this regulation, make any declaration or statement which is false in any material particular or knowingly utter, produce, or make use of, any such declaration or statement or any document containing the same.

The Board is not bound to consider any notice of objection which does not comply with this regulation.

Every notice of objection is to be considered by the Board.

The Board must not decide an application for the grant of a certificate of registration until —

Subject to section 6 of the Act, if any notice of objection is lodged under regulation 12 in respect of an application for the grant of a certificate of registration, the Board must not make a decision on the application without considering that objection and the applicant’s response to the substance of that objection.

A certificate of registration granted in respect of any premises may provide for the registration of the premises as a hotel under one of the following classes: (a)a small hotel, being a hotel with 100 rooms or less; (b)a medium hotel, being a hotel with more than 100 rooms but less than 300 rooms;

The certificate of registration must be in the form set out on the Internet website at https://www.hlb.gov.sg, and may be issued by the secretary.

A licence granted by the Board must be in the form set out on the Internet website at https://www.hlb.gov.sg, and may be issued by the secretary.

The licensee in respect of a hotel must not transfer or assign the benefit of the licence to any other person.

The fees specified in the Schedule are payable in respect of the certificates of registration and licences specified in that Schedule.

The payment of a fee mentioned in paragraph (1) must be made using the electronic transactions service available on the Internet website at https://www.gobusiness.gov.sg.

Subject to paragraph (4), if the Board is satisfied that any money has been overpaid or erroneously paid as a fee, the Board may order the refund of the money so overpaid or erroneously paid.

No refund may be ordered under paragraph (3) unless a claim in respect of the refund is made by or on behalf of the payer concerned in writing within 3 months after the overpayment or erroneous payment was made.

No fee payable or paid to the Board under this regulation may be remitted or refunded in the event of the suspension or cancellation of a certificate of registration, or the cancellation of a licence, to which the fee relates.

The Board may waive the whole or any part of a fee payable or paid under this regulation in any particular case or class of cases.

This regulation applies where —

The Board may give a direction requiring the person mentioned in paragraph (1)(b) to make arrangements for accommodation at Hotel B for guests affected by the intended suspension of the certificate of registration in respect of Hotel A.

The person mentioned in paragraph (1)(b) must comply with a direction of the Board given under paragraph (2).

For the purposes of section 8(3)(a) of the Act, the Board may suspend a certificate of registration of a hotel for a period not exceeding 3 months.

If the Board is satisfied that there are good reasons to do so, the Board may —

The licensee in respect of a hotel must not sell, or offer to sell, any accommodation at the hotel for a period shorter than 20 hours, without prior written approval from the Board.

Paragraph (1) does not apply if the accommodation is required to support the preparation or organisation of any of the following events held, or to be held, at the hotel:

The licensee in respect of a hotel must give the secretary written notice of any change in any of the following contact particulars within 10 days after the date of the change: (a)the licensee’s telephone number; (b)the licensee’s email address.

The occupier of a hotel must give the secretary written notice of any change in ownership of the hotel within 10 days after the date of the change.

Where any property is left by a guest on any premises used as a hotel, the licensee in respect of the hotel must, without delay, make a record (whether in electronic form or otherwise) of the particulars of the property.

Subject to the provisions of the Innkeepers Act 1970, the licensee must do either of the following if the property mentioned in paragraph (1) is not reclaimed by the guest, or returned to the guest, within 60 days:

This regulation does not apply to property deposited with or left in the custody of the licensee.

Subject to paragraph (2), the licensee must require every guest seeking accommodation in the hotel to furnish the following particulars before the guest occupies a room in the hotel:

Where a guest is below 7 years of age or is, in the opinion of the licensee, unable to furnish his or her particulars by reason of infirmity of mind or body, the licensee may require any adult accompanying the guest to furnish the particulars mentioned in paragraph (1) on behalf of the guest.

Any person required by a licensee to furnish the particulars mentioned in paragraph (1) or (2) must do so.

The licensee must keep a record of the particulars of every guest, in which must be entered, before the guest occupies a room, the particulars prescribed in regulation 27(1) and the location of the room.

The record mentioned in paragraph (1) may be kept in the form of one or more physical or electronic records as the licensee considers appropriate.

Any entry recorded under paragraph (1) in relation to a guest —

A licensee, an employee of the licensee or any person required to furnish particulars under regulation 27 must not enter, or cause or allow to be entered, in a record mentioned in paragraph (1), any particulars which the licensee, employee of the licensee or person (as the case may be) knows, or could by the exercise of reasonable diligence have ascertained, to be false.

The licensee in respect of any premises registered for use as a hotel must ensure that the premises are kept clean and sanitary for safe use by the guests of the hotel and the visitors of those guests.

The licensee must ensure that every part of the premises is maintained in good order and repair for safe use by the guests of the hotel and the visitors of those guests.

The licensee in respect of a hotel must install and maintain, for the purpose of ensuring safety and security in the hotel, an electronic video surveillance system capable of monitoring and recording activities —

To avoid doubt, a building for the purposes of paragraph (1) includes any structure by whatever name called (including a villa or suite) used to harbour or lodge one or more persons for hire or reward of any kind, that is separate from other such similar structures.

The licensee must ensure that each recording made using an electronic video surveillance system installed and maintained under paragraph (1) is retained for a period of at least 31 days after it is recorded.

The Board may, in any particular case, waive any requirement of paragraph (1) or (3).

The licensee in respect of a hotel must not knowingly permit any illegal activity to take place within the hotel.

The licensee must, without delay, notify the police if the licensee has reason to believe that —

In this regulation —[Deleted by S 478/2025 wef 03/07/2025]

The following classes of premises are exempt from the provisions of the Act:

For the purposes of paragraph (1), “provision of accommodation” means any provision of accommodation that includes the provision of domestic service for hire or reward of any kind.

In paragraph (1) —

The chairman or any member of the Board or any person duly authorised by the chairman in writing may at any time enter a hotel registered under the Act or any premises reasonably suspected of being used for the purpose of a hotel and make such search and inspection as is considered necessary.

Without limiting the powers of search and inspection under paragraph (1), any such person may —

Any police officer may search the luggage of hotel guests for explosives, firearms or other offensive items without a warrant from a magistrate.

Any person who contravenes regulation 8(2), 12(4), 15(2), 19, 20(1), 21(1) or (2), 22, 23, 25, 26(1) or (2), 27(1), 28(1), (3)(a) or (b) or (4), 29(1) or (2), 30(1) or (3) or 31(2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000.

A licensee who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with a direction of the Board in accordance with regulation 17(3) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000.

The following offences may be compounded by the Board in accordance with section 243(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010:

The Board may compound an offence specified in paragraph (1) by collecting from the person reasonably suspected of having committed the offence a sum not exceeding $1,000.