Hotels Act
(Chapter 127, Section 13)
Hotels Licensing Regulations
Rg 1
REVISED EDITION 1990
(25th March 1992)
[20th December 1974]
Citation
1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Hotels Licensing Regulations.
Definitions
2.  In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires —
“Board” means the Hotels Licensing Board established under section 3 of the Act;
“certificate of registration” means the certificate of registration referred to in section 5(3) of the Act;
“chairman” means the chairman of the Board;
“Commissioner of Public Health” means the Commissioner of Public Health appointed under section 3 of the Environmental Public Health Act (Cap. 95) and includes a Deputy Commissioner of Public Health and an Assistant Commissioner of Public Health;
“licence” means the licence referred to in section 7 of the Act;
“licensee” means a person to whom a licence has been granted;
“premises” means the premises in respect of which application is made for a certificate of registration under section 5 of the Act;
“secretary” means the secretary of the Board;
“tourist hotel” means a hotel which has been declared to be a tourist hotel under section 2 of the Tourist Promotion (Cess Collection) Act (Cap. 329).
PROCEDURE AND PROCEEDINGS OF BOARD
Vacancy
3.  The chairman shall inform the Minister of any vacancy among the members of the Board.
Chairman may call meetings
4.—(1)  The chairman may call a meeting of the Board at any time he may think desirable for the transaction of any business within the scope of the Board.
Cancellation and suspension of certificates of registration, etc.
5.—(1)  The decisions of the Board concerning the suspension or cancellation of certificates of registration or the cancellation of licences shall be taken at a meeting of the Board.
(2)  An application for the grant of a certificate of registration or the grant or renewal of a licence may, if no notice of objection thereto has been lodged, be considered by the Board at any time by recording the votes of members on files circulated among them.
Voting
6.—(1)  All questions before the Board shall be decided by a majority of votes.
(2)  In the event of equality of votes the chairman shall have a casting vote.
Secretary to keep minutes
7.  The secretary shall keep minutes of all proceedings of the Board.
Application for certificates of registration and licences
8.—(1)  Every application for the grant of a certificate of registration or for the grant or renewal of a licence shall be submitted to the secretary in the form and manner approved by the Board.
(2)  If so required in writing by the secretary, every applicant for the grant of a certificate of registration or for the grant or renewal of a licence shall attend in person or if the applicant for a certificate of registration is a body corporate or firm its duly authorised representative shall attend in person on its behalf at a meeting of the Board at which the application is to be considered.
Advertisement of applications
9.  Every applicant for the grant of a certificate of registration shall —
(a)at his own expense advertise his application in the form approved by the Board in one or more daily newspapers as the Board may decide within two weeks of the date of his application; and
(b)permit any member of the Board, the Commissioner of Police, the Commissioner of Public Health, the Chief Planner, the Director-General of Public Works or any officers duly authorised by any of the aforementioned persons, to enter and inspect his premises.
Photographs
10.  Every applicant for the grant or renewal of a licence shall provide at his own expense two copies of his photograph, to be affixed one to the licence and the other to the licence register.
Application to be referred to appropriate authorities
11.  The secretary shall, immediately upon receipt of any application for the grant or renewal of a certificate of registration or a licence, forward copies thereof to the Commissioner of Police, the Commissioner of Public Health and the Director-General of Public Works as may be appropriate.
Notice of objection
12.—(1)  Any person may lodge a written notice of objection to the grant of a certificate of registration with the secretary within two weeks from the date of publication of the applicant’s advertisement referred to in regulation 9(a).
(2)  Any person may lodge a written notice of objection to the grant or renewal of a licence with the secretary at any time.
(3)  Every notice of objection shall be signed by the person lodging the notice and shall state briefly the reasons for his objection.
(4)  Any person who has lodged a notice of objection shall appear at a meeting of the Board in person or by an advocate and solicitor to support the objection.
(5)  The Board shall not be bound to consider any notice of objection which does not comply with this regulation.
(6)  Every notice of objection shall be considered at a meeting of the Board.
Notice of objection to be referred to applicant and appropriate authorities
13.  The secretary shall, upon receipt of a notice of objection under regulation 12, forthwith send a copy thereof to the applicant, the Commissioner of Police, the Commissioner of Public Health and the Director-General of Public Works, except that a copy need not be sent to the Commissioner of Police where the notice of objection was lodged by him or by a police officer authorised by him.
Hotel owner to give notice of change of hotel-keeper or ownership of hotel
14.—(1)  Where any change is effected in the hotel-keeper or in the ownership of a hotel, the hotel owner shall notify the secretary in writing all the particulars of the change within 10 days of the effective date of such change.
(2)  The owner or licensee of a hotel shall not change the name of the hotel without the prior written approval of the Board.
Period of suspension
15.  Every suspension of a certificate of registration shall be for one or more months.
Certificates of registration and licences to be issued by secretary
16.  Certificates of registration and licences in the form approved by the Board shall be issued by the secretary in accordance with the decisions of the Board.
Vice-chairman to deputise for chairman
17.  The powers of the chairman may, during his absence or incapacity, be exercised by the vice-chairman of the Board.
Form of notice
18.  The notice required under section 8(2) of the Act shall be in such form as the Board may decide.
Classification and fees for certificate of registration
19.  The classification of hotels and the fees payable in respect of registration shall be as follows:
(a)small hotels, that is to say, a hotel with 100 rooms or less — $200 per annum;
[S 435/92 wef 01/01/1993]
(b)medium hotels, that is to say, a hotel with more than 100 rooms and less than 300 rooms — $300 per annum; and
[S 435/92 wef 01/01/1993]
(c)large hotels, that is to say, a hotel with 300 rooms or more — $400 per annum.
[S 435/92 wef 01/01/1993]
Fee for licence
20.  The fee payable for a licence shall be $100 per annum.
[S 435/92 wef 01/01/1993]