OUE REIT CEO Han Khim Siew spent three years overhauling the REIT he inherited, from capital structure and portfolio to strategy. He explains how the transformation of a flagship Orchard Road hotel reflects a broader conviction: that in an era of persistent uncertainty, the right assets in the right locations can turn volatility into an advantage. In February 2022, after 2 years of closure, the S$150 million asset enhancement of the former Mandarin Orchard Singapore was finally completed by OUE REIT, and the hotel reopened its doors as Hilton Singapore Orchard. The 1,080-room property—now Hilton’s largest flagship hotel in Asia Pacific, according to Han Khim Siew, OUE REIT’s CEO—had been redesigned, repositioned, and rebranded. The first tower opened to near-full occupancy; the second tower followed in January 2023, completing the hotel's full room inventory. "It was a flight to quality," says Han. "A new, improved, revamped Hilton. We really benefited from that first wave of tourism coming back post-COVID."...