SINGAPORE: A new hotel will open on the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Kent Ridge campus in the first half of 2026.

The Ridge, which has 185 rooms, is a "campus hotel" designed for students, visiting academics and professionals, its website said.

The hotel, which is not open to the public or tourists, will be located along Computing Drive, which is near NUS' School of Computing and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

With three types of rooms, guests will also get high-speed internet, concierge services around the clock and a meeting facility for in-house conferences, the website said.

Guests will also get access to selected National University of Singapore Society facilities, including a pool and fitness centre at Kent Ridge Guild House located nearby.

CNA has asked NUS who the intended operator will be.

In response to CNA queries about the purpose of the hotel, NUS said it serves the university's "increasing number" of overseas academic visitors, research collaborators, executive programme learners and conference delegates, facilitating their academic work and research activities on campus.

"It is not open to the public or tourists," said the university's spokesperson.

The hotel is still under construction and is expected to commence operations in 2026, the spokesperson added. "We will share more information when the campus hotel is officially launched."

In recent years, NUS has seen an influx of tourists - they initially flooded canteens, shuttle buses and libraries, disrupting life on campus.

The university took action in 2024 to alleviate concerns flagged by students, such as stopping tour buses from going to University Town (UTown), preventing tourists from taking internal shuttle buses and training undergraduates to lead guided tours.

On top of those measures, NUS eventually restricted access to two UTown food courts and internal shuttle bus service for one week in 2024, coinciding with China's Golden Week holiday period from Oct 1 to Oct 7.

New hotel to open at NUS Kent Ridge campus in first half of 2026