Hotels Licensing Regulations 1974

Hotels Act 1954

(Section 17)

2025 REVISED EDITION

(2 June 2025)

[20 December 1974]

PART 1

PRELIMINARY

Citation

1. These Regulations are the Hotels Licensing Regulations 1974.

Definitions

2. In these Regulations —

“certificate of registration” means the certificate of registration mentioned in section 5(3) of the Act;

“chairman” means the chairman of the Board;

“licence” means the licence mentioned in section 7 of the Act;

“licensee” means a person to whom a licence has been granted;

“secretary” means the secretary of the Board;

“vice‑chairman” means the vice‑chairman of the Board.

PART 2

PROCEDURE AND PROCEEDINGS OF BOARD

Vice‑chairman to deputise for chairman

3. During the absence or incapacity of the chairman, the powers of the chairman may be exercised by the vice‑chairman.

Chairman may call for meeting

4. The chairman may call a meeting of the Board at any time to transact any business for the purposes of the Act or these Regulations.

Decision of Board at meeting

5.—(1) 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.

(2) A meeting of the Board may be —

(a)

by a quorum of the members of the Board assembled together at the time and place appointed for the meeting; or

(b)

by means of audio, audiovisual or electronic communication (or a combination of any of those means of communication), but only if —

(i)	the secretary has obtained the approval of the chairman for the meeting to be held by such means;
(ii)	all of the members of the Board who wish to participate in the meeting have access to the technology needed to do so; and
(iii)	a quorum of the members of the Board can simultaneously communicate with each other throughout the meeting.

(3) 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.

(4) The secretary must keep minutes of all proceedings of the Board.

Decision of Board outside meeting

6.—(1) 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.

(2) 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.

(3) For the purpose of a decision under this regulation —

(a)	the chairman may stipulate a period of time within which the decision may be made;
(b)	the same quorum for a meeting applies;
(c)	the chairman and each member have the same voting rights as they have at any meeting of the Board;
(d)	separate copies of the decision in writing to be made may be distributed to the members if the wording of the decision to be made is identical in each copy; and
(e)	the Board’s decision is made when the last member required for the majority provides his or her decision to the secretary.

7. [Deleted by S 858/2024]

PART 3

CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRATION AND
LICENCES AND RELATED MATTERS

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 must be submitted to the secretary —

(a)	in the form for that purpose set out on the Internet website at https://www.gobusiness.gov.sg; and
(b)	in the manner approved by the Board.

(2) 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 —

(a)	due to death, resignation or termination of employment of the person; or
(b)	for any other reason,

the occupier of the hotel must give the secretary written notice of the fact without delay.

Advertisement of applications, etc.

9. Every applicant for the grant of a certificate of registration must —

(a)	submit an advertisement of the application in the form provided by the Board for the advertisement to be published on the website of the Board at https://www.hlb.gov.sg; and
(b)	permit any member of the Board, or any officer duly authorised by the Board, to enter and inspect the premises that are the subject of the application.

10. [Deleted by S 783/2019]

11. [Deleted by S 858/2024]

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 2 weeks from the date of publication of the applicant’s advertisement mentioned 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 must be signed by the person lodging the notice and state briefly the reasons for his or her objection.

(4) 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.

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

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

Provision of details of objection to applicant

13. The secretary must, without delay after the receipt of a notice of objection under regulation 12 in respect of an application for the grant of a certificate of registration, provide to the applicant details of the objection for the purpose of enabling the applicant to respond to the substance of the objection.

Grant of certificate of registration

14.—(1) The Board must not decide an application for the grant of a certificate of registration until —

(a)	after the period of 2 weeks mentioned in regulation 12(1) has ended; and
(b)	if any notice of objection is lodged under regulation 12 in respect of the application, after the period of time given to the applicant to respond to the substance of the objection has ended.

(2) 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.

(3) 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;
(c)	a large hotel, being a hotel with 300 rooms or more but less than 500 rooms;
(d)	an extra‑large hotel, being a hotel with 500 rooms or more.

(4) 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.

Grant of licence

15.—(1) 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.

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

Fees for certificate of registration and licence

16.—(1) The fees specified in the Schedule are payable in respect of the certificates of registration and licences specified in that Schedule.

(2) 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.

(3) 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.

(4) 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.

(5) 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.

(6) 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.

Direction to licensee on accommodation for guests affected by intended suspension of registration

17.—(1) This regulation applies where —

(a)	the Board intends to suspend a certificate of registration in respect of any premises used as a hotel (called in this regulation Hotel A) under section 8(3)(a) of the Act; and
(b)	the person who is the licensee in respect of Hotel A is also the licensee of any other premises used as a hotel under a valid certificate of registration (called in this regulation Hotel B).

(2) 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.

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

Period of suspension of certificate of registration

18.—(1) 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.

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

(a)	extend the period of suspension for any further period or periods, each not exceeding 3 months; or
(b)	lift the suspension before the expiry of the period or periods of suspension, as the case may be.