Hospitality industry grows with tourism

(14-3-2008 The Sun)

Hospitally Boost

AS the government continues to promote foreign direct investments into the country, a growing number of commercial properties’ transactions led by foreign buyers can be seen particularly in the Klang Valley.While these foreign investors, such as those from the Middle East and Hong Kong, have interests in office buildings and shopping centres, much growth has been seen in the number of hotel acquisitions too. It was reported that the country recorded hotel transactions worth about US$376 million (about RM1.2 billion) last year, or 3.5 % of the total US$10.8 billion (RM34.5 billion) made across Asia.Global hotel investment services firm Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels said the Asian hotel market witnessed 83 major transactions, valued above US$5 million (about RM15.98 million) last year and that it was more than double the previous high of US$5 billion (RM15.98 billion) transacted in 2006. It attributed strong local economies and expanding leisure markets as the factors of Asia’s well-performing hotel sector.Read more

(14-3-2008 The Sun)

Wellness Zone boost for tourism industry

TOURISM Malaysia has initiated a Wellness Zone project in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan, to attract foreign tourists and further grow this tourism segment.Deputy secretary general of Tourism Datuk Dr Ong Hong Peng said the Wellness Zone, initiated in 2007, will kick off within the next one to two years. The project covers a 61km zone from Lukut to Pasir Panjang, Port Dickson."It will be an integrated area offering medical, wellness and spa facilities," Ong told Business Times when met at the Medical Travel World Congress 2008 on Tuesday.He said a pilot project will be set up at Palm Springs Resort City.

(New Straits Times 29-2-2008)

Impiana KLCC Hotel & Spa to get RM100m annexe

KLCC Property Holdings (KLCCP) Bhd, which owns Impiana KLCC Hotel & Spa at Jalan Pinang in Kuala Lumpur, plans to invest around RM100 million to build a 20-storey building adjacent to the property."This is the hotel's second phase of development. The L-shaped building will be constructed on the rooftop of the existing carpark, starting from level six."We hope it will be operational by 2010," said Impiana Hotels & Resorts Management Sdn Bhd (IHRM) group general manager Mohamad Halim Merican.IHRM, founded by Datuk Seri Ismail Farouk Abdullah of the KAB Group, is managing the four-star 335-room hotel, which opened in December 2005.Under the development plan for the new building, KLCCP is planning to include business suites and residential-type accommodation or service apartment facilities.It will also add an additional 180 rooms, which will be larger in size, a club floor and double volume private lounge, and a specialty roof-top restaurant.

(New Straits Times 25-2-2008)

Exclusive homes by the Malacca River

CASA del Rio (M) Sdn Bhd, a unit of the Casa del Mar Group, expects its latest prestigious product, the Casa del Rio boutique hotel and serviced apartments in Malacca, to cater to rising room demand in the state by end-2009.The company is building the properties for RM85 million on a 1.3ha heritage site by the Malacca River. Aptly translated as "Home by the river", Casa del Rio will set forth Malacca as an international destination that offers world-class accommodation and residential living that will cater to all markets domestically and internationally.The properties are stylish and designed to capture the essence of the uniquely beautiful Peranakan House with its charming courtyards and the beauty of the Malacca Sultanate heritage.Group managing director Tan Sri Syed Yusof Syed Nasir said it is targeting to launch the five-storey serviced apartments, comprising 32 exclusive two- and three-bedroom units, by April."We have pegged the units at RM600 per sq ft to RM1,800 per sq ft and we are targeting local and foreign buyers," Syed Yusof told Business Times.Read more

(New Straits Times 18-2-2008)

Spa Village Tanjong Jara wins award

SPA Village Tanjong Jara, part of the YTL group of luxury resorts, has been voted Best Hotel Spa in Asia Pacific and the Indian Subcontinent by the UK’s Condé Nast Traveller Annual 2008 Readers’ Spa Awards.It was also ranked second in the prestigious “Best of the Best” list of the World’s Top 26 Spas, it said in a statement. Resort manager Adrian Chung (pic) received the award in London earlier this month.Condé Nast Traveller is widely regarded as the most influential magazine in its field and seen as a bible for the discerning traveller. The Readers’ Spa Awards, now in their fifth year, are based on votes for spa facilities and services, individual approach, ambience and decor, body and facial treatments, amenities and products, exercise programmes, cuisine and quality of service and staff.Over 14,000 readers voted for their favourite hotel spas, day spas and medical spas.

(New Straits Times 15-2-2008)

Green light for KL Grand Hyatt

THE Brunei Investment Agency, one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds with assets of US$30 billion (RM97.2 billion), has finally been given the green light to develop the Grand Hyatt hotel on Jalan Pinang, Kuala Lumpur.Business Times was informed that the proposal, which was submitted in 2005, was approved in late November 2007, after several amendments to its original proposal had been made.Brunei Investment Agency official Suharafadzil Yusof when contacted said the project had been approved.However, he declined to say when work will start or when the project will be ready. Apart from a 40-storey five-star hotel, the building will also house service apartments and offices.The hotel alone may cost about RM360 million, industry executives estimated, if it sticks to a plan to have 450 rooms.There was also no response to Business Times' query from Hyatt International's office in Singapore.Industry experts say that if construction begins immediately, it could take anything between 30 and 36 months to be ready. This means that the hotel may be operational in 2010. Read more

(New Straits Times 15-2-2008)

Three phases of stalled Palm Springs Resort to be launched this year

KUALA LUMPUR: Resorts operator and property developer Tanco Holdings Bhd will, for the first time in 10 years, be launching this year three phases of a previously stalled major project, Palm Springs Resort, in Port Dickson. The company had been launching several small phases of its Bandar Country Homes development in Rawang in the past few years, but these had been slow, business development director Andrew Tan told StarBiz. For Palm Springs Resort which comprises 15 phases, Tanco aims to launch Duta Grande comprising 800 units of 410 to 830 sq ft resort suites with a gross development value (GDV) of about RM260mil ; SPA Village with 70 chalets ranging from 1,200 to 1,400 sq ft worth RM70mil in GDV; and Palm Springs Boulevard consisting of 24 shop lots with built-up areas of 1,200 sq ft with a GDV of RM15mil. Read More

(The Star 15-2-2008)

Landmarks to take full control of Treasure Bay development

KUALA LUMPUR: Landmarks Bhd, which is exploring a gaming venture on Indonesia’s Bintan Island, has proposed to assume full control of the development company Bintan Treasury Bay Pte Ltd (BTB) by acquiring the remaining 26% of the latter, which will result in it becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary. A Landmarks official had earlier told The Edge Financial Daily that the company would study the possibility of running a gaming operations in Bintan after BTB had obtained the greenlight from the Indonesian authorities to run such an operation within the proposed integrated resort in the Treasure Bay enclave. In a statement yesterday, Landmarks said its wholly-owned subsidiary Primary Gateway Sdn Bhd had entered into a conditional sale and purchase agreement with Castle Knight Investments Ltd and Complete Win Group Ltd to acquire the remaining 26% it did not already own in BTB for S$156.88 million (RM360.83 million) cash. Read more

(6-2-2008 The Edge)

Buyers Snap Up Legend Water Chalets Phase 2

ABOUT 70 per cent of the Legend International Water Homes in Port Dickson, a prestigious project undertaken by the Kuala Lumpur Metro Group, has been sold even before completion.Located at Tanjung Gemok, about 2km from Port Dickson town, the project is the second phase of the Legend Water Chalets, and is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2009.The first phase, opened to the public in 2006, saw all 392 units sold with the majority opting for the rental payment scheme. The scheme allows owners to lease back their property to KL Metro for six per cent rental income per annum in return.The second phase was recently launched by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan, Tuanku Ja'afar Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

(4-2-2008 New Straits Times)

RM200m resort for Belum forest

IPOH: A RM200 million six-star resort will be built on Pulau Besar, right in the heart of the world-famous Belum forest. The resort will be built on a 2,000ha site. The state government had given the land to Belum Island Resorts Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of the CRSC Group, to develop it into an eco-tourism attraction and island resort. The project is divided into four phases. It will kick off with the construction of a RM60 million hotel covering an area of 400ha. The resort will be jointly built by Belum Island Resorts Sdn Bhd and world-renowned resort operator, Aman Resorts. The Belum Valley houses 274 species of birds, including the plain pouched hornbills, 14 globally threatened mammals, including the Malayan tigers and tapirs, Sumatran rhinoceros, Asiatic elephants and white gibbons.

(01-02-2008 New Straits Times)

CRSC, Aman Resorts plan RM200mil Belum resort

IPOH: The CRSC group and Aman Resorts International are investing a total of RM200mil to develop an eco-tourism and island resort on Pulau Besar in Tasik Temenggor, Belum forest reserve. Aman Resorts executive director Greg Sirois said the investment, to be spread over four phases, would include the construction of a RM60mil six-star hotel. The hotel is due for completion next year. Aman Resorts owns and manages 18 small luxury resorts worldwide.

(01-02-2008 The Star)

Genting to gain from Landmarks’ gaming foray

KUALA LUMPUR: Landmarks Bhd’s possible venture into gaming operations in Indonesia’s Bintan Island has put its parent Genting Bhd in the spotlight as analysts believe it would enable the latter to expand its clientele base amid a wider regional presence. Moreover, the presence of a gaming unit within Landmarks’ RM4.07 billion “Bintan Treasure Bay” mixed development in Bintan Island’s Treasure Bay enclave is also seen as a catalyst for potential upsides in the value of real estates in the integrated resort, analysts said. Speaking to The Edge Financial Daily, a Landmarks official said the company would study the feasibility of running a gaming unit in Bintan after the green light from the Indonesian authorities.

(28-1-2008 The Edge)

Treasure Bay Designated As Intergrated Tourism Zone

PETALING JAYA: Landmarks Bhd, which is developing the 835.56-acre Treasure Bay on Indonesia's Bintan Island, has signed an agreement with PT Wisata Hiburia to designate the land owned by the former as an international Exclusive Integrated Tourism Zone (EITZ). Landmarks said in an announcement yesterday that the land would be zoned for medical tourism, gaming and information technology hosting and would comprise an integrated resort, commercial and residential properties.

(25-1-2008 The Star)

Tanco marketing PD resorts to foreign investors

PETALING JAYA: Tanco Holdings Bhd, which came out of the PN17 classification on Jan 17, is taking steps to revive its financial condition and this would see it marketing the 200ha Palm Springs Resorts City in Port Dickson to foreign investors. To promote the resorts and leisure business, Tanco had appointed resorts operation and management company Compass Hospitality — which had turned around many resorts in Thailand — to manage six of Tanco’s resorts in Malaysia.

(25-1-2008 The Edge)

Genting Works On Premium Outlet Deal

GAMING group Genting Bhd is working on a deal to bring Premium Outlet Centres to Malaysia, a project that would become another attraction in the Iskandar Development Region. It signed an exclusive memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Chelsea Property Group, a subsidiary of US retail giant Simon Property Group Inc, to jointly study the establishment of Premium Outlets branded centres in Malaysia. Chelsea is the world's largest developer, owner and operator of outlet shopping centres, with interests in 46 Premium Outlet Centres located in the US, Japan, South Korea and Mexico.

(23-1-2008 New Straits Times)

Genting Works On Premium Outlet Deal

GAMING group Genting Bhd is working on a deal to bring Premium Outlet Centres to Malaysia, a project that would become another attraction in the Iskandar Development Region. It signed an exclusive memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Chelsea Property Group, a subsidiary of US retail giant Simon Property Group Inc, to jointly study the establishment of Premium Outlets branded centres in Malaysia. Chelsea is the world's largest developer, owner and operator of outlet shopping centres, with interests in 46 Premium Outlet Centres located in the US, Japan, South Korea and Mexico.

(23-1-2008 New Straits Times)

Grand Hotels Upgrading Properties

Grand Hotels International Asia Pacific is investing about RM13mil to upgrade all its nine hotel properties under the Grand Continental brand in the country. Hotel Grand Continental (Penang) manager Dennis Cheng said the hotels were now in various stages of refurbishment that would be completed within six months.

(17-1-2008 The Star)

Grand Hotels enhances corporate image

PENANG: Grand Hotels International Asia Pacific, the operator of the Hotel Grand Continental chain, wants to continue enhancing its corporate image in its efforts to remain competitive in the hotel industry. Hotel Grand Continental Penang manager Dennis Cheng said the chain had invested about RM12 million to refurbish its nine hotels throughout the country. He said it had invested about RM2 million in refurbishment works at its hotel in Penang, while upgrading works at its Kuala Lumpur hotel cost some RM2.5 million. He said more refurbishment works costing between RM500,000 and RM1 million were currently ongoing at its other hotels in different cities, including Kuching, Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu.

(16-1-2008 The Edge)

Recently Upgraded Pangkor Resort

HAVING done quite a bit of globetrotting for most of 2007, I ended the year with a three-day visit last month to one of the best resorts in Malaysia, Pangkor Laut Resort. This multiple award-winning resort is a privately owned island and the gem in the crown of the YTL group. The late Luciano Pavarotti sang there and there is a suite named after him.

(14-01-2008 The Star)