GEORGE TOWN: United States-based Marriott International Inc, the largest hotel chain in the world, plans to open more Marriott-branded hotels in Malaysia, following the official opening of the Courtyard by Marriott in the heart of George Town here, today.
Marriott International area director of marketing South-East Asia (SEA) Cindy Yoong said the company is looking at Penang, Melaka and East Malaysia as locations of new properties.
She said the company is continuously on the search for partners to open new properties, provided they are a match strategically and in terms of location.
"In fact, we are looking everywhere, with a couple in the pipeline, but it really depends on the brands. Sometimes, in key urban areas, brands which are more distinctive, like the W Hotels or Aloft Hotels, are more sassy and might be more opportune for cities.
"And then in Penang, which is kind of a mix, we debut the Courtyard here – a very beautiful product which we hope will be the flagship of the brand here.
"Hopefully, we will bring some other brands here that will work, but it depends, as each brand has its own following and different clientele," she said when met after the official opening ceremony by Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow this morning.
Marriott International encompasses a portfolio of more than 7,400 properties under 30 leading brands spanning 134 countries.
Present at the ceremony was Courtyard by Marriott Penang general manager Subash Basrur.
Also present were Tropicana Corporation Bhd group executive vice-chairman Tan Sri Tan Chee Sing and Tropicana group managing director Dion Tan.
Property developer Tropicana teamed up with Marriott International to launch the Courtyard by Marriott here in Penang.
Located at Tropicana's luxurious high-rise residential project, Tropicana 218 Macalister, the hotel – which is the country's first Courtyard by Marriott and the 17th Marriott International brand in the country – boasts 199 smart and spacious rooms and suites with unobstructed views of George Town and the Straits of Melaka, an all-day dining restaurant, a Penang Kitchen, and Penang's first and only distillery-themed bar, Gin Library.
Additional facilities include a 24-hour fitness centre, and an outdoor infinity pool overlooking the iconic Penang Hill. It also features a pillar-less ballroom that can accommodate 150 guests, eight state-of-the-art meeting rooms and one VIP room, each fitted with the latest audio-visual equipment.
Tropicana 218 Macalister sits on 2.09 acres of prime freehold land in George Town's bustling business district, with a total gross development value (GDV) of RM334.7 million.
Asked if it is an inopportune time for the new property to open, as the world is facing the Covid-19 pandemic and possibly a second wave of infection, Basrur said it is fine as long as they follow the guidelines and procedures enforced by the government.
"Look at how the Malaysian government has been doing an amazing job in keeping the Covid-19 pandemic in check.
"The country did not shut down, but only (slowed) down in operations. As such, we are taking the same lead in a smaller way.
"I think this gives us the opportunity to do business in a different way," he added.
Basrur was tight-lipped on the projected occupancy for the first year of operation, but said "one thing is for sure... what we do know is that our competitors are showing good numbers".
Meanwhile, Chow said Penang's hotels welcomed 6.30 million guests last year, making it among the top five states with the highest number of hotel guests in the country.
He added that Penang's hotel rooms had also increased 4.5 per cent from 20,306 in 2018 to 21,227 last year.
"This year, 2020, was meant to put Malaysia on the global tourism map with the support of the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign, together with our own Experience Penang 2020 programme. We anticipated more than 8.3 million tourists in Penang.
"However, the Covid-19 pandemic has put a damper on all of this and the tourism sector in Malaysia is expected to recover gradually by the end of the year and stabilise next year.
"Giving the challenging circumstances which we are all facing, I am glad to note that the rising occupancy rates at hotels here indicate that Penang's tourism sector is gradually recovering from the pandemic. Most hotels have reported occupancy rates of between 78 per cent and 100 per cent, especially on weekends.
"The Penang government is certainly committed to re-energising our tourism industry with numerous initiatives implemented, which we believe will keep Penang ahead as one of the leading tourism destinations in the country," he added.