8 Conlay Kempinski Hotel Kuala Lumpur, which will open in 2021, has appointed Yeoh Soo Hin as pre-opening general manager who will take the lead in crafting the next generation of bespoke luxury hotels in the prestigious KLCC area.
With the construction currently under way, Yeoh has less than 24 months to prepare the hotel and residences for its first guests.
Yeoh is looking forward to the challenge of differentiating 8 Conlay Kempinski Hotel Kuala Lumpur within the competitive milieu of luxury hospitality in Malaysia.
He said coming in at this stage of the project allows him to lay the groundwork to deliver an exceptional guest experience.
Yeoh said as with any major endeavour, there are a lot of what many will perceive as small but ultimately crucial tasks that are essential to the success of the project.
“Having this lead-up time enables Kempinski to achieve the product and service differentiation it desires. At Kempinski, we believe a luxury hotel is a beautiful stage for people to live and dream their lives. The world of Kempinski is crafted based on authentic and rich experiences to ensure our guests travel and stay in style, and where our customer journey is delivered with a unique attention to detail.”
Yeoh, who was previously the vice-president of finance for Kempinski Asia, said the hotel places a great deal of importance on who it hires.
“Not only can I build a winning team, there is also an opportunity to help shape our brand and employee value proposition,” he told NST Property.
The five-star hotel is part of 8 Conlay, an integrated development by KSK Land Sdn Bhd and includes lifestyle retail quarters and branded residences called YOO8 serviced by Kempinski.
8 Conlay encompasses three spiralled towers across 1.59ha site of freehold land on Jalan Conlay.
Yeoh said 8 Conlay Kempinski Hotel Kuala Lumpur will offer guests a “confluential” experience, a term coined by Kempinski and KSK Land that describes the seamless blending of Kempinski’s world renowned hospitality with the diverse history and culture of Malaysia.
In addition to its 260 rooms and 300 suites, the hotel will feature a range of gastronomic destinations, most notably a rooftop bar and durian lounge.
“As part of the 8 Conlay integrated lifestyle property development, the hotel will form a new landmark in Kuala Lumpur with ample opportunities for crafted moments to surprise and delight their guests. We are targeting guests who appreciate Kempinski’s distinctive European savoir-faire.
“Apart from international travellers, we look forward to welcoming Malaysians who will be coming to partake of our range of gastronomic destinations offering new and exciting culinary experiences,” he said.
Yeoh said 8 Conlay Kempinski Hotel Kuala Lumpur will set a leading position within the luxury accommodation in Malaysia, reflective of Kempinski’s legendary hospitality and worldwide reputation for catering to the demands of the sophisticated global travellers.
On the outlook, he said the rise of the global middle-class worldwide is boosting the demand for leisure travel.
China alone created more that 200 million middle-class travellers just in the past 10 years, which has translated to demand for hotel services, he said.
Yeoh said India, Latin America and Southeast Asia have also shown similar growth trends.
“Malaysia therefore stands to gain tremendously from the growth in global tourism as we tailor our offering to capture this market,” he added.