Monday, November 16, 2015

Rajawali's investments bear fruit

By Sharen Kaur

KUALA LUMPUR: INDONESIA-based Rajawali Group's RM400 million investment to build St Regis Langkawi and the Langkawi International Conventional Centre (LICC) is turning into fruition.
 
  The LICC is up and running with pipeline events while the St Regis Langkawi is set to open on April 6 2016, drawing new crowds.
 
  Rajawali started its investment in Langkawi in 2005 with the acquisition of Sheraton Perdana Resort, which was later rebranded as Westin Hotel Resort & Spa Langkawi.
 
  The group is spending RM300 million to build St Regis Langkawi with 89 suites and four over-the-water villas and its strategic partner for the development is Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
 
  Starwood is the operator of the luxury St Regis Hotel chain. Other brands under its stable include The Luxury Collection, Westin, Le Meridien, Sheraton, Four Points, Aloft and Element.
 
  Rajawali has also invested over RM100 million to build the 5,000 sq ft convention centre which can accommodate up to 1,200 people.
 
  The LICC was developed on a fasttrack mode and completed in 11 months, in time for the Asean Summit in April 2015.
 
  Michael Schlueter, managing director of the three properties (LICC, The Westin Langkawi and The St. Regis Langkawi), said with LICC, Langkawi now has conference facilities and infrastructure of international standards, transforming the island into an international hub for events and conventions.
 
  The opening of St. Regis Langkawi is expected to further enhance the island's standing as a luxury travel destination, he said.
 
  Schlueter said with the positioning of promoting Langkawi as a destination for the luxury market, LICC's state-of-the-art facilities make it fitting to host world class conventions such as the Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition Asean Summit and the Asean Regional Workshop.
 
  "Some of the special features include high end audio visual facilities such as Bose sound systems in all rooms, high ceiling measuring at nine meters with mounted chandeliers to exclude an ornate ambience, a 93 sq m VIP Suite, VIP holding room, lots of natural day light at the foyer areas and all function rooms being pillar-less," he said.
 
  He said LICC will play a pivotal role in supporting a platform for hospitality services for events on the island, supporting the development plans by the government to elevate Langkawi as a world class destination.
 
  "We expect LICC to drive the occupancy of all our properties on the island. We are planning another two hotels in Langkawi. By 2018, we expect to operate more than 600 rooms on the island," he told Property Times.
 
  The 222-room Westin Hotel is currently running at 70 per cent occupancy per annum and room rates start from RM650 a night.

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