10 new hotels in M'sia for Accor

PUTRAJAYA: International hotel operator Accor announced its plans to establish 10 new hotels in Malaysia as part of its robust expansion plan in the country.

According to Accor Malaysia, Indonesia & Singapore vice president Gerard Guillouet, the ten new hotels will add significantly to Accor's presence in Malaysia, as the success of its four existing hotels provides the confidence to aggressively expand its network of hotels in Malaysia.

"The success of these ventures is due to Accor's business model, whereby Accor brings its international expertise in the fields of hotel construction, product concept, design and branding, as well as its global sales, marketing and distribution network, and co-operates with partners having local expertise and investment knowledge. This has encouraged and given us the confidence to aggressively expand our network with 10 more new hotels that are to be opened next year and 2014," he said.

The 10 hotels announced together with their forecasted date of completion are: Pullman Kuala Lumpur, 513 rooms (2012); Pullman Port Dickson, 318 rooms (2014); Novotel Melaka, 320 rooms (2013); Novotel Klang Valley 1Gateway, 187 rooms (2013); Ibis Styles Fraser Business Park Kuala Lumpur, 500 rooms (2012); Ibis Styles Cheras, 156 rooms (2012); Ibis Styles Johor Bahru, 179 rooms (2013); Ibis Styles Kota Kinabalu Inanam, 165 rooms (2013); Ibis Styles Lahad Datu, 108 rooms (2013); and Ibis Styles Ipoh, 118 rooms (2013).

"In Malaysia, specifically, for the time being, we don't want to invest in real estate. This is our own business model, and we are investing in the infrastructure in the sales and marketing team — as well in the human resources — needed to operate a hotel. We are merely managing it, while the land purchase and construction is shouldered by the developers," he said

Guillouet was speaking at the unveiling of Accor's new website Destination Malaysia, which was officiated by Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.

According to Guillouet, before 2013, nine new properties will become operational.

Accor is said to be the world's leading hotel manager and market leader in Europe. With over 4,300 hotel chains in 90 countries, Accor's four hotels in Malaysia are: Novotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside, Novotel Kota Kinabaluan and Pullman Kuching.