Oakwood Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur targets 70% occupancy rate

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 10): Malaysia’s first Oakwood hotel and residence, Oakwood KL, — formerly the Nomad SuCasa Hotel — is eyeing to achieve an average occupancy rate of 70%  backed by strong demand from business and leisure travellers, according to Oakwood Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur director of sales and marketing Kenny Goh (pictured).

The dual hotel and residences opened its doors on Oct 31 and is slated to be officially launched in the first quarter of next year. 

It is also the Oakwood brand’s 30th property across 18 cities in Asia Pacific, including Indonesia, China and Australia.

Goh said there is increasing demand for big-sized suites, such as one or two-bedroom hotel residences, for travelling families.  

“People always welcome space, especially for family or group travellers, who are looking for bigger rooms or space where they can gather around,” he told TheEdgeProperty.com.

However, there is also another segment of travellers who are here for shopping sprees, hence their needs will be a bit different. “For this segment, the customers are looking at the hotel’s location and normally they only need a place for rest and sleep as well as breakfast,” he added.

Goh said, the dual hotel and residences concept will work well to cater to these two segments of customers.

Oakwood KL is located at Jalan Ampang, about 2km away from the iconic Petronas twin towers and within 5km radius to the offices of multinational and local companies.

The 20-storey Oakwood KL offers 251 hotel rooms and residences in total — 71 hotel rooms while the remaining are one- or two-bedroom residences for both short- and long-term rentals.

Amenities and facilities include a swimming pool, children’s wading pool, gym, 24-hour concierge and front desk services, business services, restaurant, bar, meeting rooms and high-speed Internet connection.

“In terms of location, Oakwood KL is strategically located as it is within the city centre but not in the most congested centre of Kuala Lumpur. Getting in and out is easier, compared with other areas in the city centre,” he added.

Meanwhile, the hotel is in talks with relocation agents in Malaysia to tap the expatriate market, especially those looking at staying longer than three months, in Kuala Lumpur.

Although the oil and gas industry has been severely impacted by the plunge in oil prices, Goh noted that there are other companies such as in the services and financial sectors which are performing well and expanding their operations in KL city centre.