Holiday Inn Express to make Kuala Lumpur debut in 2015

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 9, 2012): Malaysia’s first Holiday Inn Express is expected to open its doors in 2015, the brand’s operator InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced in a statement on Monday, Jan 9.

IGH had inked a deal with regional property investment and development group RB Capital to manage the 200-room Holiday Inn Express Bukit Bintang, which will come up next to RB Capital’s 26-storey 33 Jalan Sultan Ismail and near shopping centres such as Lot 10, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and Starhill Gallery.

Under the deal, the hotel will be built by RB Capital’s subsidiary Amsterling Hotels Sdn Bhd.

"Holiday Inn Express is a well-established brand that meets the demand for an international standard hotel that offers fuss-free comfort, convenience and value in great locations,” said IHG CEO for Asia, the Middle East and Africa Jan Smits.

Meanwhile, RB Capital Group CEO and founder Kishin R K said: “The Holiday Inn Express brand resonates well with the rising number of mid-tier business and leisure travellers visiting this part of the world.

“With the soaring and steady growth we’ve seen in the tourism and hospitality sectors across Southeast Asia, we are certain there are opportunities for strong growth and development in this area. We see Kuala Lumpur as a particularly strong market, especially now that Malaysia has placed tourism high up on its policy agenda.”

The new hotel is expected to offer complimentary breakfast and WiFi and facilities such as self-service business centres and gym, as well as the Holiday Inn Express’ mainstay that is the ‘Great Room’ which fuses a lounge and a bar.

The group’s hotel arm RB Capitals Hotels is currently building the Holiday Inn Express Clarke Quay in Singapore.

Featuring 400 to 500 rooms, it will be largest one in Southeast Asia that is expected to open in 1Q2013.

Holiday Inn Express Bukit Bintang is part of 470 new hotels in the pipeline for the brand.  In the Asia-Pacific, there are 31 hotels with 51 new ones also coming up in India, Thailand and Indonesia in the next few years.