Silka Cheras KL hotel to have 50% occupancy within six months

KUALA LUMPUR: The Silka Cheras Kuala Lumpur hotel is expected to achieve an occupancy rate of 50% within the first six months of operation after its soft opening on April 23.

The hotel’s newly-appointed director of sales, Jacqueline Albert Pensyl, said the hotel operators are optimistic of achieving 50% occupancy within this period.

“The immediate priority for my sales department is to reach out to our potential clientele,” she told The Edge Financial Daily.

The 319-room, nine-storey hotel is adjacent to Cheras Sentral Shopping mall. Room sizes will start from 26 sq m.

Silka Cheras boasts a sleek semi-circular façade and is positioned as a value-led hotel offering modern facilities and the highest standard of service.

Its facilities include the Cheras Rooms, ideal for small- to moderate-sized meetings and private dinners, as well as an all-day dining venue.

The hotel is targeting leisure customers, families, corporates from surrounding areas and small and medium enterprises from as far as Kajang and Sungai Besi.

Pensyl has significant experience in the hospitality industry’s sales sector. Her portfolio includes Sutera Harbour Resort and Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah; Holiday Inn Resort Penang and Melia Kuala Lumpur. Most recently she was with Ibis Styles in Cheras.

Pensyl’s sales and marketing team aims to build relationships with, and assess the needs of, local businesses. Her department will work with the general manager to facilitate marketing and sales efforts to ensure the success of the hotel.

Silka Cheras Kuala Lumpur hotel is part of the mixed-use development by Malaysia Land Properties Sdn Bhd (Mayland), which includes the refurbished Cheras Sentral, previously known as Plaza Phoenix.

Mayland, a company controlled by Tan Sri David Chiu, bought over the failed mall in 2009 after Plaza Phoenix closed down in 2005. Chiu then added a hotel and car park. The cost of the investment came to RM160 million. — by Haziq Hamid

Top: One of the superior rooms at Silka Cheras. Below: The hotel lobby.