Grand Hyatt KL may open as early as August
THE five-star Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, the first Hyatt hotel in the capital, could open its door as early as this Hari Raya in August.
The 412-room hotel is currently taking bookings for stays beginning September 1 2012.
General manager Robert Dallimore, in a recent interview with Business Times, said the hotel was doing the final touches of the fit-out and dry-runs.
It is also awaiting certification of completion and compliance.
Located on Jalan Pinang next to the Twin Towers and the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, the hotel's target market is the corporate and meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition (mice) crowd.
"Because of our location (tourist zone) there will also be the leisure market," Dallimore said.
The hotel is located within Menara Darussalam. The minaret includes 200,000 sq ft of office space located in the third to 15th floor.
The hotel has over 3,300 sq m of meeting space and can even allow for a car to be driven directly into the ballroom.
Check-in at the hotel is on the highest floor, possibly the highest hotel check-in in the country.
"Our sky-lobby concept provides privacy, security and a sense of arrival," he said, adding that there are four elevators to shuttle guests directly to the top floor.
An entire floor has been dedicated for its spa which also connects to an outdoor swimming pool.
Dallimore said the hotel's forward booking is positive.
"Our location can't get better," he said, adding that Grand Hyatt would, however, not take things for granted.
"Grand Hyatt is not a new brand in the hotel industry but it is a new brand in Kuala Lumpur. We cannot dare to assume that because we are have a reputation in other cities, it (success) will automatically happen. We have to be humble," he said.
A Grand King room booking for two on September 1 2012 starts at RM540 and goes up to RM720 for a night with breakfast.
The hotel's smallest room measures 47 sq m and its largest 340 sq m.
Meanwhile, the hotel has employed 450 people including 25 Malaysians who have decided to come home.
Some of them worked at the hotel's location abroad and have not returned to work in 25 years.
Grand Hyatt will have three restaurants namely Thirty8, JP Teres and Poolside. They can accommodate 700 people.
The hotel is owned by Bahagia Investment Corp (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, with Brunei Investment Agency as a major shareholder.
While the exact cost of construction has not been revealed, IJM Corp Bhd had reported that it had won a RM544.9 million contract to develop the mixed commercial block.
Business Times first reported the opening of Grand Hyatt in 2005.
Hyatt Hotels Corp also operates the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu and Hyatt Regency Kuantan in Malaysia.
By Business Times Online
Source: http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/igrand/Article/#ixzz2229rrsdf