Facelift for three Swiss Garden Hotels - RM35mil set aside

PJ Development Holdings Bhd (PJD) has set aside RM35mil to renovate three hotels under its Swiss-Garden and Swiss-Inn brands.

Work on two hotels – Swiss-Garden Resort and Spa, Kuantan, and Swiss-Garden Hotel, Kuala Lumpur – has started and is expected to be completed by year-end. The cost is RM15mil and RM12 respectively.

Renovation work on its third hotel, Damai Laut Golf and Country Club in Lumut, costing RM8mil, should be completed by end-2008.

Managing director Wong Ah Chiew said the refurbishment exercise was to create a new look with a comfortable feel.

He cited the modern and contemporary look of Swiss-Garden Kuantan as an example, which has a cascading waterfall at the coffee house.

“It has a much better ambiance with a relaxing setting for guests to have casual or business conversations,” he told reporters after the launching by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob on Wednesday night of Swiss-Garden Kuantan’s new look and celebration of its 9th anniversary.

Also present were State Culture, Arts and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Maznah Mazlan, PJ Holdings chairman Mohamed Zain Mohamed Yusoff and Swiss-Garden Kuantan general manager Anu Kumar.

Datuk Sri Adnan Yaakob signing a plaque at Swiss Garden Resort and Spa’s 9th anniversary celebration. With him are (from left) Anu Kumar, Datuk Maznah Mansor, Swiss Garden Resort and Spa chairman Mohammad Zain (partly hidden), and Wong Ah Chiew

Wong said he noticed that the hotel industry had picked up in the last four years following several international scares, including terrorism, bombings and the bird flu.

In view of the positive trend, he expected a good return from the investment as the group’s hotel division contributed about 20% to total earnings.

Anu said the first phase of renovation work on the Kuantan hotel, which started on Nov 22 last year, was completed on Feb 15, just in time for the Chinese New Year celebration.

He expected the occupancy rate to pick up from 60%-70% before the renovation to 65%-80%.

“We expect revenue to rise from RM190mil annually efore previously to RM220mil. We are confident of achieving this as our marketing team will focus on locals as well as tourists from Europe, the US and Middle East countries,” he added.

PJ Holdings’ core business is property development. It is also involved in construction, manufacturing and trading of power cables, concrete wall panels and roofing tiles, and leisure operations.

Source : STAR
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