Carcosa Seri Negara stays OPEN to July 2010

ONE of the two mansions that make up boutique hotel Carcosa Seri Negara in Kuala Lumpur will continue to operate until July.

The government has appointed Peremba Sejagat Sdn Bhd's unit, Saujana Hotels & Resorts, to manage the property for six months from January.

The operator was selected pending a decision on the winner of the bid to upgrade and rejuvenate the heritage site. Bids were first called for in October last year.

Now that the tender has been cancelled, it is unclear what will happen upon expiry of Peremba Sejagat's contract in July.

Carcosa closed its doors on December 31 last year. It was expected to remain closed for up to two years pending the proposal for its redevelopment.

But, barely a few weeks after its closure, an announcement was made that the hotel would reopen for business.

Many had thought that a selection had already been made, not realising that the new operator would only manage the premises for six months.

In an interview with Business Times, Carcosa Seri Negara's hotel manager, Caroline Filtzinger-Win Lwin (picture), said that when Peremba Sejagat was brought in as an interim operator, it decided that it would operate just the Seri Negara building.

The hotel is essentially divided into two blocks: the seven-suite Carcosa and the six-suite Seri Negara. The two buildings sit on a 1.62ha site near Taman Tasik Perdana.

Carcosa, owned by the government, was leased to Landmarks Bhd in 1989 for a 20-year period.

The owners appointed General Hotel Management Group (GHM) in 2004 as a guardian for the heritage site until December 31 last year.

Filtzinger-Win Lwin said that Peremba Sejagat had invested money to spruce up the premises, including improving its security, electrical work, painting, carpeting and hygiene test.

Seri Negara was chosen over Carcosa as the latter's refurbishment would have required a much higher investment.

Filtzinger-Win Lwin said the company was committed to running the property in spite of the short tenure.

"The management wants to invest and brand itself," she said, adding that managing the well-known Carcosa provided the ideal vehicle for the purpose. It does not expect to recover its investment by the middle of the year.

Source : Btimes
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