Corus Hotel spending RM3m to refurbish

Corus Hotel Kuala Lumpur will spend up to RM3mil to refurbish its facilities as part of the Corus' nationwide ongoing programme to enhance comfort for its guests.

Corus Hotel Kuala Lumpur is a part of the Corus chain, which is based in Britain. Corus is a mid-market hotel group with over 40 properties in Britain and two in Malaysia - Corus Hotel Kuala Lumpur and Corus Paradise Resort in Port Dickson.

Corus Hotel Kuala Lumpur's vice-president/group general manager Pel Loh said the investment involved the upgrading of its 388 rooms, the addition of 12 new rooms called “Paradise Cabana” as well as deluxe rooms and suites, gymnasium and spa facility.

She said the hotel had on April 17 launched a campaign, “Discover Real Comfort”, a continuous programme to offer a bright, stylish and contemporary feel in line with the Corus brand strategy.

“We want to tell our customers that we are continuously upgrading our products and we will ensure that our services are always up to the customer expectations.

“Basically, one of the things that we do is change the entire bedding ... change the old comforters and bedspread with a duvet, change the pillows as well as the carpet,” she said.

Loh said the rooms in Paradise Cabana, located on the same level as the swimming pool and gardens floor, had a unique glass bathroom, which allowed the guests to catch the view of the bedroom while watching television in the bathtub

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

Authentic Thai fare at Corus' Dondang Sayang Coffee House

THERE will be no water splashed about, but Corus Hotel Kuala Lumpur has something planned to commemorate Songkran anyway.

For the first time, the hotel will be partnering Chakri Palace to come up with a spread of Thai delicacies to be served at its Dondang Sayang Coffee House.

Restaurant chefs Nopporn Nutto and Doarin Sonmak from Bangkok and Korat, respectively, will be teaming up with the hotel culinary staff in a smart partnership to tantalise the taste buds.

Thai Starter: The Miengkam is the perennial Thai appetiser.

“We’ll only be dishing out authentic Thai food; the recipes are not altered to cater to the local palate,” said Nopporn, 32, who like Doarin, has been working in Malaysia for the last six years.

“We’ll also have dishes that are not too spicy and ‘child-friendly’.”

Guests can expect Thai dishes generally cooked in Central Thai style on a daily basis throughout the promotion.

“Our Tom Yam, for instance, is cooked in a clear broth. This is a recipe that dates back more than 50 years,” said Nopporn.

Wide selection: Doarin (second from left), Nopporn (third from left) and Corus Hotel head chef Albert Goh (second from right) presenting an array of authenticThai food.

Tom Yam aside, there are other popular Siamese dishes to look forward to.

Start with the perennial Thai appetiser - Miengkam - which, for the uninitiated is traditional hand-rolled daun kadok leaves filled with seven ingredients.

He recommends Crispy Minced Catfish with Mango Salad to begin the meal.

“This dish originates from Southeast Thailand and is a very unique starter that looks simple, but is tedious to prepare,” he said.

Catfish is steamed and cooled down before the flesh is skinned, stripped off the bone and baked until golden brown.

This is then pounded and chopped into crumbs before it is deep-fried into crisps and served with a salad consisting of sliced Chinese celery, Chinese cabbage, young mangoes, Indian shallots, roasted peanuts and bird’s eye chilli - all drizzled with a tangy kerabu sauce.

“The special thing about the catfish is that its sweetness is natural; there is no seasoning,” revealed Nopporn.

He also recommends the Green Curry Prawns to be eaten with rice.

A popular dish from Central Thailand, the curry is made with homemade Thai curry paste, coconut oil, fresh basil leaf, chilli and eggplant.

Tempting: The Crispy Minced Catfish with Mango Salad is a most difficult dish to prepare.

“The prawns are cooked separately and then added into the curry in the later stages of the cooking process together with sugar and fish sauce,” said Nutto.

Another popular favourite is the Pandan Chicken, a Northern Thai dish.

What makes the chicken tasty is the way it is marinated.

“We use 13 ingredients just to marinate the chicken meat. Some of the ingredients are procured locally, but the rest are from Thailand,” he said.

Besides its aroma and flavour, the tenderness of the meat is what makes the dish so popular.

“The secret is to use milk as an ingredient to keep the flesh tender, said Nopporn.

The marinated pieces are wrapped in screwpine leaf, steamed and then fried.

If you have had enough, end the meal with a variety of tempting desserts, including Fresh Mango and Sticky Rice with Salted Coconut Milk Topping or the Homemade Pumpkin Custard.

The Authentic Thai Fete promotion is from May 7 to 31.

Dondang Sayang Coffee House, Corus Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Ampang, KL (Tel: 03-2161 8888 ext 123). Business Hrs: Monday to Friday, Lunch (noon - 2.30pm); Dinner (6.30pm - 10.30pm). Weekend, Dinner (6.30pm - 10.30pm).

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

Corus Hotel launches Discover Real Comfort Campaign

CORUS Hotel Kuala Lumpur has launched the Discover Real Comfort campaign to give guests a better quality stay.

For the campaign, the hotel has refurbished three categories of rooms - Deluxe, Paradise Cabanas and Terrace Suites.

The Deluxe rooms are decorated in contemporary style and are equipped with facilities like high-speed Internet access and TV with in-house movies and Astro channels. Paradise Cabanas in the new wing is targeted for honeymooners.

With a resort feel to it, the rooms are located by the pool and garden floor while the Terrace Suite is ideal for families.

Corus Hotels Malaysia vice president and group general manager Pel Loh said the hotel was spending RM3mil for the annual refurbishment exercise.

New look: The refurbished Paradise Cabanas are targeted at honeymooners.

She said the campaign also included training hotel staff to communicate better with foreign guests.

“Out next facility will be a spa to pamper our customers.

“This will be launched at the end of May,” said Loh at the campaign's launch on April 17.

Officiating at the launch was Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen.

Dr Ng said Malaysia expected to receive 20.1mil visitors and earn RM40.2bil in tourist receipts this year.

“However, this can only happen if we are able to attract foreign visitors through excellent services and facilities,” she said.

In 2006, total tourist receipts were RM36.27bil with 17.55mil tourist arrivals.

Currently, there are 388 rooms at Corus Hotel Kuala Lumpur and it targets at least an 80% occupancy rate throughout the year.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]