Malaysia's Swiss-Garden grows serviced residences network

Swiss-Garden International will add two serviced residences to its collection by the end of this year, in line with its aim to incorporate such apartment products into its portfolio since 2010.

The Swiss-Garden Hotel & Residences Malacca, located in the central business district close to popular tourist areas, will offer 306 hotel rooms, 463 units of serviced apartments, a grand ballroom with seating capacity for 800 pax, and six multifunctional rooms, among other facilities.

The hotel will sit within a mixed-used complex comprising retail and F&B outlets, with Singapore retail giant Tangs as the anchor tenant.

The Swiss-Garden Resort Residences Sungai Karang in Kuantan will offer 264 rooms, including 88 studio suites and 176 two-bedroom suites.

Linda Evelyn Wong, spokesperson for the Malaysian hospitality group, said the new Malacca property is expected to attract predominantly families, tour groups and corporate incentives, while the Kuantan resort will cater well to the large community of oil and gas, and shipping firms in the city.

“The Swiss-Garden Hotel & Residences Malacca is still a long way to opening, but it has already received bookings from several church groups out of Singapore,” Wong revealed, adding that Malacca is a popular destination for group tours and activities organised by churches across the border.

“And with Malacca being such a hot favourite among Singaporeans, who drive two, three hours over to enjoy good food and shopping over the weekends, the property can expect to see really good business from Singapore,” she said.

Explaining the company’s focused growth on serviced residences products, Wong said demand has been “huge”.

“Our first serviced residences property, Swiss-Garden Hotel & Residences Kuala Lumpur, enjoys an average occupancy rate of over 90 per cent despite being in an area with many other similar accommodation options. The property welcomes a lot of Middle Eastern families on holiday as well as corporate travellers,” she said.

Meanwhile, the company’s portfolio is set to grow even further from next year. D’Majestic Kuala Lumpur and Swiss-Garden Johor Bahru are scheduled to open in 2015, while the Pavilion-Garden Suites in Kota Bahru, Damai Laut Sea Villa, and Swiss-Garden Hotel & Residences Cameron Highlands are slated to welcome guests by 2016.

They will join nine other properties that are currently in operation in Malaysia and Australia.

-TTG Asia.