This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on December 16, 2024 - December 22, 2024

Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd (KL:HAPSENG) will officially open the 5-star Hyatt Centric City Centre Kuala Lumpur on Dec 18. The hotel, located in Jalan Sultan Ismail, will offer 312 stylish rooms and suites.

This is the first Hyatt Centric branded hotel in Peninsular Malaysia and the second in the country owned by Hap Seng after Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu. The 21-storey hotel was developed from the former Wisma KFC, which the group acquired from Singapore-based property developer and manager Royal Group in 2021 through its wholly-owned subsidiary Hap Seng Land Sdn Bhd.

According to Hap Seng Land director of property management Manfred Weber, the hotel is part of the group’s efforts to diversify its property investment segment by going into the hospitality business. As Hyatt Centric City Centre Kuala Lumpur is located next to Plaza Hap Seng in Jalan P. Ramlee, the two components will create a synergy.

Plaza Hap Seng comprises three office buildings, namely Menara Hap Seng, Menara Hap Seng 2 and Menara Hap Seng 3.

“The hotel is right next door and will become an integral part of Plaza Hap Seng because they will be connected via a link bridge. We strongly believe the hotel is a good addition to Plaza Hap Seng because we have a lot of tenants, both international and local, which have business travellers visiting them. We are providing a very good solution for our tenants, as their business partners or visitors don’t even have to exit the building when they are here,” Weber tells City & Country in an interview.

“They can stay at the hotel and then just walk over the bridge to go to their respective offices. At the same time, we have food and beverage offerings in the hotel for them to have lunch or dinner or appointments and meetings.”

The link bridge has been constructed and will also be unveiled on Dec 18. It connects Hyatt Centric City Centre Kuala Lumpur to Menara Hap Seng 3 on the first floor.

The former Wisma KFC, once the headquarters of KFC Holdings (M) Bhd, occupied a 0.5-acre freehold plot. It had a gross floor area of 342,145 sq ft and 268 parking bays.

Weber says the main challenge of turning the office building into a hotel were the building and structural constraints. Nevertheless, Hap Seng overcame the challenges by encouraging the architects and interior designers to think out of the box.

“The brief to them was not to be limited by these constraints, but to think out of the box. Think first what we want to achieve with that building, and then find ways on how to do that. So creating that mindset in every consultant’s head was very important to us,” he says.

“We took out an entire floor, for example, to allow our restaurant on the ground floor to have double-volume ceiling height. Although we were limited in terms of space, we created an express lift that goes straight to the rooftop restaurant. So, we had that mindset that even though there are building constraints, we want to do something nice. And I think we have managed to do that.”

Hyatt Centric City Centre Kuala Lumpur was designed by Singapore-based Silverfox Studios.

“They took that brief very well and made perfect use of the space. We think our guest rooms are well maximised space-wise. They feel very good and comfortable, even our public areas,” says Weber. However, the group is not ready to reveal the cost, he adds.

Hap Seng has retained the building’s 268 parking bays. Due to the narrow space, there will only be valet parking for guests who drive to the hotel. This service will create a seamless experience for them.

Hyatt Centric City Centre Kuala Lumpur general manager Chikako Shimizu notes that the design blends a contemporary style with inspiration from the city’s rich tin-mining history, featuring indoor graffiti that captures the city’s dynamic spirit. There is also an element of industrial design signifying the tin-mining history as well as artworks by local artists displayed in the building.

“We have a total of 312 guest rooms, which include standard rooms and suites. Some hotel rooms have a private balcony, which is a great feature for guests to step out and embrace the city view,” she says. The standard rooms range from 25 to 34 sq m and come with either city or neighbourhood views.

There is a total of 2,990.31 sq ft of meeting space and 937.75 sq ft of foyer area for the purpose of meetings and events at the hotel. The two meeting rooms can be split into four smaller rooms.

There are three restaurants in the hotel: TanBuri, a café offering Indian tandoori dishes with a local twist, on the ground floor; IL Forno, an all-day dining Italian restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, on Level 19; and @21, a rooftop bar and lounge by the pool.

“For the opening offer, there is a 10% discount on King standard room (standard rate: from RM600). World of Hyatt members will get a 15% off,” she adds.

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