This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on March 24, 2025 - March 30, 2025
HOLIDAY Villa Hotels & Resorts Sdn Bhd recently purchased Crown Regency Serviced Suites Kuala Lumpur, sources say. The Edge has been given to understand that Holiday Villa acquired 82% of the strata units within the 31-storey building for an undisclosed amount from a sole vendor who has not been identified. The remaining units are owned by individuals.
Crown Regency is located just minutes away from the Petronas Twin Towers. It will be rebranded as Holiday Villa Hotel and Residence Kuala Lumpur and is slated to open this year.
During a recent visit to Crown Regency, The Edge observed three commercial units on the ground floor that front Jalan P Ramlee — retail convenience store myNEWS, bar and restaurant Gravybaby and Healy Macs Irish Bar & Restaurant.
“Perhaps some are more familiar with the former Beach Club just a stone’s throw away from Crown Regency. The area used to have a very vibrant nightlife some years back with many tourists frequenting Beach Club. Then there was the Thai Club and Bistro opposite. Both have since closed. Beach Club, for instance, really suffered due to the pandemic and closed in 2020,” a source recalls.
The former Beach Club parcel has what appears to be ongoing construction; the project sign board lists Amerta Entertainment Group Sdn Bhd as the developer with plans to build an entertainment club on the site.
Meanwhile, Crown Regency’s website shows the availability of serviced suites ranging from studio units to three-bedroom suites. A recent search online revealed a listing of a 1,485 sq ft three-bedroom, three-bathroom unit for sale at an asking price of RM930,000 or about RM626 per sq ft. The Edge understands that there are 98 suites in the building.
Several sources tell The Edge that Holiday Villa has been on the lookout for properties to acquire in the city centre for some time now. A company search reveals that Holiday Villas Hotels and Resorts Ltd owns 75% of Holiday Villa, while Tan Sri Azman Shah Haron, who is chairman of both Holiday Villa and Holiday Villa Hotels and Resorts Ltd, holds the remaining 25%.
According to its corporate profile, Holiday Villa Hotels & Resorts was established in 1987 by Azman and his wife Puan Sri Mavis Masri Azman with the first resort in Cherating, Pahang. Today, its portfolio includes 26 hotels and resorts across Malaysia, Indonesia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and China.
Locally, two hotels under the Holiday Villa brand are slated to open this year, including Holiday Villa Hotel Terengganu. Holiday Villa also has plans to open Holiday Villa Spring Resort & Villas Nanyue in Hunan, China, this year. Its Holiday Villa Resort & Suites Zilin Mountain in Guizhou, in the Zilin Mountain range, held a soft opening in October last year.
In 2022, Holiday Villa formed a joint venture with China’s GreenTree Inns Hotel Management Group, the parent company of New York Stock Exchange-listed GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd. On its website, Holiday Villa says the partnership supports its plans to increase its presence across Asia, with Kuala Lumpur serving as the central hub and gateway for regional market expansion.
The first GreenTree Hotel in Southeast Asia, the 206-room GreenTree Hotel Johor Bahru in Pernas Jaya, will be introduced by next year. Malpakat Leisure Group Sdn Bhd is the developer and owner. Since 2016, Malpakat has also owned the four-star 345-room Holiday Villa Johor Bahru City Centre.
GreenTree’s portfolio includes budget, mid-scale and premium hotels. In 2023, GreenTree expanded into the restaurant industry via the acquisition of two prominent restaurant chains in China — Da Niang Dumplings and Bellagio.
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