Flynas charts expansion plans

By Sharen Kaur
sharen@mediaprima.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Saudi Arabia's carrier Flynas will raise over US$100 million (RM330 million) by the end of this year to help fund its growth, which includes expansion into Malaysia.

Flynas chief executive officer Raja M. Azmi said the airline is mulling over issuing sukuk or other financial instruments, such as securitisation of assets or revenue.

"We are talking to Arab and Malaysian banks. It is to partly finance the airline's growth and develop the global flight routes," said Raja Azmi, formerly AirAsia Bhd executive vice-president and group chief financial officer.

Flynas, owned by Nas Holdings, which is controlled by Arab royalties, offers flights within the Arab region, Turkey, Sudan and Egypt.
From April, it will offer regional travellers access to affordable, high-value air travel to Europe, Asia and Africa, operating out of its hub in Jeddah.

The new destinations include Kuala Lumpur, London, Gatwick and Manchester in the United Kingdom, Paris, Jakarta, and Casablanca.

In the near future, it will fly to Pakistan and India.

The global expansion is part of the airline's aim to fly 20 million passengers annually by 2020.

Last year, Flynas flew 3.5 million passengers and the target this year is to serve five to six million passengers, Raja Azmi said.

At a press conference after the launch of the Kuala Lumpur-Jeddah route yesterday, Raja Azmi said Flynas will use the A330 planes to offer three weekly flights starting early April.

The frequency will be doubled by the end of the year.

"We will fly out of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang. If there is a good offer, we will fly from klia2.

"Our flight fares will be lower than the local airlines, especially AirAsia. In fact, we are talking to MAS, AirAsia and Malindo Air for code sharing and alliance," he said.

Raja Azmi is bullish on the airline's prospects here, targeting the 200,000 Muslims who travel for their annual pilgrimage to Mecca, as well as non-Muslims.

Flynas is also targeting Arab holidaymakers. In the first nine months of last year, some 73,000 Arabs visited Malaysia.

YTL unit aims to expand Vistana hotel chain nationwide

By Sharen Kaur

KUALA LUMPUR: YTL Corp Bhd's hospitality arm, YTL Hotels & Properties Sdn Bhd, aims to expand the Vistana hotel chain nationwide over the next few years.

Deputy managing director Datuk Yeoh Seok Kian said YTL Hotels is also eyeing luxury hotel brands to include in its classic collection.

YTL Hotels owns and manages a collection of hotels and Spa villages locally and in Thailand, Indonesia, China, Japan and Europe.

These include Pangkor Laut Resort, Cameron Highlands Resort, Tanjung Jara Resort, The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur, The Majestic Malacca, Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur and JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur.

Vistana Hotel is a business-class hotel operated by YTL Hotels.

The company currently owns Vistana Hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan and Penang, which underwent refurbishment recently.

It is believed that YTL Hotels invested around RM50 million to RM60 million in the refurbishment exercise.

The company launched the refurbished properties last week, providing better offerings for both business and leisure travellers.

The refurbishment of Vistana Hotel Kuala Lumpur involved the hotel's 360 executive deluxe rooms and two executive suites, while for Vistana Hotel Kuantan, it involved 210 executive deluxe rooms and five executive suites.

For Vistana Hotel Penang, the exercise involved retrofiting its 221 executive deluxe rooms and 17 executive suites.

The refreshed hotels all have a modern and stylish look, offer 24-hour gyms equipped with FreeMotion Fitness equipment, free WiFi, and "grab-and-go" coffee bars.

Yeoh said YTL Hotels' investment to upgrade the hotels is to capture the growing tourism market as well as to cater to the demand arising from Visit Malaysia 2014 events.

For Visit Malaysia 2014, the government is targeting 28 million in tourist arrivals and RM76 billion in tourist receipts.

It is expected to contribute to the realisation of the government's target of receiving 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in tourist receipts by 2020, as outlined in the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan 2020, which is part of the National Key Economic Areas.

Majestic Hotel reigns high

By Sharen Kaur

THE Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur, a jewel in YTL Corp Bhd's classic hotels collection, has exceeded the expectations on both revenue and occupancy in its first year of operations.

Director of sales and marketing Anna Olsson said the hotel achieved high occupancy, thanks to support from clients and business partners since its opening in December 2012.

"The driving forces have been to stay true to our product and service level. In this day and age where information is so easily accessible, hotels must stand out by offering unique services and experiences for their guests.

"I believe The Majestic Hotel is a hotel that provides just that; a national treasure with its colonial heritage dating back to 1932 and unique experiences," she told Business Times here, recently.
The 300-room hotel offers 24-hour butler service in the Majestic Wing suites, Truefitt & Hill gentlemen's grooming centre, and private dining room with chef on call at The Smoke House and Afternoon Tea at the Orchid Conservatory.

It is the only hotel in Kuala Lumpur that is part of The Leading Hotels of The World's (LHW) luxury hotel collection.

LHW is the world's largest collection of luxury hotels with more than 430 properties in 80 countries.

The original structure of the British colonial-inspired hotel was designed by Dutch architect Von Leangeanderg and built in 1932. It closed in 1984.

YTL Corp restored and reopened the property in 2012 as a luxury hotel after a hiatus of 18 years.

The Majestic Hotel has picked up several awards in its first year of operations, winning the prestigious Hotel of the Year award at the recent HAPA awards, Best City Hotel and Excellence Award for Best Boutique Stay at the Best of Malaysia Awards by Expatriate Lifestyle, as well as being included in Conde Nast Traveller's Hot List of the world's best new hotels and DestinAsian's exclusive The Luxe List.

"Sometimes the resurrection of a hotel can herald a second renaissance. The hotel has been a national treasure since 1932 and is now beautifully and authentically restored," Olsson said.

Olsson said 2014 looks promising, with the Visit Malaysia 2014 campaign and the hotel is confident it will achieve new goals and expectations.

She said the campaign should help the hotel increase awareness and bookings especially for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) and leisure travellers.

YTL's classic hotels collection also compriseCameron Highlands Resort in Pahang, Swatch Art Peace Hotel Shanghai in China, and Gainsborough Bath Spa Hotel in the UK.

YTL keen on UK boutique hotels

By Sharen Kaur

STAYING POWER: Company has the funds and close ties with bankers to expand there, say sources

YTL Corp Bhd, which owns Wessex Water Services Ltd in the United Kingdom, is scouting for more assets in the country, sources said.

They said YTL, which is controlled by Tan Sri Francis Yeoh, is eyeing completed luxury boutique hotels there.

“YTL is bullish on its prospects in the UK. It also has the funds and close ties with bankers to expand its business there,” a source told Business Times.

Its subsidiary, YTL Hotels & Properties Sdn Bhd, will be opening Gainsborough Bath Spa Hotel, its first hotel in the UK, in the third quarter of this year. It will offer 99 rooms starting from £289 (RM1,572) a night.

YTL Hotels bought the property, which is located at the Unesco World Heritage City of Bath, for around £18 million in 2012. It then invested another £12 million to build a new wing, the Spa Village Bath, and thermal pools.

The hotel is YTL’s third UK asset, besides Wessex Water. YTL Hotels had recently acquired Thermae Development Co Ltd, which holds the licence to operate the Thermae Bath Spa complex, for £12 million.

Mercury Securities head of research Edmund Tham believes that the YTL group will expand its existing businesses in the UK for future gains.

“Just like Genting Bhd, SP Setia Bhd and the Employees Provident Fund, all of them seem to like investing in the UK because of the returns and future prospects.

“Yeoh has developed a high taste and niche for luxury assets and the UK is the right place to accumulate those properties,” he said.

The Gainsborough Bath Spa Hotel is the fourth in the YTL Classic Hotel collection after Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Cameron Highlands Resort in Pahang and Swatch Art Peace Hotel Shanghai in China.

YTL Hotels also owns Gaya Island Resort in Sabah, Tanjong Jara Resort in Terengganu, five city hotels managed by various Marriott brands, the Muse collection of bespoke properties, Niseko Village in Japan and The Surin in Phuket, Thailand.

Tham said profit contribution from the current UK assets will be huge because of foreign exchange gains.

YTL Hotels executive director Datuk Mark Yeoh Seok Kah said although its investment in Bath is small, the accretive value is positive.

Meanwhile, Majestic Hotel KL sales and marketing director Anna Olsson said YTL Hotels will examine the possibility of further additions to its existing collection.

“YTL Hotels will expand when the opportunity presents itself,” she replied via email.

Labuan - More than a financial centre

Story and pictures by Sharen Kaur
Published in NST on January 30, 2014

Besides beautiful beaches and duty-free shopping, Labuan is also renowned for its world-class sport fishing and much more, writes Sharen Kaur

THE Federal Territory of Labuan is full of surprises and my top list of things to do includes duty-free shopping, watching the sunset and relaxing at a spa.

Labuan, which faces the Brunei Bay, is an island with an estimated population of 80,000 people.

Based on statistics from the Tourism and Culture Ministry, almost one million tourists visited Labuan in 2012, of which 29 per cent or 271,183 were foreigners.This means that tourism is still a small play in Labuan but that perhaps may change with Visit Malaysia Year 2014.

My friends and I find a few reasons why the island can be a great tourism destination.

Besides clean air, attractive landscape, courteous motorists, Labuan offers plenty of thrills and mysteries, and good food, too!

ACCOMMODATION
We learn that Labuan has only 36 hotels with 1,685 rooms, and more under construction.

The existing ones are mostly budget hotels, and those between the two and four star categories.

Having heard great stories about Dorsett Grand Labuan, we decide to stay there, the key reason being that it is the only 5-star hotel on the island and it’s just about 8km from the airport.

Dorsett Grand Labuan offers great view of the sea and it is also within walking distance to the town, which we later discover is small enough to explore by foot.

For sunset thrill, the distance between the hotel and the island’s most popular beach is less than 10km.

Other attractions within walking distance include the ferry terminal which you take to Brunei and Kota Kinabalu, textile shopping and duty-free shops.

Duty-free shopping is one of Labuan’s well known attractions. You could get items such as pearls and crystals, alcohol, tobacco and chocolate at reasonably cheap prices.

EXPLORING THE ISLAND’S BEAUTY
Labuan comprises Labuan island along with six other smaller islands, namely Pulau Burung, Pulau Daat, Pulau Kuraman, Pulau Papan, Pulau Rusukan Kecil and Pulau Rusukan Besar.

We go island hopping, courtesy of Dorsett Grand Labuan. Our tour guide shares that world class sport fishing is the main activity on these islands, besides snorkelling and water sports.

We, however, don’t take in any of the activities as it has been drizzling heavily and we are unprepared.

Our guide says the blue clear water around these idyllic islands is home to one of the world’s richest coral and fishing grounds which offers unlimited deep sea tackling and coastal table-fish catches.

As the Pearl of South China Sea, we find that Labuan has beautiful stretches of beaches. The famous ones are Batu Manikar, Pancur Hitam and Layang-layangan where the locals hang out and have a BBQ picnic during the weekend.

We also discover that most of the island’s prime land, waterfront and suburbs are utilised for residential and tourism development with beautiful architecture and landscape.

The south western side of Labuan is utilised by shipbuilding, manufacturing and oil and gas industries, being the main activities on the island.

HISTORICAL SITES
Labuan has plenty of tourism activities such as the Japanese Surrender Point, The Chimney, Water Village (Kampung Air) and World War II Memorial, which were educational and thrilling.

According to the hotel’s general manager Alfred Paulsen, The Chimney is an artifact from Labuan’s coal mining era between 1847 and 1912.

The Chimney, a legacy from Labuan’s coal mining era. PICTURES BY SHAREN KAUR

“It is a 32.3m high red brick structure and Labuan’s most well-known landmark. Its actual purpose is still a mystery although many believe it served as a ventilation shaft. There are various stories but nothing can be confirmed,” he says.

The World War II Memorial is Malaysia’s largest war grave. Some 3,908 soldiers, mostly Australians, British and Indians, are buried there. A memorial service is held on Remembrance Day every year.

The Water Village, which comprises two main villages known as Kampung Bebuloh and Kampung Patau-Patau, are resided by mainly Brunei Malays. The wooden houses are built on stilts over water and are connected to each other.

The Japanese Surrender Point at Layang-Layangan where the 37th Japanese Southern Army surrendered to the 9th Division Australian Imperial Forces on Sept 9 1945 which led to the end of World War II in Borneo.

It is also here that Southeast Asia’s first war crime trials were conducted.

The Word War II Memorial is Malaysia’s largest war grave.

Peace Park is located near the Japanese Surrender Point. This beautifully landscaped park was built as a memorial and renunciation of the horrors of war.

A huge man-made mound is the focal point and there is also a plaque signifying the renunciation of war.

EAT UP
Even if you have plenty to eat while travelling, you will most likely burn everything before heading home with the amount of walking that you may do.

Labuan has many cafes and restaurants that offer good food, from local halal dishes to seafood, and value for money, too!

Fret not if you are too lazy to go outdoors for dinner after a long and tiring day as the cuisine at the hotel’s Victoria’s Brasserie will surely whet your appetite!

The restaurant offers all-day dining of delectable local and international cuisines, at affordable prices!

The daily themed Buffet Dinner is a must-have especially its BBQ night.

Labuan’s beautiful sunset.