GuocoLand to manage Sofitel Singapore City Centre and Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara

Source: AccorHotels. Tanjong Pagar
Centre.

GuocoLand will manage two of AccorHotels' newly-built hotels, at Tanjong Pagar Centre in Singapore and Damansara City, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia respectively. Together, the Sofitel Singapore City Centre and the Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara add 534 rooms to the AccorHotel’s luxury brand portfolio.

"Our upcoming world-class mixed use developments in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are set to bring modern, liveable spaces to the heart of the business districts in both cities. GuocoLand is pleased to appoint AccorHotels as the hotel manager for both properties as we see strong synergies with the Sofitel luxury brand and services that will cater to the differing needs and demands of our office tenants, residents, visitors and guests,” said Raymond Choong, President and CEO of GuocoLand Group. "The hotels’ business and dining facilities will be easily accessible to office tenants and residents within both developments, providing them with quality working and living experiences in a cosmopolitan setting.”

“We are very excited that GuocoLand has entrusted us to manage these two flagship hotels under our luxury Sofitel brand in what will be very prestigious lifestyle and business hubs,” said Michael Issenberg, Chairman and CEO AccorHotels Asia Pacific. “These two new hotels are set to become icons in their respective cities, being at the centrepiece of landmark developments that will reinvent urban living in two of Asia’s most dynamic destinations.”

The 222-room Sofitel Singapore City Centre will be part of the upcoming multi-billion dollar Tanjong Pagar Centre, which will redefine mixed use developments in Singapore when it becomes operational later this year. Located between Chinatown and the central business district (CBD), Tanjong Pagar Centre will feature Singapore’s tallest building at 290 m, a residential and office tower, retail and event spaces and a luxury Sofitel hotel, all set around parklands and with direct MRT station access.

Guests at Sofitel Singapore City Centre can enjoy the state-of-the-art Virgin Active gym, as well as public activities and events at Tanjong Pagar Centre’s Urban Park. The 150,000 sq ft Urban Park can accommodate up to 2,000 people, making it an ideal location to host public fitness events, such as Zumba and yoga, for the broader community.

The Sofitel Singapore City Centre will offer guests the luxury accommodations including an outdoor pool, an executive lounge with stunning city views, a 620 sq m ballroom and eight meeting rooms in addition to restaurants and bars. 

In neighbouring Malaysia, the 312-room Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara is also an integral part of a new 8.5 acre integrated development in the upmarket Damansara Heights enclave called Damansara City. Set to open this year, Damansara City will feature two Grade A office towers, two luxury high-rise residences, and an F&B-centric lifestyle mall in addition to the luxury hotel.

The Sofitel will be the first internationally branded luxury hotel in the area and is part of the prime Damansara Heights precinct, which is close to the KL Sentral transportation hub, as well as established townships like Bangsar and Petaling Jaya. The hotel will target corporate clients in the surrounding area, leisure travellers and the MICE market. A new MRT station next to the Damansara City development will provide connections to the rest of Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley.

The Sofitel will feature a lobby lounge, deli, three restaurants and bars, a Club Millesime executive lounge on the 22nd floor, a So Spa, So Fit gym and outdoor swimming pool complete with pool bar. Meeting facilities include an 840 sq m ballroom and five meeting rooms.

Interested?

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post on Damansara City

Hong Leong Group to site global HQ at Damansara City

Source: Damansara City website.

GuocoLand Malaysia's flagship development, Damansara City, has been chosen as the future home for the Hong Leong Group’s global headquarters. The 33-storey Grade-A office tower block in the southwest (direction) end of the iconic development, will be the star anchor tenant within Damansara City once it is fully occupied by the end of second quarter next year.

The Hong Leong Group is a major conglomerate based in Malaysia, with businesses in banking & financial services, manufacturing & distribution, property development & investment, hospitality & leisure, and principal investment. The Group controls listed companies with hundreds of operating subsidiaries and associate companies in North and Southeast Asia, Western Europe and the UK, as well as North America and Oceania.

Damansara City is an integrated city development consisting of two Grade-A office towers; two towers of luxury residences known as DC Residency; an F&B-centric lifestyle mall; and a 5-star hotel.

GuocoLand expects Damansara City to have an initial traffic of 10,000 people daily working within the integrated development and average another 6,000 visitors when it is fully operational by mid 2016. The future development of surrounding areas is expected to enhance the foot traffic within the area and further increase the demand for and the valuation of Damansara City’s units in both the residential and commercial towers.

Office Tower A’s 530,000 sq ft of usable area will be progressively handed over to various operating companies within the Hong Leong Group in coming months. “This announcement reinforces the position of Damansara City as the heart of a leading new business district in the Greater Kuala Lumpur and Damansara Height’s community. It underscores our unique combination of factors that sets us apart and has spurred both investor and corporate interest in the project to date.

"This includes our location within the exclusive enclave of Damansara Heights which is mere minutes away from Bangsar, the KL city centre, the KL Sentral transportation hub and other established townships; the highest levels of seamless integration between our corporate, residency and hospitality facilities; the onsite presence of a refined and curated lifestyle mall; and accessibility through multiple road systems and the soon to be completed MRT line,” said Tan Lee Koon, Managing Director of GuocoLand.

Damansara City, with a gross development value of RM2.5 billion, is an entry point project (EPP) under Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programme. It has been identified as a key component and driver of one the fastest growing business districts in the Greater Kuala Lumpur area with strong and growing interest from buyers and tenants across South East Asia.

The office spaces at Damansara City are setting a new benchmark, not just in the Damansara Heights and greater Kuala Lumpur areas but from the regional property market. Strong regional demand for both its commercial and living spaces is being driven especially by Damansara City’s strategic location in Damansara Heights and office towers, which are MSC-status ready developments that comply with the Green Building Index (GBI) Certified rating; the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Gold rating; and CONQUAS Quality Assessment for its building construction works.

Hong Leong Group is the first of several prominent brands that are moving their corporate headquarters to Damansara City. DC Mall, the soon to be opened lifestyle and F&B heart of Damansara City is also seeing strong demand for its space. It has already secured in-principle agreements with some well known local and international brands for half its lettable space as well.