Piccolo operator plans to set up boutique hotel chain

The owner and operator of the Piccolo Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Absolute Prestige Sdn Bhd, plans to establish a boutique hotel chain in Malaysia.

The proposition is ambitious given that its Piccolo Hotel on Jalan Bukit Bintang is only two months old and the company's maiden foray into the hotel industry.

Nevetheless, realising its goal may not be too far off as Absolute Prestige has already been approached by other property owners who are keen to replicate its hotel model nationwide.

Piccolo Hotel not only showcases marine life and conservation in the hotel, but also strives to be as environmentally-friendly as possible.

"We are talking to parties and looking at the location. These are people who have existing properties that we can take over (and convert to hotels) around the country," Absolute Prestige executive director Suzianna Wong-Svrcula said.

"We want to share the beauty of the marine world and about conservation," she said, indicating that she would like to have a hotel in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Should anything materialise, she expects it to be in 2009/2010.

"We believe we have an exciting product and hope to replicate it," she said.

In 2001, Absolute Prestige paid RM45mil for a 60-year lease on the 13-storey Wisma Peladang to turn it into a boutique hotel.

By New Straits Times