KSL stamping its mark in Iskandar Malaysia

KSL City, which is KSL Holdings Bhd’s latest mixed development in the Iskandar Malaysia growth corridor, is set to be a new landmark in Johor Baru when it is completed in two years.

Touted as the biggest commercial complex in the whole of Johor, the project consists of a four-storey podium block of retail complex, two blocks of 26-storey hotel tower with a total of 950 rooms and 355 apartments on two blocks of 33-storey tower.

The podium complex, with floor area of 500,000 sq ft, will comprise retail outlets, a department store, cineplexes and car parks.

The RM500mil project is located within the matured Century Gardens just opposite Holiday Plaza shopping complex near Jalan Datuk Suleiman.


Ku Hwa Seng (left) and Khoo Soon Lee Realty Sdn Bhd general manager Ku Keng Leong with the model of shop offices to be developed at the company's Taman Nusa Bestari project.

“The location of KSL City augurs well for the company and it is the last remaining piece of land in the city for such a project,’’ said KSL Holdings executive director Ku Hwa Seng.

KSL City is located just about two kilometers from the Johor Baru central business district (CBD) and the new Johor Baru Custom, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex.

Ku said the five-star hotel would be known as the KSL Resorts Hotel and would be managed by a local hospitality management company.

The podium block and the hotel towers are expected to be completed towards the end of next year and the apartment blocks in mid-2010.

The apartment blocks will have separate entrances and car parking bays from the hotel towers. Every apartment will have an individual private lift.

“This is the first such development in Johor that combines retail, hospitality and high-rise residential living like those in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore,’’ he said.

Ku said the company was confident the hotel would do well, considering that most hotels in the Johor Baru CBD were recording almost 90% occupancy rate.

“Johor will also benefit from the two integrated resort projects (IR) coming up in Singapore in two years.

“Malaysians and foreign tourists planning to visit the resorts in Singapore would probably stay in Johor Baru as the hotel rates in Singapire are too costly for the average visitors,” Ku said.

Presently, Singapore is facing a shortage of hotel rooms and the average room rates at S$280 could further increase to S$500 by the time the KSL hotel is completed.

“We plan to have a tie-up with the two Singapore casino operators to provide shuttle bus services from KSL City to the two resorts,’’ he said.

Ku said the Singapore Tourism Board has projected that some 17 million tourists would visit the island state next year.

As for the apartments, KSL would be looking at Malaysian professionals and expatriates working in the republic as potential buyers.

“Similar apartments like what we are building would carry a price tag of over S$500, 000. The price advantage will be the main reason for the people to stay in Johor Baru and work in Singapore.

“It is a well known fact that Johor and Singapore have been complementing each other economically for long,’’ he said.

Ku does not discount the possibility that the KSL City project could be a stepping stone for the company to further expand into the retail and hospitality sector.

By The Star