The Hong Kong-headquartered hotel group has partnered with Malaysian company Nautical Insight Sdn Bhd, the owner of LaCrista Hotel in Melaka, to turn the property into LaCrista by Swiss-Belhotel.
Colonial style
The luxury flagship hotel has 225 furnished rooms, with glass-domed ceilings and Roman pillars, and is suited to both leisure and business travellers.
With Colonial-inspired architecture, the lifestyle site is a five-minute-drive from the local attractions in this UNESCO World Heritage town.
Pursuing opportunities
Gavin M. Faull, chairman and president of Swiss-Belhotel International, said: “We are delighted to partner with Nautical Insight who understands this market well. We see tremendous growth potential for our respective companies in Malaysia and will be aggressively pursuing development opportunities throughout the country. Focused on high-growth markets in south east Asia, our expansion is driven by long-term sustainability while strengthening our diverse portfolio of brands.”
Dato Rosthman Ibrahim, MD of Nautical Insight, added: “We are thrilled to partner with Swiss-Belhotel International and look forward to combining the strengths of both our companies. We believe that LaCrista’s better understanding of local culture and requirements can benefit the partnership in providing exquisite services to the customers. With the local knowledge and extensive networking that Nautical Insight has in Malaysia, we are confident that the partnership will deliver guests the exceptional hospitality with outstanding products perfectly suited for the local market.”
Malaysia expansion
Swiss-Belhotel International has robust expansion plans for Malaysia, aiming to reach 10 hotels comprising 2,000 rooms by 2025.
This forms part of a broader growth strategy in the country, and worldwide, with the group also planning to introduce new properties in the future to other key destinations within Malaysia, including Kuala Lumpur.
Elsewhere in south east Asia, the firm has several other projects on the slate, including Swiss-Belresort Eagles Mui Ne in Thành phố Phan Thiết, Vietnam, a 600-key beachfront hotel scheduled to complete in Q4 2023; while in Indonesia both the 271-room Swiss-Belhotel Purwokerto, due in Q3 2023, and 239-key Swiss-Belhotel Puri Indah Jakarta, expected in Q3 2024 in the country’s capital, are in the pipeline.
