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InterContinental Hotels Group ( IHG ) has announced the signing of a management agreement with Golden Wave Sdn Bhd for a new 367- room Crowne Plaza hotel in Kota Kinabalu , Sabah , East Malaysia .
The opening of Crowne Plaza Kota Kinabalu Waterfront in 2021 will mark the entry of the brand into East Malaysia . The hotel will be part of a mixed-use development at a prime waterfront location in downtown Kota Kinabalu , sitting amindst high-end residences and a number of dining establishments which offer stunning views of the city ’ s waterfront .
Situated within a 10-minute drive from Kota Kinabalu International Airport and away from major traffic bottlenecks familiar to the city , Crowne Plaza Kota Kinabalu Waterfront will be
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the ideal choice for business guests and leisure travellers looking to minimise travel time to and from the central business district . The hotel is strategically located within the heart of this vibrant city and within walking distance to major office buildings , shopping centres and tourist attractions .
The hotel will offer eight versatile meeting spaces , including a large ballroom which can hold up to 600 people and can be easily transformed to suit a variety of MICE needs . Part of the Crowne Plaza brand ’ s signature meetings programme also includes an expert team led by the hotel ’ s Meetings Director to ensure every event runs seamlessly .
Leanne Harwood , Vice President , Operations , South East Asia and Korea , IHG said : “ Home to Malaysia ’ s second
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busiest airport , Kota Kinabalu has seen significant tourism growth over the last few years , with double-digit annual increase in international visitor arrivals . Sabah ’ s economy is also expected to grow fourfold over the next decade with support from the Sabah Development Corridor Economic initiative . This presents an excellent opportunity to bring in the Crowne Plaza brand to cater to the expected rise in business travel in this emerging business epicentre and popular tourist destination in East Malaysia .”
“ The city shows great potential
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Kota Kinabalu CBD for growth in tourism , especially with upcoming developments such as the Kota Kinabalu Convention City . We are very excited to work with Golden Wave Sdn Bhd to bring the Crowne Plaza brand into East Malaysia ,” added Harwood .
Golden Wave Sdn Bhd is a subsidiary of Bursa Malaysia listed Ho Hup Construction Company Berhad . It is a joint venture entity managed by Ho Hup Construction Company Berhad , along with Tribeca Real Estate Asset Management and several local shareholders .
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A realistic study involving all stakeholders of Sabah ’ s tourism industry must be made before finalising on a new mega Kota Kinabalu International Airport ( KKIA ) project , stressed Sabah Hotels Association ( SHA ) chairman Christopher Chan .
Chan said a greater KKIA should be made in a timely matter according to the economic climate whilst ensuring proper funding is available before sparking speculations that would impact the city planning and property industry .
He said the country should learn from history and the
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need for a bigger KKIA should not only be measured from a civil aviation angle but also from a local tourism perspective with a firm footing on facts and all possible implications .
“ Is it the right time for us to talk about a new one ? Because the total tourist arrival for 2016 is only about 3.3 million ,” he said .
“ The airport should have been relocated to Tuaran in the past but then that didn ’ t happen and an upgrade was made to the present one .
“ These things are going to create either a good or bad
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thing , the land cost all of a sudden go sky high in certain areas . Tuaran for example , all of a sudden the land costs went up very high as the airport was expected to be there but it didn ’ t happen ,” reminded Chan , adding that the mega project would affect development plans for building due to zoning restrictions .
Going a bit further , Chan also wondered whether the new airport would impact the Pan Borneo Highway , a project
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The current Kota Kinabalu airport
that should take precedence to a new KKIA .
“ Let ’ s be realistic , don ’ t put in speculation when it might be another 50 years before we have a new airport ,” he said .
He said all options should be considered before making a final conclusion and a decision should be made based on priority .
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