http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/pelican71/P2050205.jpg

Name change --- good. But the sign doesn;t match the building.

Yup, the hotel sounds much nicer as Crowne Plaza Mutiara KL, rather than just "Mutiara"...

But that sign is just so out of proportion... Too huge and wrong color!

yeah, i agree. the sign surely spoiled the building:(

Crowne Plaza Mutiara Kuala Lumpur, which was officially launched on Feb 24, has targeted an average occupancy of 60% at an average room rate of RM260 per night, according to its owner, Tradewinds Hotels & Resorts Bhd.

Its chief operating officer Amir Abdul Rahman says the hotel, formerly known as KL Hilton, had undergone a re-branding and the appointment of UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group Plc as its new management.

Two years ago it was managed as Mutiara Kuala Lumpur after a RM93 million refurbishment, but was renamed Crowne Plaza Mutiara KL last December
Amir told reporters that the new management was necessary due to the low occupancy rate. He added that prior to re-branding and change of management, it was difficult to achieve an occupancy rate of 40%.

“We had no proper distribution system. Average room rate was RM170,” he said.

He said InterContinental, with a strong presence in the Asia Pacific, made it possible for the hotel to grow its occupancy. It received over 150 inquiries, a 20% rise from 2004 for conferences. The hotel expected over 30,000 guests this year, he said.

Tradewinds Hotels & Resorts is a unit of Tradewinds Corporation Bhd (formerly Perrnas International Holdings Bhd). It owns Hilton Petaling Jaya, Hilton Kuching and Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort.

reading the above news item, I wonder, isn't it premature to anticipate that rebranding the hotel automatically should result in a higher room rate? Shouldn't the room rates be set at a 'promotional level' for an extended period to allow the new 'hotel image' to set into the conciousness of travellers prior to raising the price/rm?

I think the brand of the hotel actually plays an important part in getting ppl to visit and stay in...

When that hotel was just Mutiara, most ppl would have preferred to check-in at the other more well-known hotels nearby (think Mandarin Oriental, Shangri-La, Ritz-Carlton, Equatorial etc... All familiar names!)... They would have had the impression that Mutiara was some goodness-knows Malaysian small brand...

At least with InterContinental's Crowne Plaza brand coming in, more credibility will be brought in... InterCont itself is the world's biggest hotel chain and is of international repute...

KL's tallest from 1973 - 1982

http://www.markowens.co.uk/images/borneo/Borneo2003-008.jpg

how is the sign litted at nite?

how is the sign litted at nite?

Here's how the sign looks like at nite, sorry for the pic's quality.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y162/zedhand/Set110_01.jpg

RM3m Crowne Plaza Mutiara-KLCC link
By Doreen Leong
30-05-2005



Tradewinds Corporation Bhd is investing RM3 million to build a six-level escalator link from its hotel the Crowne Plaza Mutiara Kuala Lumpur to the new Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The move is to tap into the business potential for the hotel from those attending functions at the convention centre.

Tradewinds Hotels & Resorts Sdn Bhd’s chief executive officer Amir Abdul Rahman says the link, which is expected to be completed in October, will provide convenience for its hotel guests attending functions in the convention centre.

In addition, attendees at the convention centre will be able to patronise the hotel’s food and beverage outlets by using the link — making the hotel a mere eight minutes’ walk away.

“The link will enhance our earnings both from room occupancy and F&B outlets,” he tells FinancialDaily

Amir says it has submitted the plans for the construction of the link to the local authorities and expects to obtain approval soon.

He adds that there are also plans to put up a café along the link for passers-by to have a quick and light meal.

With the link, the revenue contribution from its F&B outlets is expected to increase to 55% by year-end from 40% currently, while occupancy rate is seen to improve to 70% from 60%.

Amir says it will expand its F&B outlets in Crowne Plaza, providing variety to its guests with a new Indochina cuisine restaurant and either a steak house or Iranian cuisine restaurant by this year.

On its other hotels, Amir says Tradewinds is investing about RM67 million in the refurbishment of Mutiara Beach Resort Penang and some minor works on Hilton Kuching and Hilton Petaling Jaya, scheduled for this year.

Tradewinds is one of the largest hotel owners in the country with 11 hotels in its stable.

It also owns Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort in Sarawak, Mutiara Pedu Lake in Kedah and Mutiara Taman Negara in Pahang. It has also begun its first venture overseas via the construction of a hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam, which is expected to be completed by this year.

isn't Crowne Plaza quite far away from KLCC?? 8 minutes walk is like further than my house is to my school:D

Crowne Plaza Mutiara picks up awards
06 Dec 2005 4:14 PM


Crowne Plaza Mutiara Kuala Lumpur has been recognised for outstanding achievements in channel management and collateral at the recent InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Asia Pacific Leadership Conference held in Kuala Lumpur.

It was recognised in two competition categories - “Best Collateral” and “Most Effective Channel Management.”

“We’re very honoured to be recognised by our colleagues and our peers,” said Philip Riley, general manager of Crowne Plaza Mutiara Kuala Lumpur.

“This is a tremendous achievement, to win this award in the world’s most global hotel company that arguably has the best channels business model in the industry today.

“This award really pays tribute to the commitment of my entire team at the hotel to ensure we meet and exceed the expectations of all our customers, whether they book online, or through a travel agency partner, and especially if they are Priority Club members,” Riley added.

Channels management refers to the different channels business and leisure travellers can use to book their accommodation at any IHG hotel, such as its pioneering online reservations systems, Priority Club Rewards programme, or through travel or professional meetings planners.

IHG has four of its seven hotels brands present in this region - InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, and Express by Holiday Inn.

isn't Crowne Plaza quite far away from KLCC?? 8 minutes walk is like further than my house is to my school:D

No lah..very near if you use the tunnel to KLCC

No lah..very near if you use the tunnel to KLCC
Eh? Got Tunnel? :?
Taken 28.12.2005
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v730/Greg8000/PIC_0206.jpg

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/8633/11e8de10yn.jpg

Eh? Got Tunnel? :?




I also dunno what tunnel is he talking about :D

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/8633/11e8de10yn.jpg

looks nice. I prefer this area to be lively at night :cool:

by Alex DeLarge

http://img29.picoodle.com/img/img29/8/6/29/f_81m_8d7b9c4.jpg