The Klang Valley in Malaysia is experiencing major economic growth and considered as an important commercial getaway to Malaysia. It calls for brands across the globe to set up their establishments. The recent hype and huge scope for establishments have made Klang Valley a perfect place for global brands like Wyndham to set up a landmark hotel with the name of Wyndham Acmar Klang. Wyndham is considered to be the world’s largest hotel franchising company, with approximately 9,200 hotels across more than 80 countries. The property is located 30 minutes from Kuala Lumpur and close to three major highways. The property will be the first upscale international hotel in Klang targeting customers seeking luxury.

President and Managing Director of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Southeast Asia and Pacific Rim, Ooi Joon Aun, said “Housing Malaysia’s main international gateways – KLIA and Port Klang, one of the world’s busiest container ports and Kuala Lumpur’s main cruise hub – the dynamic Klang Valley is at the very heart of Malaysia’s national economy,”.

The hotel is set up with a primary objective of appealing the tourist base of leisure guests, business travellers, meeting planners focusing on events and conferences for business setup and providing all the facilities required for an event. Wyndham Acmar Klang is the fifth hotel in Malaysia by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.  There are 10 more properties in the pipeline. The chain owns 21 globally established brands and plans to open hotels under these new brands in Malaysia, such as TRYP by Wyndham, Wyndham, and Dolce by Wyndham.

Ooi believes that the hoteliers are experiencing more competition from traditional and non-traditional players, just because the hospitality industry as a whole has evolved significantly in the past 20 years. From the introduction of new hotel brands and concepts to digital platforms, the industry has changed significantly.

He said “The challenge is to ensure our brands and hotels continue to add value to our guest experiences in a digitised market while maintaining that personal touch,”. Ooi is confident about the future of travel and hospitality industry because now-a-days people are more drawn towards travelling, considering the affordability of air travel and he is optimistic that the industry will continue to grow in the next five years given Malaysia’s proximity to China, which is considered as the largest source of outbound travellers. Ooi said “Tourism in South-East Asia is booming, with the region supporting close to 10% year-on-year growth in international tourist arrivals,”.

“In Malaysia, tourist arrivals and receipts have increased by almost 20% and 70% respectively within the last decade. The first five months of 2019 saw Malaysia’s tourism industry record a positive growth of 4.8%, with ASEAN countries maintaining the lead as the biggest contributor of international tourist arrivals.”

He also added “Malaysia was recently ranked in the Top 10 in Asia for human development and innovation, and globally it is recognised as a top prospective destination for multinational corporations, and the Top 5 most cost-competitive cities,”.