YTL Hotels presents Vistana's new look

Kuala Lumpur, 14 February 2014,

The first city hotel brand under YTL Hotels has been given a complete facelift, promising a brand new experience to its guests.

The Vistana Hotels brand was relaunched today in three simultaneous ceremonies in Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan and Penang. The theme ‘Times Change, So Do We’ underscored the pillars of the upgraded Vistana product, best described as Vibrance, Verve and Value.

Reflecting on the birth of this brand in the mid-90s, Dato’ Mark Yeoh, Executive Director of YTL Hotels said, “When the prospect of starting a city hotel came up in 1995, YTL recognised that the market in Kuala Lumpur was ripe for the smart, stylish accommodation targeted at business travellers that we envisioned; thus, we seized the opportunity”.

The company went on to open Vistana Hotel Kuala Lumpur that year, followed by Vistana Penang and Kuantan in 1999. Offering good value, convenient location and great service, these Vistanas came to the top of their game. 19 years later, YTL Hotels has grown to encompass 24 properties across the globe, including the awardwinning private island Pangkor Laut Resort.

Since the Vistana opening, the company has strived to evolve the brand to suit the needs and trends of travellers. This extensive upgrading of the Vistana brand commenced with the appointment of a task force comprising of promising candidates within the company, whom brainstormed and helped determine the new brand promise of ‘ Vibrance, Verve and Value’, which led the evolution that is evident today.

Speaking at the relaunch of Vistana Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Tan Sri (Dr) Francis Yeoh said, ''The Vistana brand emanates stylishness, modern comfort and great value. Not least, it has the very best of YTL hospitality. We thank God for the culture in YTL, where my brother, Mark, and his team have been consistent. With this team of hoteliers, Mark Yeoh believes Malaysian hospitality is natural and should arise and eminate from Malaysians naturally.

''Now YTL hotels has 5,000 rooms and all these hotel rooms globally win global awards. This is the way YTL Hotels evolve - because of the enthusiasm and devotion in the sense of humility and service and the passion of service. This actually highlights the ability of Malaysians to be the global best.

''I congratulate not only the YTL Hotels team led by my brother, but also our ability as Malaysians to be second-to-none in the area of hospitality.''

Guests at the launch had the opportunity to take a grand tour of Vistana guest rooms and public spaces which have been fully refurbished, providing an accommodation experience of comfort and practicality, with new facilities such as 24-hour gyms, Barista –the grab-and-go coffee bars and HUB247 –the business solutions centre, also on offer. Guests are now provided greater connectivity with free WiFi throughout the hotels.

This modern ambience and refreshing ethos is sure to appeal to both loyal customers and intrepid Millennials on-the-go.

This transformation has taken one year from conception to completion. “Our endeavour comes at a timely moment, in hand with Tourism Malaysia’s Visit Malaysia 2014. It is therefore very exciting to me to stand before you today at the
start of this journey, as we put the Vistana –a wholly Malaysian hotel brand, on the map, and proactively engage the savvy modern day traveller together, showcasing the wonders of Malaysia”.

Throughout the next few years, the company intends to take Vistana Hotels to greater heights, expanding throughout Malaysia and the region, putting the rejuvenated brand at centrestage.

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14TH FEB 2014

REBRANDING LAUNCH Vistana Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Titiwangsa
SPEECH BY TAN SRI DR FRANCIS YEOH
Managing Director of YTL Corporation Berhad

• Yang Berbahagia Datuk Dr Ong Hong Peng, Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism & Culture
• Distinguished guests,
• Friends of the media.

It is wonderful to see all of you here this morning.

Thank you for being part of this exciting re-launch of The Vistanas in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Kuantan. I remember so vividly when we first launched Pangkor Laut Resort in the mid-1990s. It set the tone for many of our subsequent resorts locally and globally, not least, our most recent Gaya Island Resort in Sabah.

Unbeknownst to some, the Vistana Hotel Kuala Lumpur that came to be in October 1995 was actually our first city-hotel. It too sparked the expansion of our city-hotel portfolio.

Here in our capital alone, we have The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott and the iconic Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur, recently voted ‘Best City Hotel’ by Expatriate Lifestyle.

Which is why, I am very pleased that today, we concurrently unveil the vibrant new looks to all three of our Vistanas - KL, Penang and Kuantan. The three Vistanas, in particular, have the business hotel niche, with a long list of corporate clientele.

The Vistana brand emanates stylishness, modern comfort and great value. Not least, it has the very best of YTL hospitality. We thank God for the culture in YTL, where my brother, Mark, and his team have been consistent. This Malaysian team of hoteliers. Mark Yeoh believes in Malaysian hospitality is natural and should arise and eminate from Malaysians naturally.

But to become management level and to believe that we are actually one of the world's best in hospitality, is something I've always believed. The servanthood of service which is quite simple, the humility of service.

Now YTL hotels has 5,000 rooms and all these hotel rooms globally win global awards. This is the way YTL Hotels evolve - because of the enthusiasm and devotion in the sense of humility and service and the passion of service. This actually highlights the ability of Malaysians to be the global best.

I congratulate not only the YTL Hotels team led by my brother, but also our ability as Malaysians to be second-to-none in the area of hospitality.

I love the culture of YTL Hotels who understand the humility of service and putting their egos aside and servicing the customers at all times. That is very tough to do and again I applaud all the YTL unsung heroes - the ladies and gentlemen of the YTL Hotels Group present here. And I hope that from 5,000 rooms we'll grow to 50,000 rooms one day!

YTL Hotels takes great pride in maintaining a strong portfolio of city-hotels. With this significant revamp, a refreshing of all sorts, I am very confident the Vistanas will maintain their strong niche and ascribe further value to our portfolio.

Having said this, please do not take away the impression that the Vistanas are business-hotel centric. In fact, they are immensely popular with tourists and younger families. Naturally, the Vistanas’ revamp comes at an opportune moment, in hand with Tourism Malaysia’s Visit Malaysia 2014.

We certainly would like to congratulate Tourism Malaysia for the passion and energy in their launch of Visit Malaysia 2014. They have already pushed Malaysia onto the tourism world map, including raising Kuala Lumpur’s profile as the World’s Fourth Best Shopping Destination, voted by CNN two years in a row.

We strongly believe that as a result of Visit Malaysia 2014, all our forecasts and expectations of tourist numbers will be surpassed. Datuk Dr Ong, thank you for joining us this morning to witness this significant re-launch of the three Vistanas. We are immensely grateful for your time and as always, your invaluable support.

We look forward to the Threes Vistanas value-adding and contributing to Visit Malaysia 2014, as well as putting this wholly Malaysian hotel brand on the tourism map. Thank you and May the Lord bless our endeavours.