InterContinental Hotels Group has signed a management agreement with Exopuri Development Sdn Bhd to develop a new 288-room Holiday Inn & Suites on mainland Penang, in Malyasia.
Exopuri Group is a property developer focused on the Northern region of Malaysia. Its holdings include the Bukit Mertajam MY Hotel, also in Penang.
The hotel will be located in the commercial district of Prai, between the major bridges connecting mainland Penang and Penang Island. Holiday Inn & Suites Penang Prai is slated to open in four years, and will reportedly be the tallest building in the area at approximately 35 stories, affording high visibility from the North-South Highway, which connects Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur with Penang and other northern cities.
The hotel, which will be a short drive to upcoming major development Batu Kawan, will sit within Juru Sentral, a mixed-use complex, alongside retail shops, residential premises, offices and serviced apartments.
Leanne Harwood, VP of Operations, South East Asia and Korea, IHG, said: "We are delighted to have this opportunity to work with Exopuri Development Sdn Bhd to expand our presence in Penang as the state, also known to most as the 'Silicon Valley of the East', continues to experience growth in visitor arrivals and gain traction as a regional business hub for international companies. Penang welcomes international and intra-regional visitors from countries where the Holiday Inn brand is well known and loved, and we are confident Holiday Inn & Suites Penang Prai will be a great addition to the Malaysian state when it opens within the next few years."
The hotel will have four restaurants and bars: an all day dining, a lobby lounge, a pool bar and a rooftop sky bar. The hotel will also have 12 meeting rooms including a ballroom.
Ng Kock Leong, managing director, Exopuri Development Sdn Bhd, said: "We are pleased to be developing the hotel with IHG who we know has a great reputation in operating world-class hotels. The Holiday Inn brand is well loved and recognised by travellers all around the world, and coupled with the great location we are opening the hotel in, we are confident Holiday Inn & Suites Penang Prai will be the hotel of choice by both first time and frequent travellers to Penang. We look forward to welcoming guests through our doors when the hotel opens."