Three years after the opening of the Setia SPICE Penang event complex, which includes the Setia SPICE Convention Centre, the Malaysian developer has finally picked the Amari brand to manage its onsite business-class hotel which is set for an August 2020 opening.
During an exclusive hard hat tour of the property last Friday – whose structure is now complete and tiling work has started on its sprawling lobby – Koe Peng Kang, senior executive vice president of developer S P Setia, told TTGmice that the hotel will be a four- to five-star product with 453 keys spread across three room types – a lead-in category, executive suites and a presidential suite.
The lead-in category will be “a comfortable and stylish space that will please business travellers” and priced around RM340 (US$82) a night, which Koe said would be competitive with hotels located in the area.
Although the hotel will have a ground level connection with the Setia SPICE Convention Centre, as well as via a rooftop garden on the fourth floor, it will come with its own collection of event spaces. Four meeting rooms and two function areas, an executive lounge with a further two meeting rooms, and a co-working space in the lobby have been confirmed.
According to Koe, these event spaces will complement Setia SPICE Convention Centre and can support breakout room requirements and social activities.
“Should corporate groups need an exclusive venue for special celebrations, we offer the Sky Bar on our topmost floor, level 25. A spiral staircase will lead to an intimate space above,” he said.
A “baba nonya design” vibe will feature strongly across the hotel in the city that is rich in Peranakan heritage, revealed Koe who added that local artworks will be used extensively.
“The hotel is part of our blueprint right from the start, and we are happy that it is shaping up for an opening. The convention centre has been popular for events, and having a connected hotel will help event groups.
“While we have these many rooms, I expect we will still need to work closely with hotels in the vicinity to handle overflow from large-sized events. We will happily do that because our priority is to bring big events into Penang,” said Koe.
