YTL opens resort off Sabah (4677)

YTL Hotels has started operating the first of its two planned luxury resorts on islands off Borneo.

The diversified group started operating the Gaya Island Resort on July 1, YTL's first luxury property which it also owns in Sabah and Sarawak.

The resort, built at an estimated cost of RM75 million, offers a total of 120 villas and a two-bedroom suite.

Gaya Island Resort general manager Jeffrey Mong said the resort is targeting guests from the UK, Europe, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

The resort is expecting to garner an average room rate of above US$350 (RM1,102) and an average occupancy of over 50 per cent in its first year of operation.

Mong in an e-mail interview with Business Times said the group expects the property's performance to be comparable to that of Pangkor Laut Resort, which is an island off the main island of Pangkor in Perak.

The resort's architecture respects Sabahan elements. It uses local materials which blends with the natural environment. Each of the 47 sq m villa features a spacious bedroom, a writing desk, a flat screen television with satellite channels, wi-fi access, a large open bathroom with an oversized bathtub and two vanity units, and an outdoor verandah with day beds.

The resort features one two-bedroom suite called Suria Suite, perched on sloping hillside. The ground floor of the 188 sq m unit has a lounge area, private dining room, a TV room, a powder room and a pantry which opens out onto a outdoor deck.

The first floor, meanwhile, has two separate bedrooms with walk-in wardrobes and vanity areas. It features an outdoor bath which leads onto the suite's private balcony.

There are 52 units of Kinabalu Villa with views of South China Sea and 40 units of Canopy Villa which are located on the hillside.

Another 24 units called Bayu Villas are set amongst the tropical mangrove on sloping hill offering and yet a mere walking distance from the resort's pristine sandy beach.

Gaya Villa, meanwhile, is also on the hill, offering a serene setting.

Other group hotels located in Malaysia include Cameron Highlands Resort, Tanjung Jara Resort and The Majestic Malacca. It will soon open the Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

Abroad, YTL group of hotels include MUSE Saint Tropez Ramatuelle, France, The Spa Village Resort Tembok, Bali, The Green Leaf Niseko Village, Japan and The Surin, Phuket.

According to Mong, all its properties are enjoying growth.

"At all our properties, we have increased the average daily rate (ADR) and occupancy numbers over the last several years as we have increased the awareness and level of experience offered at our hotels.

"We are always looking to improve our performance and are never satisfied with our results," he added.

Currently, its best performing hotel asset is JW Marriott, Kuala Lumpur.

Meanwhile, the planned YTL resort on the infamous "Survivor" island Pulau Tiga, is still under development. This resort, like Gaya Island Resort, is located off Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

YTL's Pulau Tiga is expected to have 65 sea-facing luxury one and two-bedroom villas, all with their own private pools and dedicated spa treatment areas.

Other amenities here are to include a Feast Village, tennis courts, a gymnasium, a lap pool and a dive centre complete with recreational options.