Travel is among the ostensible perks of today’s professionals.
But luxurious hotel rooms soon start to feel small, and constrained. The food is great at all the restaurants, and there is room service, but all you long for is a simple stir-fry, or an omelette in front of the television at the end of the day.
Star hotels have entered the space as the benefits are many. For one, these are close to central business districts and although part of the main hotel property, there is a separate private entry and an internal walkthrough to access the hotel’s food and beverage offerings. They also offer valet and concierge services along with housekeeping.
Big cities have seen an upsurge in serviced apartments, driven by multinationals and a mobile population. After all, business travellers and visiting professionals need to stay in the business hubs for anything between a few months and a few years, depending on their nature of work.
Guests at these ‘residences’ can access everything that the hotels are offering, right from multiple cuisines, housekeeping and security services to spa, gyms, pools and parking facilities.
“Expatriates want apartments independent of the hotel, but they also want the security and comfort of a big hotel,” said Celia Kam, area manager of Ascott Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
‘City-within-a-city’
Ascott Sentral KL is a serviced residence in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, a unique ‘city-within-a-city’ development.
The residence belongs to the global Ascott brand, offering 157 apartments, from studios to two-bedroom and three-bedroom penthouses units, enabling travellers to choose a suitable match for their requirements.
The place has good transportation links that enable visitors to reach the Kuala Lumpur International Airport via KLIA Express Rail in just 28 minutes.
The residence also offers extensive facilities for long and short stay guests, including a state-of-the-art gym, business centre services and babysitting services.
Located on the same road is KL Sentral, a transportation hub for Kuala Lumpur’s integrated rail transportation centre. It offers global connectivity and links to all urban and suburban residential, commercial and industrial areas.
Nearby attractions include the Lake Gardens, KL Bird Park, Chinatown and the National Museum.
Quality serviced residence
“Ascott has been in Malaysia for 15 years now, and over the years, we have become a brand synonymous with quality service residence,” said Kam.
“With the Ascott Sentral KL, we further extended our footprint in this bustling city , and are now primed to take advantage of the increased demand of serviced residences,” she added.
Kam explained that Kuala Lumpur is now seen as a leading destination in Asia both for investments, as well as for meetings, conferences and exhibitions. “KL’s infrastructure, quality facilities and competitive business costs attract multinational companies to set up businesses in the city and drive demand from expatriates and travellers for serviced residences.”
Kam said besides Ascott Sentral KL, Ascott also manages Ascott KL Citadines Uplands Kuching and Somerset Ampang Kuala Lumpur.
Over the past few years the group has opened Citadines Dpulze Cyberjaya, Somerset Medini Nusajaya, Somerset Puteri Harbour Nusajaya and Somerset Damansara Uptown Petaling Jaya
“With these establishments, we’ve doubled our inventory with over 1700 apartment units across eight properties in Malaysia. This reinforces our position as the largest international serviced residence owner and operator in Malaysia,” she said.