The aerial view of the talked-about hotel in the exclusive enclave of Damansara Heights, Sofitel.

KUALA LUMPUR – Globally renowned luxury hotel brand, Sofitel, is set to become the most visible and talked-about hotel in the exclusive enclave of Damansara Heights in Kuala Lumpur. AccorHotels Group which owns the Sofitel brand has recently signed the agreement with GuocoLand (Malaysia) Berhad to open and manage the hotel in its Damansara City integrated development.

The interior of The Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara at Damansara City will be designed by Wilson Associates, who are renowned for creating luxurious and elegant interiors in some of the world’s finest hotels. The new hotel will feature 312 guest rooms, a lobby lounge, a deli, three restaurants and bars, a Club Millesime executive lounge on the 22nd floor, a So Spa, So Fit gym and outdoor swimming pool complete with pool bar. There will also be meeting facilities including a 840 sqm ballroom and five meeting rooms.

The announcement of the new Sofitel comes as the brand is undergoing a renaissance to better meet the needs of today’s luxury guests. Sofitel hotels provide authentic luxury, where innate French elegance artfully blends with the local culture to create exceptional experiences.

“The new hotel is the last but highly anticipated component that completes the Damansara City integrated development and it is surely going to add tremendous value to the development when it is fully operational. It is expected to be a big draw for a wide array of travellers, holiday makers, events and meetings,” says Datuk Edmund Kong, Group Managing Director of GuocoLand Malaysia.

“With Sofitel joining the Damansara City family, the different entities of the development are able to fully draw synergies from each other and we can expect exciting times ahead. The upcoming F&B centric lifestyle mall which is set to open by May 2016, the two Grade-A office towers and now a very renowned luxury hotel - all of these are set to seamlessly integrate to benefit our DC Residency, the luxury residential component which we had just successfully launched for sale a few months ago. In the future, residents at DC Residency can certainly look forward to enjoy or leverage on some of the facilities and convenience offered by the hotel”, he added.

The Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara at Damansara City will be the first internationally branded luxury hotel in the exclusive Damansara Heights precinct, which boasts proximity to KL Sentral transportation hub and established townships like Bangsar and Petaling Jaya.

The hotel – and indeed the whole precinct – will target corporate clients in the surrounding area, leisure travellers and the MICE market, with Damansara Heights having a reputation as a choice destination for Malaysia’s most influential people. A new MRT station, which is just 400 metres away from Damansara City, will also provide hotel guests and other tenants alike efficient connectivity to the rest of the Klang Valley.

“The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) project, when completed by 2022, will spur new economic opportunities and convenience in and around Damansara City. This is even more so when the rail route is ultimately linked to the 5,000km Pan-Asian HSR that connects Kunming in China to Singapore”, Edmund added, “As one of the new CBD’s in Klang Valley, Damansara City will see travellers from around the region converging at the development – staying at Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara and DC Residency, working and having meetings at DC office towers, and winding down with good food and beverages at DC Mall. If they choose to go back on the same day, they just need to hop on the MRT and head to the airport or HSR station.”

Apart from Damansara City, AccorHotels has announced the signing of a deal with GuocoLand to open a Sofitel in Singapore as well where the new hotel will form part of the new Tanjong Pagar Centre, a large-scale integrated development that includes the tallest residential and office tower in the island republic.

Damansara City, with a gross development value of RM2.5 billion, is an Entry Point Project under Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programme. It has been identified as a key component and driver of one the fastest growing business districts in the Greater Kuala Lumpur area with strong and growing interest from buyers and tenants across South East Asia.

The jewel of Damansara Heights, Damansara City is an integrated city development consisting of two Grade-A office towers; two towers of luxury residences known as DC Residency; an F&B-centric lifestyle mall; and the upcoming Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara. The entire project will be fully operational by the second half of 2016.

GuocoLand has built an enviable track record as a leading property developer with a history that spans over 50 years in residential townships, commercial and mixed development projects in Malaysia such as the Emerald master planned township in Rawang, Pantai Sepang Putra, Alam Damai and Jasin. It is part of the Singapore-based GuocoLand Ltd, which is a leading regional property player with established operations in China, Singapore and Vietnam.

For more information on Damansara City visit www.damansara-city.com or visit GuocoLand’s website at www.guocoland.com.