Datai brand expands into Johor

Destination Resorts & Hotels (DRH) has disbanded its hotel management arm Archipelago Hotels & Resorts but its plans to export “the art of Malaysian hospitality” lives on through Datai Hotels & Resorts.

The brand, whose roots lie in the sole Datai property in Langkawi, will soon enter Johor as part of DRH’s integrated development Desaru Coast, which comprises four hotels, two golf courses, two ocean themeparks, a waterfront retail and lifestyle village and a hospitality, tourism and culinary arts school.

General manager of The Datai, Langkawi, Anthony Sebastian, has been seconded to oversee the opening of two Datai hotels in Desaru Coast – the five-star Datai Desaru and four-star family-oriented theme hotel, Anak Datai. The Daily understands a new GM is being sought for The Datai, Langkawi. The other two hotels in Desaru Coast are an Amanresort and a Sheraton, the latter with an adjoining convention centre.

But tour operators said it is debatable if The Datai, Langkawi, with its unique architecture, secluded beach and lush rainforest, can be replicated and if the name Datai has enough recall beyond its loyal following to be a global brand. Sixty per cent of The Datai, Langkawi’s clientele are upmarket UK visitors.

Sebastian, who is also DRH’s senior vice president-hotel management, said: “Datai’s DNA is not difficult to transport. The Datai, Langkawi is not just about location. Its core value actually is the staff – they make the resort what it is today. I’ve seen this for myself and I’ve heard this feedback from every single guest. So, it’s a question of transporting the service culture (to other Datai resorts) through having the right people and through training, so that there is consistency.

“Of course Datai Desaru will not have the same setting as The Datai, Langkawi but clients will find the same peacefulness and tranquility as in The Datai, Langkawi, and the same treatment by staff who know how to care for them and make them feel they are at home.”


Sebastian added he has been helping to set up policies and procedures for the two properties, while training and trial runs have started. Apart from the two Datai hotels in Desaru Coast, DRH is looking at other destinations, including London and Dubai, for potential expansion of the brand.

Asked why there are so few Malaysian hotel brands with regional or global footprint, Sebastian said it might be due to a lack of confidence and difficulty in finding talent.

DRH, owned by Khazanah Nasional, the investment arm of the Malaysian government, seeks to redress that with Datai Hotels & Resorts and by being the catalyst for the development of premier integrated resorts such as Desaru Coast. The project will open in phases, beginning with the golf courses in April, up to 2016.

-TTG Asia.