Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG) has been strengthening its presence in Southeast Asia and is preparing to open its seventh hotel in Malaysia. The Singapore-based company has added Gurney Bay Hotel in Penang, which includes a hotel, resort and serviced apartments, to its Malaysian portfolio.
Set to open on September 1, the 368-room Gurney Bay Hotel, A Parkroyal Hotel will operate under the group’s Parkroyal brand. This also marks the brand’s second location in Penang.
PPHG will assume operations of the hotel, earlier known as Gurney Bay Hotel, and begin phased renovations to the property. Located about 10 minutes away from George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the hotel sits in the new Gurney Bay lifestyle area, that was developed by the Penang State Government as part of the Penang 2030 Vision. The hotel offers views of the Penang coastline, George Town and Penang Hill.
The hotel includes an all-day dining restaurant with a capacity of 220 guests, a lobby lounge and bar, health club, outdoor tennis courts, two pools, fitness center, kid’s club and a ballroom for up to 550 persons with four more meeting rooms.
Situated in the city center, Gurney Bay Hotel will benefit from the location of the Penang International Airport expansion project. Slated to be Malaysia’s second largest airport, the project is anticipated to be completed in 2028. The capacity of the new airport will double the existing capacity of 6.5 million passengers per year to 12 million passengers per year, said Choe Peng Sum, PPHG’s chief executive officer.
Gurney Bay Hotel will complement the Parkroyal Penang Resort in the beachfront area of Batu Ferringhi, Cho said. This marks the fourth hotel opened by PPHG in Southeast Asia this year. PPHG inaugurated Parkroyal Serviced Suites Jakarta in January, Parkroyal A’Famosa Melaka Resort in February and Pan Pacific Jakarta in June.
Tourism has been holding steady in Malaysia and plays an integral role in the Malaysian economy, encouraging PPHG to expand its footprint in the country. Malaysia is targeting 36.5 million tourists in its Visit Malaysia 2026 Program.
In 2022, Penang’s economy growth touched 13.1%, surpassing the national economic growth of 8.7%. Malaysia’s economic recovery continued into 2023, with Penang recording a 64% jump in tourist arrivals to reach 6.9 million visitors at the Penang International Airport, Cho said. “This year, Penang is targeting more than 5 million tourists and 7.4 million tourists by 2030.”
Currently, PPHG owns and manages more than 50 hotels, resorts and serviced suites under three brands — Pan Pacific, Parkroyal Collection and Parkroyal — across over 30 cities in Asia Pacific, North America and Europe.