BANGKOK—Minor Hotel Group (MHG), in a joint venture with Malaysian partner Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, will develop an Anantara resort in Desaru Coast in southeast Malaysia.
MHG‘s share of the $58 million project is 60%.
Scheduled to open in 2018, the new-build Anantara Desaru Resort & Villas will be located in a new beachfront development in Desaru Coast and will have 123 keys composed of a 103-room resort with 20 three- and four-bedroom villas. Features will include restaurants and bars, two swimming pools, a lounge and observation bar, kids and teens clubs, meeting rooms, a gym, watersports and an Anantara Spa.
Desaru Coast is a resort area located at Malaysia’s southeastern tip in Johor Bahru and spans more than 3,900 acres along a beachfront facing the South China Sea. It is proximate Iskandar Malaysia and 45 minutes from Senai International Airport and a two-hour drive from Singapore.
Attractions in the area will include two championship golf courses (27-hole Ernie Els and 18-hole Vijay Singh designed) managed by Troon Golf, a water adventure park, a waterfront retail village, a conference center and additional hotels and resorts.
Dillip Rajakarier, group COO of Minor International and CEO of Minor Hotel Group, said, “The development of Anantara Desaru Resort & Villas, in partnership with TAR&H, represents MHG’s first investment in Malaysia and we are confident that the new property will showcase the best that Anantara and Malaysia have to offer.”
Tunku Dato’ Ahmad Burhanuddin, group managing director of Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels, added, “This collaboration is set to catapult Malaysia into the global tourism market while ambitiously honing its position within the luxury segment.”
MHG is an hotel owner, operator and investor, currently with a portfolio of 135 hotels, resorts and serviced suites in operation under the Anantara, Avani, Per Aquum, Oaks, Elewana, Marriott, Tivoli, Four Seasons, St. Regis, Radisson Blu and Minor International brands.