Hyatt has entered into a management agreement with a subsidiary of WCT Holdings (WCT) to develop a new 200-room Hyatt Place hotel in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It is expected to open in 2022.

“We are grateful to work with WCT for the first time to introduce the Hyatt Place brand to Johor Bahru, one of the fastest growing cities in Malaysia,” said David Udell, Hyatt’s group president, Asia Pacific. “A destination in itself, Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru offers an ideal locale for Hyatt Place Johor Bahru, which will provide professionals and leisure travellers with a relaxed, quality hotel experience in a prime leisure, retail and dining hub.”

Located in the central Skudai district, Hyatt Place Johor Bahru will be part of a 13-acre integrated development that includes Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru and the upcoming Paradigm Residence. The seven-storey Paradigm Mall opened in late 2017 and offers more than 500 retail shops operating on 1.3 million sq ft of retail space and 4,200 carpark lots.

Amenities at the hotel will include a cafe, swimming pool, fitness centre, and more than 2,400 sq ft of meeting space. It is situated within a 10-minute drive from Johor Bahru City Centre and has direct access to major highways including Skudai Highway, Pasir Gudang Highway, North-South Highway, and Second Link Expressway. The development is also within reach of various amenities, including education, healthcare, popular attractions and the Senai International Airport.

Patrick Finn, Hyatt’s senior vice president of real estate and development, Asia Pacific, says the hotel “will reinforce our growing portfolio in Malaysia as we look to double the number of Hyatt hotels there over the next few years”. The brand currently has more than 355 hotels worldwide, of which five are located in Malaysia.