YTL Hotels and Marriott International continues to grow their 24-year long relationship with a new partnership that will bring Spanish chain AC Hotels to Malaysia. Aimed at younger urban focused business travellers that demand a strong sense of design, AC Hotels will take over Vistana Hotels’ current portfolio across Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Kuantan.

At the signing of a master development agreement that sees YTL Hotels hold exclusive rights to the hotel brand, the company revealed plans to develop an AC Hotel in every state across the country is one of their goals. At its core, the new hotel brand will focus on being a located in major metro markets with a motif that guarantees style, as inspired by the fashion houses of Spain and Italy.

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“It is our hope that with this partnership that we have a strong new brand here in Malaysia. I think that it will yield more firepower for Marriott International, YTL Hotels and Malaysia,” said Dato’ Mark Yeoh, the executive director of YTL Hotels. “In terms of investment on YTL Hotels’ part, it will be quite substantial as we grow in stages. We will grow as much as the Malaysian market can allow it.”

“A third of our 140 million loyalty members are in the Asia Pacific, equating to half of our growth. Inter-Asia travel is becoming the biggest source market for everyone and we as a company need to add new locations and fresh brands for our clients,” said Craig Smith, president and managing director of Asia Pacific.

The arrival of AC Hotels in Malaysia will mark the brand’s first foray into the Asia Pacific region, with growth planned in others such as Tokyo in the first quarter of 2020.