Genting ups the lifestyle game

For many Malaysians, Genting Highlands was a place that spawned a multitude of fun memories as they were growing up. Synonymous with Resorts World Genting (RWG), family holidays at the hill resort was when the adults hoped for winning bets in the casinos,  while the children explored the Outdoor Theme Park rides during the daylight hours, and the Indoor Theme Park when the sun set. On a busy weekend, the queue for the three-minute Cyclone roller coaster ride could take up to an hour, but boy, it was worth it.

Fast forward to the present, the RWG of today has moved beyond casinos and transformed itself into a lifestyle and entertainment destination for families and individuals of all ages.

First opened in 1971, RWG has evolved into a mini city on the hill station, with more than 10,000 hotel rooms, a 1.43 million sq ft lifestyle mall called Sky Avenue, an advanced cable car system, world class restaurants and casinos. There is also Genting Highlands Premium Outlet, located mid-hill (a property of Genting Simon Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between Genting Plantations Bhd and Simon Property Group).

Over 10,000 hotel rooms are spread across seven hotels, namely Crockfords, Maxims, Genting Grand, Resort Hotel, Theme Park Hotel, First World Hotel and Awana Hotel.

Genting Malaysia owns and manages RWG. It also owns two seaside resorts – Resorts World Kijal in Terengganu and Resorts World Langkawi in Langkawi.

Speaking to EdgeProp.my, RWG senior vice president for hotel operations Datuk Edward Holloway explains how the DNA of Genting is to maintain an inclusive resort that caters to each member of the family unit.

“In our RM10.3 billion Genting Integrated Transformed Tourism Plan to redevelop RWG, the bulk of the money (60-70%) is spent on the non-gaming assets such as Sky Avenue, the restaurants and the [upcoming] theme parks. That befits the whole DNA of the company — from our founding chairman to our current chairman — in having a truly integrated resort where you can have plenty of things you and your family members can do that is not just gaming- or theme park-centric.

“With this input to make Genting Highlands new again, we have put a lot of effort into creating a lifestyle. Lifestyle is a big word, it doesn’t mean you have to be rich to enjoy a lifestyle,” Holloway says.

Rising visitor arrivals

In a separate interview, RWG senior vice president of sales and marketing Rocky Too speaks to

EdgeProp.my about the introduction of the many exciting components to RWG, which has boosted tourist arrivals to nearly 24 million in 2017 with a noticeable rise in the number of customers aged between 20 and 45.

One of its latest hotel introductions is the high-end Crockfords. Comprising a collection of 115 luxurious suites located adjacent to Sky Avenue and First World Hotel, all suites come with 24-hour room and butler service, car jockey as well as exclusive fit-out materials such as Greek Calacatta marble in the in-room private steam saunas.

“The projection numbers on crowd arrivals is high, with the indoor theme park Skytropolis Amusement Park opening in December, and the world’s first 20th Century Fox World theme park opening in 2019. 

“Our target is, by 2020, tourist arrivals will be 30 million and above. We are confident in achieving this target with the new attractions especially at the 20th Century Fox World with its major theme rides from big movie titles such as Alien vs Predator, Ice Age, Rio, Night at the Museum and Planet of the Apes,” says Too. He adds that RWG pulls the crowd as it has everything under one roof, and it enjoys cool weather 365 days a year.

Holloway explains that unlike in Tokyo and Singapore, RWG found it quite difficult to attract spending power in Malaysia without an array of F&B outlets.

“Places like Singapore rely a lot on the corporate dollar for its entertainment. Compared to Genting [here], the dollar is out of their own pockets. And you know when you are paying out of your own pockets, you are going to look for the best value-for-money experience that you can afford,” he says.

An interesting example he cites is the London-famous Burger & Lobster chain, one of the most popular brands Genting has brought in.

“We saw Asians queuing for a 20 burger or lobster at the London and other UK outlets. [In Genting], Burger & Lobster has opened for 18 months and there’s still a queue outside every day. People paying RM130 for a burger? Even in any of the best five-star hotels or restaurants in town, no one will pay RM50 even if there is caviar on it. But they come here and pay to stay in a queue just to take a photo and say, I was at Burger & Lobster,” Holloway says.

Up next 

RWG will be introducing some pretty exciting attractions. Come end of the year, the indoor Skytropolis Amusement Park at First World Hotel which is currently undergoing a huge revamp, will open featuring 24 rides and an ice-skating rink housed within more than 40,000 sq m of space. 

Meanwhile, The Void, — a whole body, fully immersive virtual reality experience location based entertainment — and ILMxLAB are collaborating to bring in the first virtual reality experience featuring Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire. This will be its first venture out of the UK and the US, and the first one in Asia.

Also opening in December is Zouk Genting which will span 37,500 sq ft on Level G of Sky Avenue. It comprises two clubs – Zouk and Empire. 

Earlier this year, RedTail Bar by Zouk, a new-style gaming bar covering some 4,289 sq ft opened at Sky Avenue. It can accommodate up to 150 guests. Some of the game varieties offered include Beer Pong, darts and pool as well as entertainment such as live music and cocktail classes.

Another interesting component of RWG is the recently opened Asian Bar Street, which is part of Sky Avenue, where visitors can enjoy alfresco dining from 11am till late at night. Popular eateries there include Rockafellers Kitchen + Bar and the renowned steamboat restaurant, Beauty in the Pot.

Also open is a new dining establishment, High Line, which boasts some 13,094 sq m of space located on Level 4 of Sky Avenue, housing a variety of food offerings including Meating Point, Jon Bing, Brooklyn Brewery and Burger & Shots. The dining concept allows guests to mix and match their food selections and enjoy them in a communal dining area.

Running a giant resort is no easy feat, but for Holloway, he believes that in every challenge lies the opportunity to be successful.

“I think a lot of Malaysians who have come up to Genting in the olden days don’t recognise Genting when they come now. Ultimately, Genting is a Malaysian brand. It’s been part of the community in this country and we are going to put it on the world map — that there’s always something cool to do in Genting,” says Holloway.

The largest laundry plant in Malaysia

Have you ever wondered where all the linen and towels in a world-class resort get washed and dried after you check out? EdgeProp.my had the opportunity to take a look at the laundry room operations at Resorts World Genting.

Located on Level B8 of First World Hotel, this magnificent 26,000 sq ft laundry area starts work as early as 7am and runs till 11pm daily. A total of 77 staff members keep this place operating including a senior laundry manager, laundry manager, laundry executive, laundry supervisors, washers, linen keepers and laundry attendants.

A total of 40 tonnes of linen or 75,000 pieces of laundry are washed on a daily basis in the First World Hotel laundry room for sheets from First World Hotel, Crockfords and Resorts World Awana which is close to 8,000 rooms in total. Guess how much water is used? An average of 40-46 tonnes, daily! Although so much is accomplished in a day, it is all automated, with a minimal workforce.

The laundry system was a RM18 million investment and all the 76 units of machineries were sourced from various countries such as Germany, England and the US.

This is basically how it works: 

1.         All laundry pieces are received from the various hotels after the guests check out. Some of them even come through these huge “slides”.

2.         The pieces are then sorted by type such as bed sheets, bath towels and pillow cases.

3.         The pieces then go through the washing cycle, followed by drying, ironing and folding, the latter of which is done manually.

4.         Finally, they are stored, ready for use by the housekeeping department.

This story first appeared in the EdgeProp.my pullout on Oct 12, 2018. You can access back issues here.