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Business Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Beachside or in the city: South-east Asian stays that discerning travellers bookmark for later
SEASONED GLOBETROTTERS KNOW THIS: THE perfect holiday should start right at the hotel. After all, it is your first real touchpoint with the destination after your journey from the airport. Whether you are drawn to bright city lights or seeking a tranquil retreat, the M Social brand of seven lifestyle hotels around the world offers design-forward stays with personality and flair. From the sleek sophistication of M Social Hotel Suzhou to the bold energy of M Social Hotel New York Times Square, each property brings its own creative energy to the table. 'M Social is made for the young and the young at heart – adventurous, free-spirited travellers who crave vibrant design, artistic energy and authentic social connection. It's a brand for those who live boldly, seek the unexpected and value community over convention,' says Saurabh Prakash, interim chief operating officer and chief commercial officer at Millennium Hotels and Resorts. For those planning a getaway closer to home – or even a weekend staycation – M Social's South-east Asian portfolio includes M Social Hotel Singapore, M Social Hotel Phuket and the newly launched M Social Resort Penang. Each property offers a fresh, distinct personality that reimagines the stay experience – whether by the beach or in the heart of the city. Ease into the day with slow, sun-drenched mornings and scenic swims at M Social Resort Penang before stepping into Penang's rich tapestry of sights and flavours. Photo: M Social Adding to the experience is Aiello, the in-room voice assistant across all M Social properties in South-east Asia. Replacing the traditional hotel phone, Aiello offers guests a hands-free way to enhance their stay. Simply say 'Hello, AI' and be connected to the front desk, request for amenities or get recommendations to nearby attractions. A coastal getaway with a Peranakan twist The latest to join the M Social portfolio this month is M Social Resort Penang, located in the heart of Tanjung Bungah in George Town, and along the northern coast of Penang. Its bold Peranakan-inspired design elements will elevate the popular Batu Ferringhi beachfront, offering guests a playful yet relaxed seafront ambience. There are 318 rooms across two buildings to ensure lots of breathing space for guests. These include terrace rooms that offer direct beach access and beachfront views. A short car ride will take you to popular places of attraction such as Gurney Plaza and Gurney Paragon Mall, as well as Penang Hill and the Instagram-worthy Penang Street Art enclave. Soothing palettes and Peranakan-inspired touches add personality to your stay at M Social Resort Penang. Photo: M Social Or stay in to enjoy amenities including the rooftop pool and Breezy Bites, where you can tuck into small bites, have a drink and chill out with friends and family while enjoying a bird's eye view of Penang. If you have a bigger appetite, head to the in-house Beast and Butterflies for authentic Asian cuisine such as fruit rojak, belacan chicken wings and slipper lobster sambal bawang. Indulge in local Penang cuisine at Beast and Butterflies such as Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang and Hokkien Prawn Mee. Photo: M Social It is indeed the epitome of what Jasmine Keh, general manager of M Social Resort Penang, calls 'a vibrant escape where guests dive into immersive local experiences'. Keh adds: 'M Social Resort Penang offers resort-style rooms with stunning beach views, wrapped in modern, sleek design that beautifully blends Penang's rich culture – perfect for free spirits who want to live in the moment.' Unlock exclusive rewards with every stay To make your stay even sweeter, enjoy up to 20 per cent off room rates at all M Social hotels until March 31, 2026. MyMillennium members who make their booking under The Millennium Way promotion can receive additional benefits such as room upgrades, complimentary high tea set and 3,000 bonus MyPoints for a consecutive three-night stay, and up to 30,000 bonus MyPoints for a combined stay of nine nights over different periods. Expand Sun-kissed days meets Thai nightlife glam Located just a 10-minute stroll to Patong Beach, M Social Hotel Phuket is the perfect hybrid of contemporary architecture and lush natural surroundings with 418 rooms and suites. Be welcomed by a striking mural and chic lounge area when you enter M Social Hotel Phuket. Photo: M Social The hotel enjoys direct access to Jungceylon Shopping Centre, while Banzaan Market and the vibrant Bangla Road lie just across the street – the latter coming alive after dark with its energetic nightlife scene. After you have done the dining, shopping and partying circuit, relax and recharge at the hotel's state-of-the-art facilities. These include a day spa, fitness centre and two outdoor pools with scenic mountain views. Unwind in your private cabana or take an afternoon dip and soak in the sun. Photo: M Social Urban reset in the heart of the city Closer to home, M Social Hotel Singapore located along the historic Singapore River lets travellers experience local life along the vibrant Robertson Quay as well as the nearby Clarke Quay, Boat Quay and the Central Business District. Floor-to-ceiling windows bring in natural light and greenery at M Social Hotel Singapore. Photo: M Social But when you need to retreat from the big city buzz, cocoon yourself in the hotel's Philippe Starck-designed space and the cosy comfort of its unique rooms that channel modern living. Think creative loft or alcove rooms with artistic decor and floor-to-ceiling windows that welcome you back for a rejuvenating rest – day after day. Plan your next escape and explore vibrant stays at an M Social destination near you.
Straits Times
21-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
New Penang hotel blends coastal and cultural charm
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The view of the pool at M Social Resort Penang, the first M Social property in Malaysia, which had a grand opening in July 2025. PENANG – M Social Resort Penang has opened on the coast of the Malaysian state, with dreamy sea views, an artificial intelligence (AI) voice butler and local fare as delicious as the island's famed street food. The official launch of the property on July 9, the chain's debut in Malaysia, marks an expansion of Singapore hospitality brand Millennium Hotels & Resorts (MHR) during a landmark year in which the brand turns 30. 'As the first M Social property in Malaysia and the seventh globally, its opening underscores our ongoing focus on lifestyle innovation and regional expansion,' says Mr Saurabh Prakash, MHR's interim chief operating officer and chief commercial officer. He was at the hotel's grand opening alongside VIPs like the Governor of Penang, His Excellency Ramli Ngah Talib, and Mr Kwek Leng Beng, the billionaire executive chairman of MHR, Singapore property giant City Developments Limited (CDL), as well as parent conglomerate Hong Leong Group Singapore. MHR, a subsidiary of CDL that was established in 1995, operates over 145 properties across four continents in cities like New York, Paris, London, Beijing, Dubai and Singapore. Its portfolio includes the M Social and Copthorne brands. The first M Social hotel, designed by iconic French designer and architect Philippe Starck, opened in Robertson Quay in Singapore in 2016. Here are four reasons to check into its latest property. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Japan PM Ishiba apologises to his party for election loss, vows to stay in office to deal with US tariff talks Business $1.1 billion allocated to three fund managers to boost Singapore stock market: MAS Singapore Spirits distribution company Proof & Company Spirits closes Singapore business Singapore Malaysia-bound motorists urged to avoid Tuas Second Link on July 23 due to chemical spill exercise Singapore Trial of new dengue vaccine begins recruitment for child participants in Singapore Singapore Mandai Wildlife Group group CEO Mike Barclay to retire; Bennett Neo named as successor Singapore Fresh charge for woman who harassed nurse during pandemic, created ruckus at lion dance competition Singapore Witness stand not arena for humiliation in sex offence cases, judge reminds lawyers 1. Stay between the beaches and the city The hotel exterior of M Social Resort Penang. PHOTO: M SOCIAL RESORT PENANG Penang culture is baked into the design of this 318-room hotel. Peranakan tiles are a key motif, from the hotel rooms to the lift floors. Feature walls have large murals with local symbols, from the anime-eyed, dusky leaf monkey to the Penang Bridge that links to the mainland. Formerly known as the Copthorne Orchid Hotel Penang before it underwent a year-long refurbishment from April 2024, the hotel's plum location is a 10-minute, RM9 (S$2.70) Grab ride to street food haven Gurney Drive in Penang's lively capital, George Town, at one end, and the relaxing beaches of Batu Ferringhi in the opposite direction. Its Tanjung Bungah neighbourhood has a peaceful row of hotels interspersed with homes. The gleeful squeals of a child – who looks to be trampolining as her barely visible head bobs up and down – float up from a house next door to my hotel room on the 14th floor. Flagship restaurant Beast & Butterflies has floor-to-ceiling glass windows looking out on a rhapsody in blue. The azure pool, with swimmers flopping on hot pink inflatables, forms the bottom third of the view. In the middle of the frame lies the wide Andaman Sea, which has its own tiny islet, Pulau Tikus (Rat Island in Malay), which the famous hawker enclave in George Town is named after. This three-layered visual cocktail is topped by the ever-changing sky. 2. Be uplifted by scents A hotel staff member poses in front of a mural in the main lobby at M Social Resort Penang, the first M Social property in Malaysia. ST PHOTO: VENESSA LEE Stepping into the hotel lobby is a sensory experience. I swig a welcome drink – brightly redolent of apple, cinnamon and pandan – in its tasteful, creamy interiors. Within days, I am mildly hooked on the hotel's signature scent, Legendary by Singapore company Engel's Sense, which has notes of Madagascar vanilla. Further olfactory adventures may be on the horizon. I take part in an aromatherapy workshop at the hotel, sniffing 10 essential oils. Who knew that 20 lemons are used to make just 5ml of lemon essential oil or that geranium smells like the rose syrup in bandung? The instructor from Malaysian essential oil company Franoe helps me create my own signature blend of cedarwood and lime, which sounds woodsy, but instead reminds me of cosy teddy bears. The hotel is looking into aromatherapy and cocktail-making workshops for its guests in the future, says a spokesperson. 3. Hawker favourites The Beast & Butterflies restaurant, which serves Malaysian and international cuisine at M Social Resort Penang, PHOTO: M SOCIAL RESORT PENANG Too languorous to venture outdoors? Tuck in at the Beast & Butterflies restaurant, which serves a respectable take on Penang's hawker food. Ikan merah (red snapper), Penang hokkien mee and sup kambing (mutton soup) are standouts, as is the ginger-spiked jackfruit creme brulee. Weekend buffets start at RM98 an adult. The chef is a dab hand at elevating humble ingredients. The breakfast buffet's moreish roti canai, thinner and less chewy than roti prata in Singapore, is better than some versions I try at hawker stalls in Penang. I have to stop shoving in mouthfuls of a side dish of fried cabbage, whose umami quotient is boosted by a liberal sprinkling of hae bee (dried shrimp). 4. My friend, AI The rooms at M Social Resort Penang range in size from 32 to 160 sq m. PHOTO: M SOCIAL RESORT PENANG There are no phones in the hotel rooms, which range in size from 32 to 160 sq m. Instead, like six of MHR's Singapore hotels, in-room services are powered by the Aiello device, which runs on AI. My requests are logged when I say 'Hello AI' out loud, activating the AI voice assistant, which looks like an analogue alarm clock. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, where I lie on my deeply comfortable hotel bed and ask Aiello anything under the sun. What time is the sunrise tomorrow? What are the tourist attractions nearby? Can I get extra tea bags? The road to friendship is slightly bumpy, nonetheless. Aiello does not always reply in that ubiquitous, soothing woman's voice that all robots seem to aspire to. Sometimes, my request is met with an awkward silence. I find out that it is my fault. How I say 'Hello AI' sometimes doesn't land. I put on a range of funny voices – male, female, loud, soft, Mickey Mouse – in the name of scientific research. It turns out that I just need to speak loudly and clearly enough. There are limits, though, to my one-sided demands that even the unfailingly courteous Aiello cannot meet. She can summon the front desk to deliver my 11pm request of ice for my drinks, but the buck stops with integrating all hotel systems to my convenience. 'Turn down my air-con, please,' I ask. Aeillo replies: 'To turn down the air-conditioning in your room, you can use the air-conditioner control panel. Unfortunately, I can't.'
Travel Weekly
08-07-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
M Social brand expands with Downtown NYC hotel
As it readies the launch of its lifestyle M Social brand in Lower Manhattan, Millennium Hotels & Resorts sees the growing next-gen brand as a vector to capture a younger business traveler open to higher rates for premium amenities, even in an uncertain economic environment. Millennium is set to open on Oct. 15 the M Social Hotel New York Downtown, the converted property currently known as the Millennium Downtown New York, on Church St. near the World Trade Center. The property will be the 10th M Social, and the second in the United States, with the other also in Manhattan: the M Social Hotel New York Times Square. The M Social brand -- short for "Millennium Social" -- debuted in 2016 in Singapore and was designed as a social hub for young and high-end travelers, Millennium chief commercial officer and Interim COO Saurabh Prakash recently told BTN, a brand he said fits the needs of downtown New York. "This was the Millennium Downtown, and it was a very heavy Financial District corporate hotel," Prakash said. "But we studied trends of customers of today, and many young executives are not dressed like me. They are in battered jeans and in t-shirts. They're cool and they're young at heart, and that's the kind of demographics that M Social is all about. And you can be in a suit and you can come into M social and that's fine too, but you want to have that vibe of being free and easy." The newly revamped property includes 569 renovated rooms, including 98 suites, with "advanced workspaces" in guest rooms and 3,550 square feet of meeting space. Millennium plans to open in the property a Beast & Butterflies restaurant, a feature in all M Social hotels, by the end of the year. Despite the lifestyle branding, Prakash said he anticipates the mix of leisure and business clientele will remain similar to that of the Millennium Downtown, a key business travel locale. "I think mix-wise it may be similar but the price points will change," Prakash said, noting the refurbished property's views of the landmarks of Lower Manhattan. "With that kind of breathtaking view, price points will certainly increase for this product. The clientele I would anticipate is customers who are somewhat luxury spenders, young at heart, and they would have high levels of disposable income." Millennium's press materials indicated an introductory room rate starting at $299 per night. A family suite in the upcoming M Social Hotel New York Downtown. Photo Credit: Millennium Hotels & Resorts A comfortable outlook Still, with some corporations taking a tentative approach to global business travel in an uncertain economy, the forecast high-end business travel demand might not be clear, but Prakash said the company is comfortable with Manhattan's level of corporate travel demand. "Certainly there is a slowdown that we can see globally compared to what we've seen in 2023 and 2024," Prakash said. "Having said that, I truly believe tourism and hospitality is a very resilient sector. Case in point, [the Millennium Downtown New York] is running at 100 percent occupancy for the last few days. ... I've been with Millennium for the last six years, and I've seen New York perform over the last six years, and it has been very consistent. Through various ups and downs, it does come out at a strong position at the end of the year." Millennium has about 150 hotels worldwide, 70 of which are directly owned by the company's chairman, Singaporean billionaire Kwek Leng Beng. That ownership structure, Prakash said, enables Millennium to be adroit not only in service development -- a few M Social properties overseas have introduced AI-powered robot butlers to deliver room service -- but also geographic expansion. Millennium plans to open in 2026 a new-build M Social property in Sunnyvale, Calif., in Silicon Valley, Prakash said, the first U.S. presence for the brand outside of Manhattan. Source: Business Travel News
Korea Herald
30-06-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Millennium Hotels & Resorts and Maritim Hotels Unveil Strategic Global Loyalty Partnership
LONDON, June 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennium Hotels & Resorts (MHR) and Germany's Maritim Hotels have announced a strategic cross-brand loyalty partnership, linking their MyMillennium and MyMaritim programmes to offer enhanced privileges at participating properties globally. The agreement was signed at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel & Spa, London, by Saurabh Prakash, Interim Chief Operating Officer and Chief Commercial Officer at MHR, and Roland Elter, Chief Commercial Officer of Maritim Hotels. "Our collaboration with Maritim Hotels is a strategic step to expand our access to Germany and the larger European Union, an important travel and business region. It will enhance travel and strengthen our shared vision to cross borders with quality hospitality experiences," said Kwek Leng Beng, Chairman of Millennium Hotels and Resorts. "This collaboration is a forward-thinking move that aligns with our vision of enhancing guest loyalty through global partnerships," said Kwek Eik Sheng, Executive Director of Millennium Hotels & Resorts. "By seamlessly integrating the strengths and benefits across two trusted hospitality brands, we're offering our members more value, wider choices and enhanced rewards across an expanded network of destinations and experiences." Loyalty programme members will now benefit from reciprocal privileges: "At Millennium Hotels & Resorts, we're constantly looking for ways to elevate the guest experience," said Saurabh Prakash. "This partnership with Maritim Hotels strengthens our loyalty ecosystem by bridging complementary markets. It gives our members broader access and seamless recognition wherever their travels take them." The collaboration grants MyMaritim members access to award-winning Millennium properties in destinations such as Singapore, London, New York City, Dubai, Phuket, and Penang. MyMillennium members gain access to key German locations including Dresden, Munich, Frankfurt, and Berlin. "This partnership delivers enhanced experiences without compromising the essence of either brand," said Roland Elter, Chief Commercial Officer of Maritim Hotels. "It's a step forward in building meaningful connections with our global guests." The agreement also includes joint trade show participation, sales initiatives, and shared employee privileges. "We are proud to partner with Millennium Hotels & Resorts," added Elter. "This loyalty collaboration creates exciting new opportunities for our members to experience international travel with greater benefits and convenience, while honouring the distinct spirit of both brands."
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Millennium Hotels expands M Social Brand in Manhattan
Global hospitality group Millennium Hotels and Resorts is expanding the M Social brand's footprint within Manhattan's Financial District with the rebranding of a Millennium hotel in downtown New York. The property will be rebranded into an M Social property, with a launch targeted for mid-2025. This move follows the opening of M Social Hotel New York Times Square. Millennium Hotels and Resorts interim chief operating officer and chief commercial officer Saurabh Prakash said: "The introduction of M Social Hotel New York Downtown solidifies our commitment to strategic growth in key global markets. 'New York City embodies innovation and vibrancy, making it a perfect match for our brand ethos, and we are proud to deliver an exceptional hospitality experience here." The rebranded M Social hotel will feature 569 renovated rooms, encompassing 98 suites. Besides contemporary accommodations, hotel guests will enjoy a revamped lobby and environmentally friendly features such as smart thermostats and Apotheke bath products. The rooms will offer workspaces catering to business travellers and views of downtown Manhattan, as well as 3,550ft² of flexible event space, comprising six meeting rooms suitable for up to 160 attendees. The launch of the signature Beast & Butterflies restaurant is anticipated for late 2025. M Social Hotel New York Downtown managing director Alex Spektor said: "We're incredibly excited to introduce M Social Hotel New York Downtown to the Financial District. Our property not only meets the evolving demands of business guests but also serves as an ideal gateway to the city's diverse cultural scene. 'We look forward to welcoming guests to experience our unique blend of sophistication, comfort, and connectivity." Millennium Hotels and Resorts operates more than 145 properties worldwide, with a presence in key cities such as New York, Los Angeles, London, and Singapore, featuring brands such as The Biltmore and Grand Millennium. Millennium Hotels and Resorts America operations, asset management and development senior vice president Shah Adil said: "M Social Hotel New York Downtown represents the future of urban hospitality—dynamic, connected, and culturally attuned. 'We have created a space that resonates deeply with travellers who seek authentic and engaging experiences in one of the world's most exciting cities." In December 2023, Millennium Hotels and Resorts introduced the Millennium's Green Path Brand Playbook, a sustainability initiative aligning with the objectives of COP28. "Millennium Hotels expands M Social Brand in Manhattan" was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
