Ong Beng Seng’s HPL opens new luxury resort in Tioman - The Straits Times

The Boathouse Pulau Tioman is targeting tourists mainly from Singapore, Malaysia, Europe, North Asia and India. PHOTO: HOTEL PROPERTIES LIMITED

SINGAPORE – Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), the property and hotel developer owned by Singapore tycoon Ong Beng Seng, opened its latest resort on Tioman Island on July 1, three years after it began construction.

The Boathouse Pulau Tioman comprises 31 bungalows over 30,000 sq m. It is located on the south-west coast of Tioman in Kampung Nipah, a 10-minute boat ride from popular holiday destination Kampung Genting.

The resort, which is targeting tourists mainly from Singapore, Malaysia, Europe, North Asia and India with rooms starting from RM1,200 ($340) per night, is also expected to meet demand for higher quality accommodation on the island.

Despite Tioman’s renown as a diving destination, The Boathouse Pulau Tioman is only the third high-end hotel to open so far on the island, which is off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

The other two resorts are Malaysian tycoon Vincent Tan’s four-star Berjaya Tioman Resort, and Japamala Tioman Resort, which is operated by Kuala Lumpur-headquartered Samadhi Retreats.

Tioman sees around 200,000 tourists a year, and the authorities expect tourist arrivals to increase with upcoming improvement works to passenger facilities at the airport and an extension of the existing runway in Kampung Tekek, on the western side of the island where the Berjaya resort is located.

HPL Hotels & Resorts chairman Stephen Lau said the addition of The Boathouse Pulau Tioman will strengthen the company’s presence in Malaysia, in line with its broader strategy of regional expansion and growth.

Room rates at The Boathouse Pulau Tioman start from RM1,200 ($340) per night. PHOTO: HOTEL PROPERTIES LIMITED

The resort will be the fifth hotel under HPL’s boutique hotel collection. The others are in Malacca, Cameron Highlands and Langkawi in Malaysia, with a fourth in Phuket, Thailand.

HPL, which is listed on the mainboard of the Singapore Exchange, manages 11 other hotel properties in the Asia-Pacific, including those under Concorde Hotels & Resorts in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Shah Alam, and under Hard Rock Hotels in Penang, Bali and Pattaya.

It has also received provisional permission for the redevelopment of Forum The Shopping Mall, voco Orchard Singapore hotel and HPL House in Orchard Road into a mixed development comprising hotel, retail, office and residential components, and is working on detailed plans.

Mr Ong, who is HPL managing director and co-founder, is now involved in a corruption probe along with former transport minister S. Iswaran.

Shares of HPL closed on July 8 at $3.56.