16-08-2007: MAHB keen on more Tune Hotels near LCCTs

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is keen to partner with no-frills Tune Hotels.com to build more Tune Hotels in the vicinity of low-cost carrier terminals (LCCTs).

MAHB managing director Datuk Seri Bashir Ahmad said: “That is a possibility, but that depends on the availability of the land and where there is a need to have the hotel.”

Bashir was speaking to reporters at the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) here yesterday between MAHB and Tune Hotels.com for the leasing of land to the latter to build a hotel near the KL International Airport’s (KLIA) LCCT.

He said: “If you look at AirAsia, 18 million people are going to fly AirAsia – 10 million passengers will be going through the LCCT, so occupancy would not be a problem for us.”

From left: Tune Hotels.com co-founder and director Dennis Melka, Fernandes, Bashir, Tune Hotels.com director Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan and MAHB commercial services GM Umar Bustamam at the signing of the MoU. Photo by Chu Juck Seng

Tune Hotels.com founder Datuk Tony Fernandes said: “We will also build another hotel in

Kota Kinabalu and hopefully soon in Kuching and Penang and I hope we (MAHB and Tune Hotels.com) can work together to make Malaysia a hub for low-cost airlines.”

“With the plans that MAHB have with the new terminal, I really do believe that we will have two to three Tune Hotels there (at KLIA),” he added.

Provided by theedgedaily.com