Habib Holding general manager Abdul Razak Abdul Kadir said the company is looking at Kuala Lumpur, Penang and even overseas if there are opportunities."We started moving away from our core business last year when we opened an Ar-Rahn outlet in Ampang, Selangor.
"We see the hotel business as a property investment which pays good returns if managed properly.
"The other reason is that we have at least eight senior executives in the company with vast experience in the hotel sector and we can rely on their expertise," he said when met at the Habib Hotel in Kota Baru yesterday.
The hotel, which had its soft opening on August 31, is offering a special promotion for travellers during the Hari Raya period with the superior room at RM130 and deluxe room at RM150.
Abdul Razak said Habib had bought one-third of a row of shophouses in the centre of town in Jalan Maju and spent more than RM12 million to renovate the building into a 32-room hotel.
He said the hotel will also house a Habib Jewel outlet and a jewel factory, which has already started operations with 60 workers.
"We are looking to October for the official opening simultaneously with the Habib Jewel outlet, which is expected to be ready by the end of this month," he said.
Abdul Razak said the Kota Baru Habib Hotel, which has 26 superior and six deluxe rooms, has been branded as a boutique budget hotel targeted at business and local travellers.
On choosing Kota Baru as its first hotel, Abdul Razak - who has about 20 years in the hotel industry - said the company did a study two years ago and found that there was a market for rooms in the one- to three-star hotel category in the town.
He said Habib Hotel currently has a staff of 18, but plans to increase this to 28.
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