PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s Meta Bright Group Bhd is expanding its hospitality business into East Malaysia, extending its Renai Hotel brand to Kota Kinabalu through the Damai Suites development as it pivots toward a recurring-income model.
The group said its unit, Meta Bright Hospitality Sdn Bhd, will acquire 58 commercial suites across Levels 8 and 10 of Damai Suites and enter a hotel management agreement for three additional floors, effectively converting part of the development into a hotel operated by the group.
The move marks a shift for Meta Bright, which has traditionally focused on property development and sales, toward owning and operating hospitality assets to generate long-term operating cash flow.
Managing director Lee Chee Kiang said the expansion aims to replicate the operating performance of the group’s Renai Hotel in Kota Bharu in Sabah, a key tourism and business hub in East Malaysia.
“By bringing the Renai brand to Kota Kinabalu, we are creating an internal ecosystem where our property division builds the asset, and our hospitality division monetises it for the long term,” he said in a statement.
Furthermore, Damai Suites will not be a typical hotel, he said.
“We are curating a mixed-use lifestyle hub that includes retail, hospitality, and a purpose-built confinement centre.”
“This mix targets specific, high-value market segments—medical tourism, business travelers, and young families—ensuring high occupancy rates beyond seasonal tourism cycles.”
Meta Bright Hospitality Sdn Bhd director Datuk Alvin Lim said such development not only effectively creates synergistic benefits within the group but also enhances the asset value for the stakeholders.
Damai Suites, a 16-storey development with a Gross Development Value (GDV) of RM148 million, has reached structural completion.
The group is scheduled to hold the topping-out ceremony within the next two months.
To ensure operational efficiency, the new Renai operation at Damai Suites will integrate smart hospitality technologies, including automated self-check-in/out kiosks to reduce labor costs, and automated car park Systems (Levels 2–6) to maximise space and security.
Located in the commercial precinct of Damai, the group said the development is positioned to capture demand from the surrounding business district and medical facilities.
