Sheraton Pulls Out In Langkawi

Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort will discontinue its affiliation with Starwood Hotels & Resorts when its management agreement ends on June 1. The property will be renamed Century Four Points Resort, and be managed and operated by Century Four Points Resort, said its acting general manager - group of hotels, Peter Athan. Owned by Mashyur Mutiara, the resort has been linked to Starwood Hotels & Resorts since it took on the Sheraton name in 1991. Athan said that he would stay on with the property and there would be no changes to top and middle management staff going forward, while all confirmed bookings will be honoured. Describing the property, Yap Sook Ling, managing director of Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel, said: “It is a lovely property. The set-up and layout is very nice and we don’t have issues with the service. However, the rooms need to be renovated.” Another inbound travel consultant, Ally Bhoonee, executive director of World Avenues, agreed that the hotel needs a facelift if it were to maintain its five-star rank and compete in the international marketplace. He said: “It will also make it easier for travel consultants to market the hotel if it is up to the standard of a five-star hotel.” But asked if there were any plans to renovate the hotel, Athan replied: “Not at the moment.”