Impressive infrastructure and a welcoming atmosphere make Kuala Lumpur truly fit for business, says Chris Pritchard
Malaysia’s capital, regular visitors tell me, quickly becomes as comfortable as a pair of old shoes. Other South East Asian cities sometimes remain giant puzzles even to frequent travellers – they know the bits they need to navigate but vast tracts remain mysterious. But Kuala Lumpur – meaning “muddy estuary”, and universally referred to as “KL” – is different. Time and again, I’m given the same reasons – it’s compact, welcoming and positively begs exploration.
“It’s an extremely easy city to navigate,” says Jonathan Milburn, director of marketing and development at Randall Marketing, which represents several Malaysian hotels. “Everyone correctly cites its compactness. But don’t overlook other positive factors – the infrastructure is well developed and includes superb telecommunications with fast internet connections.”
Jane Suppiah, director of sales, marketing and distribution for the Novotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre, maintains political, economic and social stability ensure Kuala Lumpur is “a special destination providing a peaceful, safe and conducive environment for business and leisure”.
She adds: “It’s a melting pot of various cultures – predominantly Malay, Chinese and Indian. What’s more, it’s a good-value destination with plentiful hotel options and places of interest. The World Economic Forum ranked Malaysia as the fourth most price-competitive country for travel and tourism last year, with comparatively low hotel and fuel prices, low airport charges and a favourable tax regime.”
Suppiah agrees with Milburn about the quality of the city’s infrastructure, calling it “first class”. She cites the roads (the North-South Expressway, which skirts Kuala Lumpur and runs along the spine of “west Malaysia” from Singapore in the south to Thailand in the north, is immaculately maintained and well-signposted), the smart Kuala Lumpur International airport and the Putrajaya federal capital zone (see panel, next page).
Most visitors’ first taste of Malaysia’s freeways is the 45-minute, 50km taxi trip from the airport to the city. Some prefer the high-speed airport express train – KLIA Ekspres –
which takes only 28 minutes to reach the centre at a speed of 160km per hour. From London, Malaysia Airlines flies direct twice daily from Heathrow, while a wide range of Asian and Middle Eastern carriers sell KL via their homeports. “Some 48 airlines fly into Kuala Lumpur and the national carrier, Malaysia Airlines, flies to 100 destinations,” Suppiah says.
Malaysia’s low-cost carrier, Air Asia, is a much-reported industrial success story. Its 88 red jets operate 400 flights daily to 65 mainly Asian destinations. The airline is credited with boosting tourism not only in Malaysia but in Cambodia, Indonesia and elsewhere, while its chief executive and founder, Tony Fernandes, is one of the country’s most colourful entrepreneurs. Sometimes described as Asia’s Sir Richard Branson, his business plan is canny – low fares but you pay for anything optional, including checked baggage.
Fernandes says the airline has made KL an important regional hub since flights are point-to-point. “Although we’re predominantly a leisure airline, business travel demand has increased as companies try to trim travel costs,” he says. Meanwhile, Air Asia X, the long-haul offshoot of Air Asia, flies direct from London Stansted up to nine times a week as a low-cost option. It has been retrofitting its fleet of A340s and A330s with angled lie-flat seats in business class, a process that was set for completion in June.
The city is home to about two million of Malaysia’s 28 million people, though close to seven million are spread across “greater KL”. The country’s multiethnic population is roughly 53 per cent Malay, 26 per cent Chinese, 12 per cent indigenous, 8 per cent Indian and 1 per cent “other” (including mixed race). English is universally spoken, the nation having gained independence from Britain in 1957. Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak is presently placing greater emphasis on “One Malaysia”, a national campaign to emphasise unity, ethnic harmony and efficient service delivery. He says his objective is to encourage “a united, peaceful and prosperous Malaysia, with abundant opportunities for all citizens”.
By and large, the races get along well. Government policy has favoured bumiputras (ethnic Malays), who have been deemed disadvantaged, in education, housing and employment, and while these practices remain in place, their importance has lessened. Memories of racial violence fuel an impetus to maintain today’s easygoing society, and firms strive to employ people of all ethnicities, with exclusively Chinese or Malay companies (except small family businesses) rare. While Islamic custom is respected across the board, only a few of this democratic federation’s 13 states ban alcohol. In KL, for instance, alcohol is freely available, with bars commonplace and nightlife vibrant.
The country comprises peninsular Malaysia, where KL is located, and two states – Sabah and Sarawak – which share the island of Borneo with Brunei and Indonesia’s Kalimantan. Traffic is far more disciplined than in neighbouring Thailand, so foreign visitors often drive and, unlike Indonesia, the country is relatively lightly populated. Fidel Prudente, director of tour operator Borneo Quest and based in Sabah’s second city of Sandakan, is well travelled in Asia and spends much of his working time behind the wheel. He says: “The absence of crowds is a striking feature of Malaysia. In far-flung rural areas, you can drive for ages without seeing many people. When I’m in KL, I encounter crowds but I never feel overwhelmed.”
Industry-wise, apart from tourism, which is particularly important, the country takes advantage of its natural resources, with sundry minerals dug from the ground. Tin is a major export of KL-based companies, while petroleum and liquefied natural gas are also shipped out. Agricultural output includes palm oil and rubber. Textiles and electrical goods (including components) remain high on an export inventory increasingly challenged by China.
A mood of gloom descended on the country during the global financial crisis, even if Malaysia was less affected than many others. Demand for exports slumped and tourism was badly hurt after the economy shrunk 3.3 per cent.
But the bounce-back has been rapid, and orders for palm oil, rubber, tin, electronics and textiles are on the up again since the final quarter of last year – according to the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research the economy will expand by five per cent in 2011. Inbound foreigners, nervous absentees during the crisis, are again on the streets, in the malls and by the pools in large numbers. “The mood is upbeat,” notes Randall’s Milburn. “The body language, amid the bustle, seems to say: ‘Crisis? What crisis?’”
Education is a big earner, as many students from other Asian countries seek widely respected Malaysian degrees. The service sector, as a whole, is particularly important. Financial services, including insurance and banking, have a high profile in KL, where foreign banks with local representative offices include Citibank, Royal Bank of Scotland, Deutsche Bank, National Australia Bank and Bangkok Bank.
Business travellers will find getting around easy, thanks to the KL Monorail and many firms being based in or near the high-rise “golden triangle” – the city-centre commercial and entertainment precinct anchored by Jalan Bukit Bintang (jalan, in Malaysian, means “road” or “street”). Almost all the business hotels are located here, but oversupply in the city means no major new upscale lodgings are part of the revived construction frenzy going on in and around the golden triangle.
Business etiquette is simple – Chinese are generally informal, switching quickly to first names, while Malays tend to be more conservative, so follow your host’s lead in terms of removing jackets and remember not to use your left hand to pass documents or business cards. Some Malay women shake hands with male business visitors, while others don’t – if you’re male, wait for the woman to initiate. “On the whole, Malaysians are far less formal than people in China or Japan,” Milburn says. “So don’t be too buttoned-up – but don’t be too relaxed either.”
Fortunately, Kuala Lumpur is a low-crime city, although signs in the Bukit Bintang area warn visitors to be alert to “snatch and grab” theft, when bags with shoulder straps are grabbed and pulled by pedestrians or kerb-crawling car passengers. It’s rare, though, as most crime comprises pick-pocketing and credit-card scams. “That’s one of the big pluses about Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia as a whole – violent crime, particularly against foreigners, is exceptionally rare,” says Borneo Quest’s Prudente. “Visitors stroll about in a relaxed fashion and seem to be enjoying themselves rather than looking nervously over their shoulders.”
Still, be on your guard on the monorail – on one occasion I found myself stood between three potential pickpockets, who squeezed against me a little too tightly. Luckily they got nothing, alighting at the next station, but fellow passengers witnessing the episode apologised – insisting, rightly or wrongly, that the culprits were illegal immigrants from Indonesia.
Business entertaining is important, and in the golden triangle, a flawless choice for lunch or dinner is the Mandarin Palace at the venerable Federal hotel (fhihotels.com). Its wood-panelled interior, with intricate hand-carved Chinoiserie, provides the setting for delicious Cantonese, Hunanese and Sichuan fare. One of the city’s other top eateries, open only for dinner, is French-style Frangipani (frangipani.com.my) on the “restaurant row” of Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang (not be confused with nearby Jalan Bukit Bintang).
Another good choice is the Italianate Prego at the Westin (starwoodhotels.com) – in a city where hotels are regarded as eminently appropriate locales for business entertaining, it shines. A multilevel establishment with an open kitchen and splendid dishes, it is popular with corporate bigwigs who appreciate a venue where widely spaced tables foil eavesdropping. And with Malaysia’s rapid economic growth boosting business travel, those tables are set to become ever more packed.
WHAT TO SEE
EAT STREET
Other hawker-stall “eat streets” compete but Jalan Alor scores with its golden triangle location, being only a short walk from many hotels. After dusk it’s transformed with dozens of inexpensive dining options. Ignore menu-flourishing touts and wander among the Malay, Chinese and Indian wares – highlights include spicy chicken satay, nasi lemak (coconut-flavoured rice, dried anchovies and spicy sauce with accompaniments such as curried chicken), and kangkung belacan (water spinach with shrimp paste). From here, stroll up Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang, which is lined with restaurants and bars. At the top is Little Havana, a buzzing Cuban-themed watering-hole.
FUTURE FOCUS
If you have a free half-day, ask your concierge to book you a driver to take you to Putrajaya, the government’s new federal capital zone. The impressive city features imposing bridges (particularly the multi-tiered Putra Bridge), broad boulevards and futuristic Islamic-style architecture. If you’re doing business in Putrajaya, hotels include a Pullman (pullmanhotels.com) and a Shangri-La (shangri-la.com).
TOWERING LANDMARK
No longer the world’s tallest building since the Taipei towers and then Dubai’s Burj Khalifa surpassed it, the 88-floor Petronas Towers (petronastwintowers.com.my) is still KL’s best-known landmark. Free tours take visitors to the Skybridge linking the buildings on level 41. Alternatively, go to Menara Kuala Lumpur Tower (menarakl.com.my), where an observation deck offers views over a tropical hinterland.
TIME WARP TERRITORY
Leave the KL Monorail at Medan Tuanku, walk to the corner of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, turn left and amble along one of the city’s main streets. Stop at number 100, a shabby, white building home to the 70-year-old Coliseum Café. Wheezy waiters take orders while old photos adorn the walls. A large Asian/European menu survives but it’s acceptable to go just for a drink.
CHINESE BARGAINS
Ride the monorail to Maharajalela and walk a few blocks to Chinatown. At night, Petaling Street becomes a giant market selling pretty much everything from clothing to DVDs. Watch out for pickpockets though. Around a corner is Old China Café (oldchina.com.my), formerly the guildhall of the Selangor and Federal Territory Laundry Association but now filled with antiques and black-and-white photographs. Going only for an ice-cold drink is fine.
Where to stay
Malaysia has some of South East Asia’s cheapest five-star properties, and Kuala Lumpur is over-supplied, so sporadic discounting may beat quoted rates. Remember to add 5 per cent government tax and 10 per cent service charge.
BERJAYA TIMES SQUARE
This 610-room landmark perches in a tall tower above a huge mall in the heart of the golden triangle. Pastels dominate large rooms, and cabled broadband access is RM50 (£10.50) for 24 hours. Broadway Lounge is a pleasant hideaway for shop talk.
? Rooms from RM380 (£81). 1 Jalan Imbi; tel +60 321 178 000; berjayahotel.com
HILTON KUALA LUMPUR
Outside the golden triangle but less than ten minutes from there by KL Monorail, the Hilton is just outside KL Sentral, the main station, where the KLIA Ekspres train stops (costing RM35/£7.40). Minimalist but luxurious, the in-vogue property has cabled broadband in its 510 rooms for RM68 (£14.35) per 24 hours.
? Rooms from RM599 (£128). 3 Jalan Stesen Sentral; tel +60 322 642 264; hilton.co.uk
NOVOTEL KUALA LUMPUR CITY CENTRE
More opulent than many European Novotels, this 291-room hotel overlooks busy Jalan Sultan Ismail in the golden triangle. It’s a short stroll from Jalan Bukit Bintang and handy for the KL Convention Centre. Wifi is RM30/£6.30 per 24 hours.
? Rooms from RM290 (£62). 2 Jalan Kia Peng; tel +60 321 470 888; novotel.com
PICCOLO
Stylish and hip since reopening in January after a refurbishment, this is a well-located 168-room bargain on Jalan Bukit Bintang. Rooms are large and immaculate with big bathrooms and flatscreen TVs. Free wired and wifi internet access is a selling-point.
? Rooms from RM262 (£56). 101 Jalan Bukit Bintang; tel +60 323 038 000; thepiccolohotel.com
WESTIN KUALA LUMPUR
A prestigious 443-room property with spacious rooms overlooking the golden triangle, the Westin’s décor is predominantly pastel-shaded. Qba European attracts business diners and wifi and wired internet costs RM50/£1.50 per 24 hours.
? Rooms from RM484 (£103). 199 Jalan Bukit Bintang; tel +60 327 318 333; starwoodhotels.com
