LANGKAWI: The management firm appointed to oversee the troubled Tanjung Rhu Resort, which has gone into receivership, plans to raise the value of the hospitality property to make it attractive to potential buyers.
Since its appointment last year, Klang Valley-based Aariana Hospitality International Sdn Bhd has steadily rebuilt the resort’s standing as one of the preferred luxurious hospitality properties here.
Tanjung Rhu Resort was linked to former corporate tycoon Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli, who at the height of his prowess, owned and managed the now-ailing national carrier, Malaysia Airlines.
It was reported that two Tajuddin-linked companies which co-owned the resort had gone into receivership last year.
The two Kedah-registered firms, Tanjung Rhu Land Sdn Bhd and Reka Intisari Sdn Bhd, have assets said to be worth up to RM2 billion, including the 136-room resort and 1,100 acres of land around the resort, which is nestled at one of the better beachfronts surrounding the resort island of Langkawi.
In an interview, Aariana president and CEO Reginald T. Pereira (pix) divulged that the resort has resumed almost full operations, hoping to capitalise on the anticipated rebound in the tourism industry in line with the “Visit Malaysia 2020” campaign.
It is also counting on the renewed interest in the destination following the decision by one of the globe’s biggest carriers – Qatar Airways – to fly here.
Pereira said the receivers have pumped in up to RM1 million to refurnish the property, which sits among the best beaches in Malaysia.
Pereira is also involved in helping the travel trade community and the Langkawi Development Authority to better market Langkawi as a destination.
