Dusit International opened Dusit Princess Ipoh on 1 October, marking the Thai hospitality group’s third property in Malaysia and extending its upper-midscale Dusit Princess brand into the country’s Perak state, according to the company’s announcement.
The 268-room hotel is owned by Malaysian developer Plenitude Berhad and sits beside the Perak Turf Club, a long-established thoroughbred racing venue, less than five minutes by car from Ipoh’s city centre. Sultan Azlan Shah Airport, which offers direct flights from Singapore, is roughly ten minutes away, the company said.
A five-tier room line-up
Accommodation spans five categories, from 25-square-metre Superior Rooms to 58-square-metre Family Suites, according to Dusit. Facilities include an outdoor pool, a Kids Club, a 6,580-square-foot fitness centre and roughly 964 square metres of meeting and event space. To mark the opening, the hotel is offering introductory rates from RM230 (about USD57) per room per night, including RM50 in daily food and beverage credit, the company said.
Building out a secondary-city portfolio
Ipoh, the capital of Perak, has drawn growing attention from Malaysian and regional hotel operators as tourism authorities promote destinations beyond Kuala Lumpur and Penang, known for their colonial-era architecture and food culture. Dusit’s move follows a broader pattern among Asian hospitality groups of expanding upper-midscale brands into secondary cities where demand for branded accommodation is rising but full-service luxury supply remains limited.
The Dusit Princess Ipoh opening also extends the Thailand-based group’s push to grow its footprint across South-East Asia through a mix of owned, managed and franchised properties. Dusit has been steadily adding hotels and residences under several brand tiers, from its flagship Dusit Thani properties to the more accessible Dusit Princess and ASAI lines, as it competes with other regional groups expanding beyond their home markets.
Why It Matters
The opening reflects how mid-tier international hotel brands are increasingly looking past capital cities for growth, betting that improved air links and steady domestic tourism can support branded hotels in smaller urban centres. For Ipoh and similar secondary destinations across South-East Asia, that shift can mean more visitor spending and jobs without the infrastructure strain that major gateway cities often face.
Leave a Reply