Lace Driven By Demand For Hotels

A NEW boutique hotel is set to open its doors for business in Jalan Tebrau here in August.

The RM14 million hotel, featuring two levels of car park, a car showroom, and five storeys of rooms, will be called the Lace Boutique Hotel.

Syarikat Lace Motor Sdn Bhd founder and managing director Datuk Paduka Rokiah Omar said this is her first venture into the hospitality industry.

She said there was a demand for hotels in the thriving southern economic corridor.

Rokiah, who set up the Lace Motor Foundation three years ago, said the hotel in Jalan Tebrau will also house the office of the foundation formed to help orphans, old folk, single mothers and the underprivileged. She said this at the launch of an autoshow, one of the highlights of the Mega Raya Sale promotion which started in May 18 and ends on July 31.

A host of programmes has been lined up in conjunction with the promotion such as a lucky draw, karaoke, and buka puasa feast.

Rokiah, who is also the group and company chairman, said there are plans to build a budget hotel at the back of the boutique hotel.

“A market survey revealed that the demand for budget hotels is even higher than boutique hotels, so plans are on the drawing board to build one in the near future.”

Rokiah said the boutique hotel, built on 0.2ha of land, was targeted to open earlier, but there were unexpected delays.

“The first contractor failed to deliver the project in time, so we changed the contractor. But before the change could take place, the first contractor had to be legally terminated.

“I learnt a lot from the building of the boutique hotel,” Rokiah said, adding that she is confident it will be ready after the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations.

Rokiah, who built the Lace Motors empire, said it was tough for a woman to succeed in the corporate world.

“It is hard for a man, and much harder for a woman who has to take care of her family at the same time. Although I am a workaholic, my family’s needs are always my priority,” she said.

On top of balancing family and her business, Rokiah is also known for her contribution to orphanages and old folk’s home.

“In the Islamic faith, we have to give back to the community to show our gratitude to God Almighty,” she said.

Lace Motors, incorporated in 1981, has a showroom called Wisma Lace Motor beside the Pasir Gudang Highway. Previously, it was operating in Taman Sentosa here. The showroom features car brands such as BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, Fiat, Kia, among others.

It also has branches in Taman Johor Jaya and Skudai, here.

sourced from NST online