Four Star Hotel in Sub-terranean Penang International Convention and Exhibition (sPICE) Centre

There will be a new four star hotel in Bayan Baru of Penang Island once the Sub-terranean Penang International Convention and Exhibition (sPICE) Centre is completed.

The hotel is converted from the existing multi-storey car park in the Penang International Sport Arena (PISA).

The Sub-terranean Penang International Convention and Exhibition (sPICE) Centre would be built partially beneath the ground.

It would also have a basement car park and a green park on the roof top.

The RM300mil project would also include upgrading and refurbishment of the Penang International Sports Arena (PISA) and the Aquatic Centre.

sPICE, together with PISA, the Aquatic Centre and the park would be called the Penang People’s Park as a whole.

The project was awarded to Eco Meridean Sdn Bhd not only based on the price, quality and world class standard building management but also because it will be a user-friendly, disabled friendly and environmentally-friendly architectural design.

The Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) would bear RM50mil of the cost of the project while Eco Meridean Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of SP Setia Bhd, would bear the rest of it.

Eco Meridean Sdn Bhd will manage the place for 30 years under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) before transferring it to MPPP.

The 6,503sq m sPICE Centre will consists of a ballroom and a pre-function hall and would be able to accommodate 600 banquet tables compared to 300 tables in PISA. and a total of 2,200 parking lots in the park.

Themed a place to live, learn, work and play, the Penang People’s Park would feature facilities for a holistic, healthy lifestyle (live), exchanging knowledge, culture and information (learn), business activities (work) and sports activities (play).

S.P. Setia Bhd Northern/Southern regions property division executive vice-president Datuk Chang Khim Wah said the entire project was expected to be completed in three years.

“We expect the upgrading work of PISA and the Aquatic Centre to begin in phases in six months. We expect to get the work done in nine months,” he said.