Ipoh’s chic hotel

Gan says, with the hotel, they wanted something that could gel in with the culture and heritage of the city.

The hotel scene in Ipoh has become more interesting with the emergence of homegrown brand, M Boutique, with two inns operating so far. MEK ZHIN checks it out.

QUIRKY and elegant just about sums up M Boutique Hotel, an Instagram-worthy place that invariably makes people whip out the camera.

This Ipoh inn is not just a photo-friendly establishment, though, but one that is out to carve a name for itself as a small hotel with a high level of service and comfort.

“The concept of the place is called urban vintage and is the result of plenty of research and help of a visual merchandiser we work closely with,” says general manager Lloyd Gan. “We wanted something that would gel with the heritage and culturally rich city that surrounds it.”

The owner’s aim, Gan reveals, is to create a luxurious space and experience for guests, reminiscent of five-star hotels but on a smaller scale.

Who is the owner and what does the initial M stands for?

The answers will remain a mystery for now because the owner prefers to remain anonymous. What seems certain, however, is that the hotel will not be the only M Boutique establishment. There’s already a sister hotel at Pengkalan Ipoh.

The hotel’s facade hints at the quirky elegance of the place.

According to Gan, it’s considered the flagship property, setting set the tone for the brand and the hotels that will follow in its wake.

Gan says many of the fixtures, such as chandeliers and even the furniture, were specially customised.

“Wherever we could, we used local workmanship. This includes contractors for doing up the place,” he reveals, adding that the property consists of five shoplots and has 93 rooms.

It also boasts two cafes and a boutique selling souvenirs – including items used on the property.

Gan explains that many things about the hotel, including the location, was a kind of salute to the local community as the owner himself is a local chap.

The concept took some two-and-a-half years to create, and Gan says the cost of decorating the place ended up costing five times more than the renovations. The end result is a place that you can pick up whole and plonk down in any other vibrant city in the world, and it wouldn’t look anymore out of place than it does right here.

Another aspect that makes M Boutique unique is its strong views when it comes to employing staff.

“Except for the key personnel who are appointed by Ariva, the company contracted to manage this flagship property, we tend to hire youth whenever the opportunity arises,” Gan says.

The idea behind this, he explains, is to give the younger generation, who so often find it hard to be heard in the workplace, a chance to express themselves.

“We only have to look back to our own pasts to know that we did have many ideas. It just wasn’t easy to get someone to believe in us, so we thought why not give them a chance?” he says.

Though they do not have a specific age limit for new hires, most of M Boutique’s 30-strong staff are between the ages of 24 and 28.

Gan says hiring younger people is not that much different from hiring more experienced people, though to make it work, certain mindsets have to go.

The youthful workers are more likely to greet guests with a friendly ‘Hi!’ than a serious “Good morning”.

“To work well with younger people, one has to be able to listen and also to work through things in a logical and reasonable manner. That’s the language of youth,” he says, adding that the “engine” of the business must also more or less be in place in order to avoid having to constantly give instructions.

Despite the penchant for younger workers, Gan says, a small establishment like theirs is unable to offer much in terms of career advancement. As such, most the young staff eventually leave for greener pastures and more experience.

“However, the conducive work environment we have built here at M Boutique makes this something that happens later rather than sooner,” Gan adds.

The vibrant work culture behind the counters at M Boutique has given it a unique level of service that Gan describes as cheerful and upbeat. This works favourably for M Boutique since its motto is – “Come as strangers, leave as friends”.

“Many of our guests arrive and experience some shock at the size of the property. They don’t usually expect it to be ‘small’. But once they get over that, though, they begin to really see us and usually end up liking us and our unique style and service,” says Gan, adding that among the adjectives used to describe them are “cosy”, “vibrant” and “very friendly”.

Another thing the hotel has going for it is the reasonable rates, starting from RM136 for a weekday stay for a single-bed room with breakfast.

“Malaysians are generally people who are at least willing to give things a go once. Many people have commented about what they feel are expensive rates but guests who check out find our rates reasonable,” Gan says.

The aim is to deliver a luxurious space and experience to guests reminiscent of a five-star hotel but on a smaller scale.

The boutique hotel does find many ways to make the stay memorable, including little touches like colour-themed toiletries, welcome snacks of local nuts in nice packets and, of course, the eye-catching decor which manages to be elegant and rustic, cosy and unique, with each floor having its own theme.

It is also not surprising to learn that M Boutique, with its youth-driven culture, uses various new media and unconventional marketing methods to promote itself.

“We’ve tried newsletters, a mobile app and, of course, social media outlets with different degrees of success. It is a learning process for us,” Gan says.

They even allow wedding photography sessions to be done on the property.

“The only stipulation we have is that they take up a room for at least a night. These photos don’t only generate buzz but the memory of our place will also remain as long as the photos are there. It serves as a kind of continuous and subtle reminder of us,” smiles the general manager.

Now, after some two years of operation, M Boutique has opened a sister property at Pengkalan Ipoh named M Boutique Station 18 which takes after the flagship property in every way, except it offers larger rooms with more bed options.

“The second property has 38 rooms but each has a larger layout. It has been opened about half a year now. It also marks M Boutique’s first joint venture. We are looking forward to more such ventures in the future,” he says.

Gan believes places like M Boutique help to breath new life into the city.

“We also hope M Boutique will give right perception of boutique hotels. We believe that the characteristic of such places should not only be limited to them having a small number of rooms but also an indication of a high level of luxury, comfort and service,” he says.

For now, it seems M Boutique will continue to do what it does best, which is bringing a smile to the faces of its wide range of guests, from young people to families with the elderly in tow, all mostly locals.