COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED
Hurrairah bin Sohail explores how Ideal Systems and ihD designed and deployed AV technology to convert an office building into a modern hotel.
The hospitality sector has been on an upward trajectory in Asia Pacific. Hotel investment totalled USD 5.7 billion in the first half of 2024, reaching 85% of pre-pandemic volumes according to JLL. Savills reported that hotel investment saw a 26% year-on-year rise in the same period.
In light of these statistics, it is no wonder that the competition was fierce in the Hospitality Project category of the Inavate APAC Awards 2025. Ideal Systems, acting as the integrator, and ihD, in its capacity as the consultant, were finalists in this category for their work on the Hyatt Centric Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Hyatt Centric KL is a five-star lifestyle hotel nestled in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. It is designed to reflect the city’s rich tin-mining history by blending local and cultural influences to create a distinctive guest experience.
The scope of the project was extensive. The AV professionals were tasked with fitting out the 321-room property spanning 21 floors with a comprehensive AV system. The spaces included a variety of guest rooms and suites, an open-air infinity saltwater pool, a fully equipped fitness centre, and three world-inspired dining experiences, as well as two event spaces totalling over 280 sq.m.
Sean Boon Kiah, head of department, AV, at Ideal Systems described the overarching objective of the project: “This project’s aim was to transform the hotel’s ambiance, functionality, and guest experience with cutting-edge AV solutions from the reception area, lobby, lounge, all-day dining, rooftop bar, swimming pool deck, gym, pre-function areas, function rooms, ballrooms to all guest rooms.”
Ideal Systems was a familiar face to the client, having worked with them previously on another project, Kiah notes: “This is the second Hyatt Centric that we have worked on having previously delivered the Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu.”
The biggest challenge for the AV team, Kiah points out, was not the scale of the project but the nature of the building itself. Kiah elaborates the difficulties: “The building is not a new building. It was an office, and it has now been converted into a hotel. As you can imagine, the layout and framework of a workplace is very different from that of a hotel, and this of course posed some very interesting challenges for us.”
Kiah continues: “Because it was an office before, the spaces had quite low ceiling levels. The spaces did not have the standard heights expected for a function room or meeting room in a hotel. As AV professionals you normally want a higher ceiling so that you have the space to easily install a projector or screen or speakers in the desired position.”