Hilton Kuala Lumpur appoints Hartzuiker as General Manager

Hilton Kuala Lumpur, the soon-to-be opened 510-room luxury hotel atop KL Sentral, has appointed Kees Hartzuiker as General Manager.

As opening General Manager, Hartzuiker stressed that his focus will be to innovate beyond the expected and to feature concepts and products that excite both the local community and the international traveler.

"We recognize that people choose to visit a hotel for different reasons. Our offerings in terms of accommodation, restaurants and bars intend to cater for all tastes and agendas. Our aim is to let our guests set the rules and we are gearing up the team to recognize and anticipate each person's individual needs," says Hartzuiker.

As someone who strongly believes in supporting the destination, Hartzuiker was on the board of the Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing representing five-star hotels when he was based in the United Arab Emirates. He is also a founding member of the Istanbul Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Prior to this Malaysian posting, Hartzuiker was charged with the near simultaneous openings of two Hilton properties: the Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Beach Resort and the minimalist Hilton Dubai Creek located in the city's financial district.

While managing these two diverse hotels in the UAE, he introduced a clustered management approach, which proved not only to be effective but also successful as both hotels were recognized in several categories of hospitality awards.

Hartzuiker has forged an outstanding career with the Hilton Group spanning over 18 years, with the prestigious London Hilton on Park Lane being his first entry point career. Following exposure to various countries and cultures, in 1994 he made Hilton history by becoming the company's youngest General Manager at the age of 32. 

He combined this on-site operational experience with a stint at Hilton International's Head Office in England where he undertook the development of corporate standards and software for Hilton's sales and marketing offices throughout the world.

Located above the billion-ringgit KL Sentral, one of Malaysia's most prestigious development projects, the Hilton Kuala Lumpur, with its stunning rooms and public spaces, is primed to become a major landmark within the Malaysian city and a flagship property for Hilton's 44 hotels throughout the Asia Pacific. The hotel is now in its final stages of completion, and is expected to open in the second half of 2004.