Lexis Hibiscus is now the pride of Port Dickson, writes Mohd Ikhwan Jamaludin
IT was an unusual night for the quiet stretch of Pasir Panjang beach in Port Dickson — brilliant fireworks displays, glamorous guests and a glittering array of delicious food and music.
On July 31, the two-year-old Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson was officially opened by Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
"I remember the beach being rocky and muddy and not suitable for recreational activities. But they have done a wonderful job and a once unpopular stretch has now become a tourist attraction," said Mohamad in his speech.
The Lexis Hibiscus is now Port Dickson's pride, added Mohamad.
The Lexis Hibiscus, designed after the national flower, the bunga raya, boasts water villas stretching to almost 1.2km out to sea.
He further remarked that the state government was impressed with the Lexis Hibiscus design concept and architecture as well as its track record.
Mohamad also commended KL Metro Group for collaborating with other government agencies to beautify the beach stretch where Lexis Hibiscus was built.
The state government is diversifying its economic portfolio and moving towards service-based industries such as hospitality and tourism, to shield against economic uncertainties.
"We do not want people to come to Port Dickson only during weekends. The MICE (Meetings, Events, Conventions and Exhibitions) segment can give the muchneeded support so that hotels and resorts here are regularly filled with customers," he added.
He urged hotels and resorts in the state to work with industry players to promote tourism destinations and by-products.
Mohamad said more development was expected to pour into Port Dickson once the Port Dickson-KL International Airport Expressway as well as the Seremban-PD rail route projects are completed.
WORLD RECORDS
The RM400 million Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson, which is the largest hotel in Port Dickson, has two mentions in the Guinness World Records: "The most swimming pools in a resort" and "The most overwater villas in single resort".
It owns a total of 643 pool villas, 117 tower rooms and 522 seawater villas.
From the first day it opened its doors in April 2015, the iconic five-star resort has to date attracted 3.6 million visitors from 126 countries.
Group president Mandy Chew Siok Cheng told Jom! that the hotel group is proud to be part of the Port Dickson tourism scene.
She added the encouraging occupancy and guest portfolio are fuelled by demand from tours, corporate and MICE.
The five-star Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson is part of the Lexis Hotel Group which also manages Lexis, Grand Lexis and Lexis Hibiscus, all in Port Dickson. Another upscale property, Lexis Suites Penang, opened for business in the first quarter of 2016.
Apart from the Guinness World Records, Lexis Hibiscus has bagged the World Luxury Hotel Awards for Luxury Water Villa Resort (in the Southeast Asia category), Trip-Advisor Travellers' Choice Award and the BrandLaureate SMEs Signature Awards for the Best Brand in Hospitality for Hotels and Resorts.
The Lexis Hibiscus is also home to a 121m water fountain, forming a prominent part of the resort's landscape. It is the tallest water fountain in Malaysia.
Located about an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and nestled along Pasir Panjang beach, Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson sprawls into the Straits of Malacca.