Rosewood has signed a management contract for its first New World hotel in the Malaysian city of Petalingjaya.

Scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2016, the New World Petaling Jaya Hotel will occupy the top 12 floors of a mixed-use tower which also includes residential units. The tower forms part of the MYR1.8 billion (US$499 million) Paradigm development, which will also feature a shopping mall, office tower, another 30-storey serviced residence tower and a ballroom.

“With its prime location in fast-growing Petalingjaya, the hotel will make a significant contribution to our continued expansion into Southeast Asia,” said Sonia Cheng, chief executive officer of Rosewood Hotel Group.

The hotel will feature 316 rooms and suites, plus the brand’s Residence Club Living Room concept. Facilities will include a restaurant and rooftop bar, an outdoor rooftop pool, gym and 2,000m² of function space including eight meeting rooms and 1,000-pax capacity ballroom.New World Petaling Jaya will become the brand’s first property in Malaysia, but it will be joined in 2018 by the recently announced New World Kota Kinabalu Hotel.

In total, New World now operates a portfolio of 10 hotels in China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and the Philippines, and has a pipeline of eight more properties, including six in China and the two Malaysian hotels.