Hotel Transformation: The Equatorial | One of the Best Hotels in Asia
In the heart of Kuala Lumpur, nestled within the pages of the city’s history, stood a timeless gem: the old Equatorial Hotel. For decades, it stood as a witness to the stories of travelers, the laughter of families, and the whispered secrets of lovers. It was more than just a hotel; it was a living, breathing testament to the memories etched into its walls. Yet as time unfurled its tapestry, the decision was made to bid farewell to the Old Equatorial. The wrecking ball swung, dismantling the bricks and mortar that had cradled countless tales of joy and sorrow.
But from the dust and debris emerged a Phoenix. A rebirth, a metamorphosis. Rising from the ashes, the new EQ Hotel took its place not just as a hotel, but as a symbol of Kuala Lumpur’s unwavering spirit, resilience, and progress. In today’s Design Seed article, let us explore the pages of this remarkable story—a tale of memories held in the arms of the Old Equatorial and the promise of a new era embodied in the new EQ.
“Fast forward to 2010: newer and larger hotels had come alive, and after 40 years, the dynamics of the industry had changed.” Mr Charles Lim, Chief Commercial Officer of the Hotel Equatorial Group shared. “Our room size was very small; we only had 270 rooms. So we already set ourselves on the path to demolish and rebuild the property.”
“Because we had made the decision to tear down and rebuild, it gave us a clean sheet. From the get-go, we could design in features that were green. You know, we very consciously wanted to put in these green features to make the building as energy-efficient as possible. Green considerations are very important to me personally. If we don’t do something about it today, there really won’t be a tomorrow for us to enjoy.”
The EQ Hotel is voted as the 2023 No. 1 City Hotel in Malaysia, No. 5 Best Hotel in Asia, and No. 35 in the world by the Travel+Leisure World’s Best Awards. With such an outstanding achievement, how can we not dive into the details and find out the distinctive difference that makes the EQ Hotel stand out from its peers?
Let’s start with the bedrooms. We managed to visit some of the signature rooms in the hotel, and even the most basic rooms felt lavish and spacious. The executive suite comes with a curved clear glass view of the standalone bathtub that enjoys the scenic view of the iconic and proud standing KL Towers. The most quirky and romantic suite in the EQ Hotel has to be the AHA suite. Here indeed is where you have your AHA moment: an unconventional invitation into a room that greets you with a sculptured organic form kitchenette island that adds a sophisticated character to the space.
With a spacious living hall detailed with fit-outs that dignifies the cultural motif of the diverse Malaysian heritage, the suite features a balcony that steps out to your very own jacuzzi, overlooking the pool area and the scenic view of the KL city skyline. And guess what? This isn’t the room with the best view yet!
Step inside the Presidential Suite, a double volume living area that enjoys a panoramic view of the entire KL city skyline. This opulent suite houses a private dining room of its own and a mezzanine floor overlooking the living area—the perfect place for an intimate gathering or memorable night for a party.
The EQ Hotel is not just for a stay. People come to connect, people come to party, people come to unwind, and people come to dine. It’s an experience of a destination that celebrates the beauty of harmonious Malaysia and allows guests to enjoy the tropical weather. A space that can be used from day to night, night to day—a space that one could appreciate, could be part of your room, part of the action, or be part of the architecture and interior design.
“In the design, we wanted to connect the past to the present and to the future. We wanted a design that had familiarity and connection to a brand that has been very successful. A good example of that is the spiral staircase. It was a feature in the original Equatorial Kuala Lumpur, and what we did for the new hotel was to design it and take it to the next level. It was very important for us to recycle some building material from the old hotel; it is sort of like a transference of DNA from the old to the new,” explained Mr Charles Lim.
“This is most interestingly on display in the pieces of artwork that we have in the Jalan Sultan Ismail entrance of the hotel. So we took copper from the hotel, melted it down, and that became part of the base metal for use in the sculptures. There is also, in the lobby of EQ, a very impressive copper tooling artwork, created in 1974, that depicts life and industry in Malaysia at that time. It’s quite remarkable—almost like a piece that would be in a museum.”
The entrance lobby is a wonderful volume atrium, with attention captured by the captivating presence of the lantern tower, side by side with the iconic EQ spiral staircase. The two most Instagrammable worthy spots in this hotel are most commonly either the spiral staircase or the lift lobby at Sky51. This prominent and familiar-looking staircase stands as an inspiration to many in terms of bending the norms of engineering. The complexity of building such a sculpture is indeed challenging and ambitious.
Speaking of ambitious, Charles and his family took up the challenge and pioneered a movement of responsibility, not only moving the Equatorial brand forward, but also to cultivate a meaningful practice for the sustainable good of the world’s future, which was indeed relatively complex. Things that we didn’t know about the EQ Hotel.
“I’m Nadaraja Sripragash, Associate Director at Ramboll. I’m leading a sustainability design team in Ramboll. The sustainability design features, and also the GBI criteria, cover a wide range of considerations in the green features. This includes energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste management, the material and resources, and also the thermal comfort and well-being of the occupants.”
“On a macro scale, we determined that the orientation of the building would follow the path of the sun throughout the day. This allows us to minimize solar heat gain while also allowing light to be transmitted throughout the day, which minimizes the internal lighting needs of the building. We also put green spaces into the building,” shared Mr Charles Lim.
Today we stand before the new EQ Hotel—a testament to the city’s commitment to progress without forgetting its roots. The facade may be different, but the heartbeat, the soul remains, creating a bridge in respect to the past and to connect the future.
“You’ll notice that the strips are not in a uniform pattern. In addition, we also needed to balance thermal issues with light transmission,” Mr Charles Lim elaborated. “So what we finally decided upon is actually a darker color of glass, which helps the building stand out from the general skyline of Kuala Lumpur.”
“Some green features in the building include the extensive use of LED lighting, very high-efficiency HVAC systems that are oil-free, as well as modular systems. We also have water conservation methods, for example, harvesting of rainwater, and the use of ultra-filtration to filter out and clean gray water so that it can be used in the cooling towers of the building,” shared Mr Charles Lim.
“We decided to put the M&E floor in the middle, at the 27th and 28th floors, via the chiller plant, and we located the cooling tower nearby to reduce the overall chiller plant energy consumption while planning the infrastructure,” said Mr Nadaraja.
“We also have EV charging bays in the hotel, and we quite consciously wanted to use building materials that were green.” shared Mr Charles Lim.
“Our pool is on Level 29, which means that we don’t have the benefit of putting in place a pool that is built into the ground. Typically, what happens with suspended swimming pools is that the water tends to be cold. However, we solved that problem without having to use additional energy by running the piping into the M&E floor below. We run that water through the process of heat exchange: we take out heat from the floor below, as well as from the equipment below, and when that gets routed back into the swimming pool, it raises the pool temperature to a very comfortable level, so there’s no problem swimming.”
“The waste heat from the condenser water is used to preheat the swimming pool water, which reduces energy consumption for hot water generation. At the same time, this also reduces evaporation in the cooling tower,” Mr Nadaraja explained.
“A two-night stay at EQ, compared to a two-night stay at a non-green rated hotel, will result in carbon savings equivalent to 758 trees in that time period. For companies that have stated aims of wanting to reduce their carbon footprint, even the choice of a hotel can make a big difference,” shared Mr Charles Lim.
“But you know, the practical side of me says it’s not something that everyone can do because, I mean, the reality is that some of these things are beyond the means of the man on the street. So what I’d like to say is that for those of us who can do something, we really ought to do something,” Mr Charles Lim pondered.
“Today we stand at the crossroads of choices, where collective decisions can birth a harmonious world for our children. The going green movement is not a burden, but a profound responsibility. It’s an acknowledgment that our choices sculpt the landscape of tomorrow.”
The journey begins with us here and now. It doesn’t demand grand gestures but invites every person, regardless of wealth or status, to join the symphony of change. The EQ Kuala Lumpur is a Green Building Index Gold-awarded project, and we would like to encourage more and more people to spread this awareness of utilizing the GBI rating tool.
The GBI rating tool provides an opportunity for society, hoteliers, and even developers to design and construct green, sustainable buildings that can promote energy and water savings, a healthier indoor environment, the adoption of recycling habits, and reduce our impact on the environment.
For another makeover of a commercial project, don’t forget to check out this office design of a modern futuristic workspace transformation!
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