A dual general management role for two Accor addresses in Bukit Bintang
Accor has announced the appointment of Rudi Putra Fajar as Cluster General Manager of Grand Mercure Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang and ibis Styles Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang, effective September 2026. He takes up the role after more than three and a half years as General Manager of the Mövenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA.
Both properties are located between the lively Bukit Bintang district and Chinatown, in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. They stem from a renovation and rebranding agreement between Accor and Worldwide Hotels Group, which marked the arrival of the Grand Mercure brand in Malaysia.
A career spanning more than thirty years between Indonesia and Malaysia
An Indonesian national who has lived in Malaysia since the mid-2000s, Rudi Putra Fajar began his hospitality career in 1993 as a front office trainee at the Grand Hyatt Bali. He went on to hold sales and operational roles in Indonesia, including at Accor’s Mercure Convention Center Ancol in Jakarta and within the Lippo Group.
He moved to Malaysia in 2005 and took on a series of sales responsibilities at Holiday Villa Subang and then Hilton Petaling Jaya, before joining the opening team of the Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside, the brand’s first MICE hotel in Asia. He subsequently held general management positions at Best Western Hotels & Resorts, before spending more than six years as Cluster General Manager of The Straits Hotel And Suites and Nobel Resort Hotel Melaka, formerly Novotel Melaka, renamed under his leadership in 2020.
Mövenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA, the final stop before Bukit Bintang
From December 2022 to August 2026, Rudi Putra Fajar led the Mövenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA, a five-star, 332-room property near Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Sepang International Circuit. Under his leadership, the hotel recorded year-on-year revenue growth and met its gross and net operating profit targets.
The property also advanced its environmental certification from bronze to silver level, while its guest satisfaction score aligned with the targets set by Accor for the brand.
A Swiss education and multi-brand experience
A graduate of the Hotel Institute Montreux in Switzerland, where he earned a diploma in hotel management between 1991 and 1994, Rudi Putra Fajar has built his career alongside several international brands, including Shangri-La, Hilton, Best Western and Accor. His tenure at Best Western Hotels & Resorts, as Country General Manager for Sales and Marketing, saw him oversee the commercialisation of eleven operating hotels and thirteen projects under development in Malaysia.
He also led the opening of the Best Western Premier Sunset Road in Kuta, Bali, a 274-room property with three restaurants, three swimming pools and a spa.
Priorities for Grand Mercure and ibis Styles Bukit Bintang
At the helm of these two Accor addresses, Rudi Putra Fajar will need to establish the positioning of Grand Mercure Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang, the brand’s first property in Malaysia, while driving commercial development at the neighbouring ibis Styles, geared towards business and leisure travellers passing through the district.
Both properties sit between the Bukit Bintang entertainment hub and the Chinatown district, a strategic location for capturing Kuala Lumpur’s MICE, corporate and leisure custom alike. The dual appointment illustrates Accor’s strategy of entrusting the management of several brands from its Premium, Midscale & Economy division to a single cluster leader within the same market.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Accor names new cluster GM for two Kuala Lumpur properties
Rudi Putra Fajar appointed Cluster General Manager of Grand Mercure Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang and ibis Styles Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang, effective September 2026
Previously led the 332-room Mövenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA for over three years
Delivered year-on-year revenue growth and met GOP/NOP targets at Mövenpick KLIA
Grand Mercure Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang is Accor’s first Grand Mercure-branded hotel in Malaysia
Over 30 years of hospitality experience across Indonesia, Malaysia and Switzerland
