October 1, 2019
The Datai Langkawi
The Art of Malaysian Hospitality
The Datai Langkawi
A brand philosophy that celebrates Malaysia’s rich cultural diversity.
Destination Resorts and Hotels – the real estate development arm of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the Malaysian sovereign fund – needed to develop a global Malaysian hospitality brand that would own the country’s luxury hotel space. To realise this vision, they acquired the Datai Langkawi resort.
The Datai Langkawi was built in the heart of the 150-year-old Datai Bay rainforests on the island of Langkawi, overlooking the Andaman Sea. Built with the help of elephants from Thailand to minimise the impact on the rainforest flora and fauna, this resort pioneered best practices for eco-friendly development across the hospitality sector.
Since it opened in the early 1980s, the resort has welcomed guests as a home away from home. It focused on warm, natural, and genuine hospitality that was familiar and endearing, set within an exotic 150-million-year-old rainforest that transported guests into a captivating and wondrous world. This unique experience became the foundations for the brand philosophy; human and genuine service in amazing settings that captivate hearts and minds.
Brand audit
Market insights
Brand strategy
Brand identity
Brand story
Brand language
Collateral design
Brand guidelines
Uncovering the essence of the place as the building blocks of the brand.
After engaging with stakeholders and forensically assessing the Datai’s original aesthetic, Ninth Space developed a brand strategy that leveraged the resort’s peaceful ambience and sense of place to position the global brand and the resort for future guests visiting from near and far.
Creating a brand identity that embodies the location’s natural beauty.
Using the resort’s rainforest roots and endearing service style as the benchmark, Ninth Space defined the brand philosophy as “The Art of Malaysian Hospitality” and applied it back to the Datai Langkawi’s brand story. This was achieved through an approachable tone of voice, minimalist design, and a rich, natural photographic style.
Global luxury with a genuine Malaysian spirit.
The brand development work enabled Khazanah Nasional Berhad to envision the Datai brand as an ownable, powerful, and sustainable business capable of global expansion. Furthermore, it captured the essence of Malaysian culture: the genuine warmth, good humour, and natural charm of the staff and their welcoming embrace – as if you were visiting their home.
