KUALA LUMPUR: An intangible benefit of being a national sportsman is living out of a suitcase and staying in hotel rooms all over.

While some may see this erratic lifestyle as a tiresome chore, former national hockey captain, Ow Soon Kooi, used the various experience gained from his global travels to revive a hotel right here in Kuala Lumpur — the newly refurbished Olympic Sports Hotel.

After a RM5 million investment, following the 18-year-old hotel's takeover by Waz Lian Hotel Management Sdn Bhd in October 2007, Ow is confident that the hotel can achieve an average 70 per cent occupancy rate next year.

The hotel's chairman is proud that, despite being new to the hospitality trade, word-of-mouth alone has attracted many to the 155-room hotel when its refurbishment was completed four months ago.

"In the last few months, we achieved 45 per cent occupancy on average. With such an achievement in such a short time, we expect better occupancy next year. We are also receiving a substantial number of enquiries for bookings next year," said Ow.

The hotel has mainly been a choice for sports bodies and government departments, which makes up 20 to 25 per cent of the occupants there. Another one-fifth of guests are walk-in individuals. In fact, added Ow, one of the reasons they took over the management of the hotel was to fulfill their corporate social responsibility.

The premises belong to the Olympic Council of Malaysia  (OCM) and Ow said this is one way to give back what sports has done for him. He has even another former national hockey captain, Mirnawan Nawawi, in his employment.

Mirnawan is involved with marketing, promotion and sales. Ow feels that, despite the high competition in the area, the strength of the hotel is its strategic location — it is a walking distance to several major tourist spots in Kuala Lumpur, such as Central Market and the Golden Triangle.

There are 120 parking bays at the  hotel and that's another advantage they have. The three-star Olympic Sports Hotel is located along Jalan Hang Jebat.

"Next year, we plan to allocate about RM150,000 on advertising and promotions in newspapers and selected magazines. We are looking at more aggressive promotions to attract more individual guests and tourists."

Ow said the hotel management is also in talks to tie up with travel agents and airlines — with a focus on the Singapore market.

As customer satisfaction plays a  big role, Ow said the hotel management aims to provide at least 3.5 star service to customers.

And in line with the theme of a sports hotel, there are plans to expand the facilities for guests.

"We plan to have a gymnasium and a games room soon, with an estimated investment of up to RM500,000," said Ow.