Accor Mega Deal Upholds Huge Potential of Asia’s Living Sector
Above, from left: Tropicana’s Loke Wei Feng, Ixora Ang and Dennis Ng; Accor’s Andrew Langdon, Chris Cho and Lachlan De Morton. Right: artist impression of the massive Mercure Living Genting Highlands, Malaysia
By Raini Hamdi, 09 July 2026
Asia’s Living sector is coming alive and Accor is marching forward to anchor the region’s midscale extended-stay market
The Mercure Living Genting Highlands deal that Accor just signed with Malaysian developer Tropicana Corp validates Asia’s emerging Living sector as the next new opportunity for hotel companies.
Tropicana’s integrated development in Genting Highlands (40-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur and about 1,000m above sea level) reflects how new townships are shaping quality living.
By offering serviced suites, co-working spaces, education facilities, wellness and other lifestyle amenities, projects in the township cater to long-stay expats, digital nomads and home-owners simultaneously. For hotels, this fundamentally changes who uses them.
Throw in a professional hospitality brand with operational expertise and international loyalty ecosystem, and high living is “future-ready,” said Tropicana’s managing director, marketing & sales and business development, Ixora Ang.
The Mercure Living Genting Highlands, with a whopping 1,443 fully-furnished suites, is scheduled to open in 2028. It is part of a 112-acre development named Tropicana Grandhill, said to cost RM1.06 billion (US$260 million) to build. But there’s more to come as Grandhill is only the first of three districts in Tropicana’s grand masterplan in Genting Highlands, called Tropicana WindCity, spread across 596 acres of land.
For now, Accor is marching ahead across Asia’s Living sector. The chain officially introduced Mercure Living to Asia with the signing of the 299-key Mercure Living Putrajaya, also in Malaysia, in 2021. Today, its Novotel Living is present in cities such as Singapore, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City. Accor also uses its premium tier brands Pullman and Swissotel for the Living sector. But for luxury tier brands like Fairmont, Raffles and Sofitel, it bypasses the Living moniker altogether and uses ‘Residences,’ such as ‘Fairmont Ambassador Seoul Residences‘.
The mega Mercure Living Genting Highlands is the largest Mercure Living in the world and will no doubt test the operational agility and the “locally inspired hospitality” promise of the brand, which typically is within the 100-500 rooms range.
That said, the largest Mercure hotel in the world, the 989-room Mercure ICON Singapore City Centre opened in March 2024, is a good example that a massive Mercure – Living or otherwise – can thrive in Asia.
‘Exciting opportunity’
In Genting Highlands, the property is integrated into Tropicana’s TwinPines Serviced Suites and will have a full kitchen and dining facilities in the suites, an all-day dining restaurant, a heated swimming pool (essential for the cooler highland climate), a fitness center, an executive lounge and a multipurpose function hall.
Garth Simmons, Accor Asia chief operating officer, Premium, Midscale & Economy, said:“Mercure Living Genting Highlands represents an exciting opportunity to expand our extended-stay offering in Malaysia through a collaboration with one of the country’s leading developers. As travelers increasingly seek accommodation that combines flexibility, comfort and authentic local experiences, we believe this development will be well positioned to meet those needs while contributing to the continued growth of Genting Highlands as a leisure destination.”
Tropicana Corp boasts a land bank of 1,350 acres in Malaysia’s property hotspots as of December 31, 2025. It has crafted and developed 20 townships alongside other green building developments, according to its annual report 2025.
The group is bullish on the property front, citing “robust domestic demand” on the back of Malaysia’s 5.2% economic growth in 2025, employment and wage growth, and several housing-related incentives introduced under Budget 2026. A key measure is a full stamp duty exemption for first-time home-buyers purchasing residential properties priced at RM500,000 or below, which has been extended until December 31, 2027.
“Against this backdrop, the group believes that demand for properties in prime locations within Tropicana’s established and developing townships will remain resilient, supported by attractive pricing strategies,” it said.