The Sekeping Kong Heng is the newest addition to the Sekeping brand of hotels and is located in the Old Town area of Ipoh, one of the largest cities in Malaysia. A renovation project undertaken by the practice of Seksan Design Architects, the work was carried out with great care to preserve the history of the space, a three storey neo-classical building, which refers to the heritage of the colonial era of the city. In the more recent past, the space had functioned as a hostel to accommodate a group of actors from a nearby theatre and the lower level now houses a well-known coffee shop and eatery.
The entrance to the hotel is to be found in a newly created courtyard at the rear of the building, where guests are faced with a space of exposed beams, raw brick and concrete and an identity of urban industrial style. An impressive staircase leads to the accommodation on the upper level, an open indoor/outdoor space which leads into the rooms which spread out onto a row of white curtained terraces. A casual communal lounge area is furnished with bean bags and hammocks on which to spend a lazy afternoon of relaxation and contemplation.
The distressed surfaces throughout the space remind visitors of the history of the area and allows them to enjoy a unique experience of sleeping within the sounds and smells of the lively Old Town area of the city.
