Bunga Raya, by which the resort is named (left), & the timbered villa with own pools (right)

On an island in Sabah, there’s a resort that’s trying to go as upscale as it can and is hoping to charge up to US$1,000 per villa. In Singapore, there’s a new hotel group whose goal is to keep its room rates under S$100, no matter what.

And there you have it, the diversity of the changing hotel landscape in Asia.

Let’s start with the pricey one. Bunga Raya Island Resort & Spa on the island of Gaya off Kota Kinabalu, is being built by the same people behind Gayana Eco Resort, on the same island.

The location of both is idyllic. A quick boat ride from Jesselton Pier in Kota Kinabalu town and you are there.

With 47 timbered villas, Bunga Raya hopes to do to Kota Kinabalu what Amanpuri, I guess, did to Phuket all those years ago – move the clientele upmarket.

The environment is natural and beautiful. This is a national park, after all. The villas, all with their own pools, are built into lush vegetation. The beach is soft, sandy and white. The water is so clear you don’t have to snorkel (if you are lazy) to see the marine life.

The resort’s trying to be eco-friendly. It has a wooden wedding chapel made of trees that had to be cut down. Its furniture is made of recycled wood. It is named after the national flower of Malaysia, hibiscus, and we are told there are about 100 varieties of hibiscus in the resort. They are pursuing the conservation of giant clams. They have their own fish farm.

Left: The wooden wedding chapel

When I visited it, the resort was being built – it is scheduled to open later this year – and I could see the promise of what will be a gem in a very special setting.

I hope though they will be able to find enough customers prepared to pay the kind of dollars they are hoping for the product and experience, especially in this current market. By pitching the price at that level, Bunga Raya will be competing for the clientele that goes for villa stays in the Maldives, Phuket and Bali.

And Sabah’s not exactly a premium destination at the moment – newly-launched low cost flights are delivering bargain hunters by the airplane loads everyday and they are helping to fill rooms in Kota Kinabalu.

My guess is they’d have to go for the same clientele that currently goes for suite stays in Shangri-La’s two hotels in Kota Kinabalu.

(Incidentally, I also visited Gayana Eco and must say I liked the simplicity of this resort better. Their over-the-water chalets with stairs leading into the ocean look extremely appealing – who needs pool villas when you have the ocean at your feet.)

Guayana Eco

At the other end of the spectrum is the Value Hotel Group, set up by the same people behind Hotel 81, the successful budget brand in Singapore. The owners are obviously keen to move up one level from Hotel 81 and their flagship, Value Hotel Thomson, could be an Ibis-lookalike.

It opened a couple of months ago and there is no mistaking its intention – a banner advertising an opening price of S$69 says it all. What’s more, that’s inclusive of tax and service charge. If you book through their website, I was told by their reservations when I called, you can get a S$79 rate.

It prides itself on the fact that “what you see is what you pay” and is going after travellers who are budget-conscious, who want a decent room with a decent rate.

Value Hotel Thomson in Singapore

The 366-room Value Hotel Thomson is the third hotel in the group – after Value Hotel Balestier and Value Hotel Nice. They are all located on Balestier Road which seems to be developing into the future budget hotel belt of Singapore.

The flagship hotel’s design is pared down and minimalistic, rooms are small but comfortable, it has a rooftop swimming pool, a small gym (two machines), a utilitarian business corner, coach parking, 24 hour café and a convenience store.

The idea of Value is to price itself under S$100 and operate like a low cost carrier. “If customers want more, they pay,” the hotel manager told me. Internet access is priced at S$10 a day, for example.

He admits the Value model is patterned after the Ibis brand of Accor Hotels. “They are indeed our ideal model but their hotel is priced at S$138++. We are the half price model.”

Right: Poolside of the Value Hotel Thomson

True, Bunga Raya and Value are totally different propositions and comparing them would be like comparing a hibiscus with a hyacinth but, for now, I reckon Value’s the word.

• Photos of Value Hotel Thomson courtesy of the hotel
• Photos of Bunga Raya Island Resort & Guayana Eco courtesy of Yeoh Siew Hoon