Thirteen years have passed since the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah designated i-City, Malaysia No.1 Technology City an international zone.

i-City was also the first property project in the capital city to get Royal support to become an integrated development

Being an international zone allows i-City to build Grade-A office towers, international hotels, a regional shopping mall, restaurants, cafes, and cinemas to draw in foreign direct investment and multinational corporations.

The DoubleTree by Hilton was formally launched last week by His Royal Highness, which was a significant accomplishment for the i-City developer, I-Berhad.

The 72-acre i-City has changed the perception and transformed the landscape of the capital city of Selangor.

The heart of the RM10 billion development is i-City Finance Avenue, which is currently home to Mercu Maybank, the recently opened DoubleTree by Hilton, Central i-City Mall, the soon-to-be-launched BeCentral residences, an international convention centre, and signature offices/experience centres (opening end-2023).

When fully completed in 2024, i-City Finance Avenue will have a gross development value of RM1.5 billion, with fintech and multinational companies making up the majority of tenants.

Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari who witnessed the official opening of DoubleTree by Hilton said that one of the primary factors influencing tourism in Selangor is MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions).

Amirudin said given that Selangor's MICE industry is expanding, the launch of DoubleTree by Hilton couldn't have come at a better moment.

This newly opened hotel has a pillarless grand ballroom for 1,000 pax and meeting rooms.

Amirudin said the opening of the hotel is timely, given that more investors are lured to Selangor and would need a respectable branded hotel for their stay.

He said to advance, Selangor needed five-star business hotels run by respected worldwide companies.

"i-City is a good and vibrant regional development. It is capable of luring both investors and tourists. The Selangor State government hopes to collaborate with I-Berhad to draw more investors and tourists to the capital city, I hope i-City will become one of our components and assets for development in Selangor and its capital city's economic circles," he told NST Property.

Amirudin also noted that DoubleTree by Hilton would add to the capital city's attractions.

"We are not just focusing on natural attractions but are more interested in hospitality, accommodation, and events. More attractions will be added to Selangor and in the capital city, in particular, thanks to the Hilton hotel and i-City," he said.

Meanwhile, I-Berhad's chief technology officer and executive director Ricky Lim is confident that i-City Finance Avenue will attract more Fortune 500 companies and high-value industries as a result of the larger i-City's integrated Tier-3 data centre, Super AI, and dual fiber network.

Lim said i-City Finance Avenue has created an IT infrastructure for both businesses and consumers.

"Enterprise-grade infrastructure has been put in place for businesses. When it comes to internet connectivity, organisations that come to Mercu Maybank typically require high service level assurance. The mother of all internet in i-City is powered by our Super AI (artificial intelligence) network. We have multiple telco lines, so if one goes down, the other takes over. It offers almost no downtime to enterprises that subscribe to it. This is critical for high-value industries such as Fintechs, which require a choice between the mother of all internet, Tier-3 data centre, or private cloud," Lim said.