This is the second in a series of four Penang hotels Amy Yip plans to invest in. Photo: Sin Chew
Former screen siren Amy Yip may have retired from the entertainment industry for some 30 years, but the Hong Kong star is making inroads into the hospitality scene.
Less than three months after the 58-year-old made an appearance in Penang to open boutique hotel The Leith Hotel Penang – which she invested in – she has announced plans to invest in another hotel in the Malaysian state.
This time, it is a durian-themed establishment, said to be the first of its kind in South-east Asia. Singaporean filmmaker Jack Neo will serve as the creative director, while Yip will be a non-executive director.
According to Malaysian news outlet Sin Chew Daily, Yip said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur that this is the second in a series of four Penang hotels she plans to invest in. She added that durian is her favourite thing to eat in Malaysia.
“The four hotels will have four different themes, but we will make sure to keep the original culture and heritage of the buildings,” she said.
Yip began investing in hotels after becoming acquainted with Evian Chong, managing director of Malaysian hospitality company Evians Holdings.
The exact location and opening date of the durian-themed hotel have not been announced.
Neo, 64, said his involvement with the hotel was serendipitous. He had stayed at an Evians Holdings property during one of his visits to Malaysia for work and got to know the boss of the property.
“She said she wanted to create a durian-themed hotel but had met a lot of opposition, because it sounds like such a limiting concept. But perhaps people don’t have so many ideas surrounding durian as I do.”
The director, who made the 2023 comedy film The King Of Musang King, a story about a durian farmer, said he thought a lot about the fruit while he was making the film.
Neo told Sin Chew Daily: “When I’m filming and I see a durian on a tree, I feel that that’s a piece of art. Because it tells me something about harvest, goodness and fragrance. It shouldn’t be something that just stops at being another thing we eat. It can evolve into something with a deeper meaning.”
He added there has been interest in a durian-themed hotel in Pahang, Malaysia, too. As for whether the concept will be introduced to Singapore, he said he hopes to bring it back home, but added that land is much more expensive here.
Beyond working together on a business venture, will Neo invite Yip to star in one of his films? After all, she had taken part in his walking group Pa Pa Zao when she was in Singapore on Dec 15. While there are no concrete plans, the pair told reporters that they do not rule out the possibility.
In her heyday, Yip was known for her voluptuous figure and given the nickname Boba which, in turn, inspired the name for tapioca balls in boba tea. She got her big break starring in the risque Hong Kong film Erotic Ghost Story (1990).
While it has been a long time since she last acted, Yip said she is in talks to star in a movie. She added it will not be an adult film.
“Nowadays, nostalgia is trending, so that’s the direction that movie will take as well.” – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
An artist's rendering of the interior of the upcoming durian-themed hotel that Jack Neo will be the creative director of. Photo: Courtesy of Jack Neo
