The Rebranding of Perdana KLCC As a MuslimFriendly Hotel from Islamic Public Relations Perspective

Abstract

The rapid development in Islamic tourism or halal tourism contributed to the high demand for halal services. One of the sectors that received the impact in this new dimension is Muslim-friendly hotels (MFH) which leads to a transformation from a conventional hotel to a Muslim-friendly hotel. The effort to brand MFH needs public relations expertise that functions as a powerful medium in planning branding strategies through the creation of identity, image, and reputation. This paper aims to examine the branding strategies of Perdana Kuala Lumpur City Centre (Perdana KLCC) as MFH through Islamic public relations
perspectives. It intends to highlight Islamic perspectives based on the reason that conventional public relations are less appropriate to study Islamic branding in Islamic-based organisations as the foundations are contradicted. Besides that, this paper also wishes to study the functions of Islamic public relations in the branding process. Data for this study was gathered through in-depth interview and document analysis by applying content analysis. Two informants at Perdana KLCC have been chosen to be interviewed to get the data. The findings are showing that the strategies of Islamic public relations significantly contributed to the branding creation of Muslim-friendly hotels as it produces identity and image that align with Islamic teaching. The findings also revealed that values in Islamic public relations contribute effectively to the branding of MFH. Therefore, it gives a clear insight into the concept of Islamic public relations in MFH that leads to a positive image of MFH.