We’re excited to welcome the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore to our portfolio this month — one of the city’s most iconic addresses, now available at exclusive partner rates.
On the Malaysia side, our Malacca food journey has been refreshed for a more authentic, market-led experience, and our team has been on the road — from Cameron Highlands to Pangkor Laut — bringing back firsthand insights to better guide your bookings.
A few important updates to note as well: new entrance fees at the Perhentians, trail closures at Niah, and a temporary pause at the Mulu Canopy Skywalk. All the details are inside.
Inside this update:
- New portfolio addition — Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
- Refreshed Malacca Food Discovery
- Exclusive partner offers at Yotel & Paradox Singapore
- Team on the ground — Cameron Highlands, Ipoh, Desaru & Tioman
- Important updates — Perhentian Islands fee, Niah trail closures, Mulu Skywalk pause
Product updates
Malacca Food Discovery
Evening Tour
- No fixed menus — guides choose the best dishes available that night
- Seasonal, spontaneous, and genuinely local culinary experience
- Wander through UNESCO-listed Malacca’s most iconic food streets
Ideal Clients:
Foodies, culture seekers, couples & small groups
Hotel updates
Explore three handpicked Singapore hotels with exclusive EXO partner rates and seasonal promotions.
Mandarin Oriental
Singapore
Fresh from a full transformation, this Marina Bay icon now pairs chic contemporary design with its signature Oriental warmth. The harbour views and level of service remain unmatched. We’re genuinely excited to offer this legendary property to our partners at exclusive rates for the first time.
Ideal clients type: Travellers seeking the absolute best Singapore has to offer
Exclusive partner rates now available.
Yotel Singapore Orchard Road
Singapore
Smart, sleek, and right on Orchard Road — Yotel’s “cabin” concept makes clever use of space to deliver a high-tech, efficient stay in the city’s prime shopping corridor. We’ve secured an exclusive static offer here for our partners.
Ideal clients type: Tech-savvy travellers & shoppers wanting prime urban access
Exclusive static offer for our partners
Paradox Singapore Merchant Court
Singapore
Tucked beside Clarke Quay, Paradox offers a sophisticated riverside retreat — resort-style pool, excellent location, and a feel that bridges business and leisure effortlessly. Exclusive offer available for bookings made by 31 May 2026.
Ideal clients type: Families & business travellers wanting a central riverside base
Exclusive offer — book by 31 May 2026
Destinations news
On the ground – Team Inspections
We believe in seeing it to know it. Our team regularly takes to the road — inspecting properties, walking tour routes, and experiencing destinations firsthand — so that when you ask us a question, we’re speaking from experience, not a brochure. Here’s what the team has been up to this month.
Peninsula West Coast Familiarisation
Richelle (Travel Consultant), Natalie (Contracting Executive), Izzy (Travel Consultant), and Levia (Travel Consultant) completed a multi-stop inspection across the Cameron Highlands–Ipoh corridor, wrapping up with a beach break at Pangkor Laut.
The team came back with updated firsthand knowledge on tour routes, pacing, and the newest accommodation options — all fed directly into our product recommendations.
East Coast & Southern Inspection
Lia (Contracting Officer) and Elljye (Travel Consultant) completed a 4D/3N trip to Desaru to inspect the newly refurbished and rebranded Mandarin Oriental property firsthand — followed by a visit to Tioman. Their on-the-ground insights inform the renovation notes below.
Logistics & operations
New Perhentian Island Entrance Fee
Effective 1 April 2026
A mandatory municipal access fee (Fi Akses Pulau) now applies to all visitors arriving at Perhentian Island — worth flagging to clients before they travel.
International adults: RM 20 | Children: RM 5
Payable directly by guests at the jetty.
Borneo Lodge Alert
Lead times of 12 months or more are standard for Borneo’s premier lodges. Capacity for July to September 2026 is currently near zero. Guiding guests toward April, May or October offers better rates and improved availability.
Niah National Park, Sarawak
Contract rates are now live for the newly opened hotel Sutera Horizon. Note the restoration works below, but we can already include this in your late 2026-2027 planning conversations.
Please note that post-flood restoration works are currently underway in the park. Please flag the following to clients before booking:
Open & accessible: Traders’ Cave — fully open for visitors.
Temporarily closed for reconstruction until further notice: The Great Cave, Painted Cave, and the Main Connecting Trail.
Closures & refurbishments
TEMPORARY CLOSURE
Mulu Canopy Skywalk — Planned Maintenance
5 May – 10 June 2026
The Skywalk will be closed for maintenance during this window. Guests will visit the Mulu Tree Top Tower instead — a brilliant 30-metre hide with excellent sightings of hornbills and macaques. A strong alternative worth framing positively to clients.
LIMITED AVAILABILITY
Wildlife Volunteering — Sun Bear Project
May 2026 closure + limited 2026 spaces
The Sun Bear Project is closed for renovations throughout May 2026, and remaining 2026 availability across the programme is extremely limited. Book early if this is on your clients’ radar.
Hotel Renovations & Rebranding
Mandarin Oriental, Desaru Coast (formerly The Sirēya)
Renovation period: April – September 2026
Project: Ember Beach Club enhancement
Open & operational: Rooms, main pool, Ambara and Essential dining
The property has officially relaunched under the Mandarin Oriental brand. All main facilities remain open — please note the Beach Club closure when setting client expectations.
Japamala Resort, Tioman
Status: Post-monsoon refurbishment officially complete
On the ground: Some finishing touches still underway. The resort has announced the completion of refurbishment works, though our team on the ground notes some finishing touches are still in progress. There are also further enhancements in the pipeline — including a water feature beneath the boardwalk designed to create a ponding effect, making it appear as though the boardwalk floats on a river. It’s going to be a beautiful addition to an already special property. For now, we recommend setting a “refreshing, work-in-progress” expectation with clients — we’ll keep you posted as it comes together.
Sustainability News
Through the EXO Foundation, we support Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) — an NGO dedicated to coral reef monitoring and community-driven marine conservation since 2007. Our partnership backs their waste management initiative on Selakan Island, tackling the environmental impact of improper waste disposal by promoting community involvement in waste segregation, facilitating recycling, and building long-term awareness through a dedicated recycling learning lab.
This month, the EXO Malaysia team headed to Tanjung Lipat beach for a hands-on beach cleanup alongside the RCM team. Using RCM’s dedicated tracking application, every piece of trash collected was logged by type and weight in real time — making the impact feel tangible in a way that a simple bag of rubbish never quite does.
It’s a reminder that responsible tourism doesn’t stop at the end of a tour. If your clients are passionate about marine conservation, ask us about how RCM’s work connects to our Borneo products.
Holiday schedule
Please be advised that during the upcoming national holidays, some departments will experience reduced staffing, which may lead to slightly slower response times.
EXO Malaysia & EXO Singapore
- 1st May (Friday): Labour Day
EXO Malaysia & EXO Singapore Annual Team Building: Office Closure Notice.
- 19 November (Thursday): Closed
- 20 November (Friday): Closed
- 21 November (Saturday): Weekend Closure (as usual)
Response times will be delayed; however, our Customer Care and Operations ground teams will remain available 24/7 to assist with any urgent matters.
EXO Malaysia’s 24/7 Urgent Emergency Contact Information:
Peninsular Malaysia +60 12 252 3090 | Email: [email protected]
Borneo: +60 13 881 9332 | Email: [email protected]
Malaysia Customer Care: [email protected]
EXO Singapore’s 24/7 Urgent Emergency Contact Information:
Singapore: +65 806-67499 | Email: [email protected]
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