The Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, a 40-story five-star hotel and mixed-use development in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has begun construction. The Seattle office of international destination design firm WATG is the design architect for the project. It is scheduled to open in December of 2010.

One of the more notable design features of the project will be the hotel lobby. Instead of being on the ground level, it will be at the top of the building. When guests enter the building to check in, they will ride the express lifts to the lobby where impressive 360-degree views of downtown Kuala Lumpur will greet them.

"We are thrilled to be a part of this exciting urban-core hospitality project," says Cynthia Jacobs, vice president of WATG and lead architect on the project. "The upside-down hotel concept will truly enhance the guest experience."

The building will also hold service apartments and offices. The architect of record is Kuala Lumpur-based GDP Architects and the interior design is done by Bilkey Llinas Design Ltd. out of Hong Kong.