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| Pic from FB |
I didn’t expect it to feel like a stab in the heart -- but it did. Seeing the news of a Johor Bahru institution, The Puteri Pacific Hotel, being demolished made me pause and stare into space for a while. This wasn’t just any hotel. A four-star property with over 500 rooms, connected to the Persada Johor International Convention Centre and standing proudly on Jalan Abdullah Ibrahim, it was part of the city’s skyline and soul for decades.
Yes, I know the hotel had ceased operations some five years ago during the pandemic. That part was already a quiet goodbye. But watching it being physically dismantled hit very differently. The Puteri Pacific began life as the Pan Pacific in 1991, and back then it was one of those landmarks we were genuinely proud of -- a sign that JB was going places, standing tall and confident just across the Causeway.
After both my parents passed on, the hotel became my “home” each time I balik kampung to JB. The moment you stepped into the lobby, that unmistakable Johor hospitality wrapped itself around you. People were always warm and welcoming, whether you turned up in a suit or in a simple T-shirt and jeans. From the room window, you could take in that familiar view of JB with Singapore in the distance -- steady, reassuring, quietly comforting.
And of course, everything was within walking distance: KOMTAR, Kotaraya, Salahuddin Bakery, Hua Mui. So thank you, Puteri Pacific, for the memories. You were never just a hotel.
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