Tech
Why Colony is opening a coworking and event space in Setia Alam
[This is a sponsored article with Colony.]
“Location gets people through the door. A premium experience is what they remember.” It’s this philosophy that has brought Colony to Setia Alam.
Spanning 11,454 sq ft on the 9th floor of Sunsuria Forum, this expansion marks a new chapter for Colony, its first beyond the city centre. Some might find the choice of location a little odd, with it being roughly 40 minutes away from KL, but it was by no means a hasty decision.
In fact, Colony @ Setia Alam has been in the making since December 2022, before the COVID-19 MCO was even lifted.
Predicting the trend, Colony’s team quickly realised that people are no longer separating work, lifestyle, and social experiences in the same way.
“As hybrid work becomes more common, well-planned suburban townships (like Setia Alam) have evolved into self-contained ecosystems that can support premium venues, not just as alternatives to the city, but as destinations in their own right,” said Timothy Tiah, CEO of Colony.
Why Setia Alam, and why now?
From the outset, Colony @ Setia Alam was never treated as a secondary location. It’s designed to deliver the same sense of impact as Colony’s other locations in the city.
The space draws on its signature design-led approach. This latest location takes Neo-Regency influences and reinterprets it for a contemporary space, emphasising on bright and airy interiors, tall ceilings, and spatial clarity.
Visitors will notice that this space builds upon the visual identity that’s also seen at Colony @ The MET, Mont Kiara.
It takes on a similar modern-classic interior with a monochromatic colour palette and elegant wall panel mouldings. But where Colony @ The MET featured cosy Japandi aesthetic in some rooms, Colony @ Setia Alam offers event halls in rustic and English styles respectively.
This gives customers more design options when looking for a coworking or event space from the award-winning brand that better suits their needs. But one area that’s not to be missed is Colony @ Setia Alam’s heart—The Conservatory.
The ballroom is decorated with classic black and white checkered tiles, while its glass rooftop brings in natural night, transforming the space throughout the day. This versatility makes the space suitable for weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations of all kinds for up to 200 guests.
“Design is critical because it’s what shapes the first impression. It’s often what removes the initial hesitation people have about choosing a venue outside the city,” Timothy stated. “Guests usually arrive with assumptions about scale, quality or experience, and those assumptions are either reinforced or dismantled within the first few moments.”
Building impact through design
Thoughtful design aside, Colony’s CEO noted that two key things that turns a space from just a mere venue to one that provides an experience:
- How well the space is run.
- How customers are looked after from start to finish.
In other words, the level of care and detail when providing hospitality, a core learning from the closure of Colony’s Star Boulevard location.
The CEO shared with us back in February 2025 that the pandemic’s restrictions unfortunately led to Star Boulevard becoming a loss-making unit that had to be cut off. But the team saw it as a deliberate reset rather than a retreat. “It gave us the opportunity to reassess how we deploy capital and energy as the business grows.”
“We’ve always believed in running the company in a disciplined, tax-efficient way and reinvesting back into the business, not just during challenging periods, but even when things are going well. What that’s reinforced for us is the importance of being selective.”
Going forward, Colony is focused on establishing fewer but more selective locations where design, hospitality, and experience can be sustained.
This new Setia Alam venue is part of the brand’s renewed strategy, which pays more attention to evolving districts, as well as growing residential and commercial communities.
With work and social boundaries continuing to blur, flexibility has become central to how people use space. Colony’s future locations are being designed to transition easily between focused work and collaborative events without feeling fragmented.
Taking a more selective approach
In the broader Malaysian coworking and event landscape, Colony observes a growing demand for high-quality work and event spaces beyond central KL.
“We see Colony playing a role in shifting the idea that premium events and gatherings need to be anchored to city centres. As the way people live and work continues to decentralise, expectations are changing. People want the same quality of experience closer to where their lives already are,” Timothy remarked.
Hence, the brand is making it their mission to bring those standards into emerging locations without diluting the experience. Their hope to support a more balanced ecosystem where work, events and social moments can happen meaningfully across different parts of the country.
Colony @ Setia Alam is now welcoming guests as part of its soft opening period in March 2026. Interested guests can learn more about the space and its offerings here.
Featured Image Credit: Colony