Photo: Malaysia Hotels
According to the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), hotels will still be operating with limited services during the Movement Control Order period.
The Star reported that hotels will not be allowed to accept new guests during this period and that the ruling is applicable to Malaysians only. In-house guests who had checked-in before 18 March will be allowed to stay until their intended check-out date and are advised to remain in their rooms throughout the period.
Free Malaysia Today reports that MAH has stated that all hotels would be operating with minimal staff and will cease operation of all hotel services except for room service ordering food and beverages only.
Yap Lip Seng, MAH chief executive officer, said that the COVID-19 pandemic had caused RM68million in losses, due to over 170 thousand room cancellations.
“We foresee that the losses will double by the end of the year,” he added.
In other news, the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) also urged the government to review the guidelines for the movement control order to include tourists who might be stuck during their holiday in Malaysia.
MATTA president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said the government should consider allowing hotels to accommodate guests and tourists who are currently in the middle of their planned tour and pre-booked their hotel stays.
“We have a situation where 21 Australian tourists in Sabah are in limbo because no hotel in Kota Kinabalu will accept them even after the hotel was booked before the government order was issued, ” he said
According to Tan, the group was touring Ranau and was supposed to spend a few days in Kota Kinabalu starting from March 18 before heading back to their home country.
Unfortunately, the hotel that was listed in their itinerary refused to accept them after the order was issued and stated that they were merely following government orders.
Tan believes that the confusion arises because there was not clear guidance on whether or not the hospitality industry is considered an essential service.
“We hope policymakers would consider the flexibility of allowing foreign tourists to continue with their full tour given the unforeseen circumstances,” adding that tourists might find themselves stranded in an unfamiliar town or city if not given this flexibility.
Stay safe, everyone!
By: Siti Farhana Sheikh Yahya
