How do you know if you are a Hotelier?

You are in the hotel industry, if ... ... ...

You sat at the same desk for 4 years and worked for 8 different managers

“Going for cocktails and dinner” is NOT your idea of a nice evening

When someone asks you your exact job profile, you lie

You get really excited about a 2% pay increase

You sit in a cubicle smaller than your bedroom closet

It’s dark on your drive to and from work

Communication is something your “group” is having problems with

You see a good looking person and you know it’s a visitor/guest

Food left over from a banquet or meeting is your main staple diet

You forget what you look like in anything but a suit

All the work you were hired to do gets done before 9 and after 5

You’re already late on an assignment you just received

Your boss’s favourite lines are

a. “When you get a minute…”

b. “In your spare time….”

c. “I have an opportunity for you…”

50% of the people in your company don’t know what you do

The other 50% of the people in your company don’t care what you do

Vacation is something you roll over to next year, if you are allowed

Change is the norm

Nepotism is encouraged

Six months is considered to be substantial longevity

You dial “9″ before the number no matter where you are calling from

When you are walking in public, you have to fight the urge to pick up little scraps of paper and rubbish on the floor

Your toilet paper at home is folded in a triangle on the first sheet

You answer the phone at home “Hello this is….., how may I help you?”

You eat in hotel restaurants for fun

You inspect your hotel room when travelling

Most of all, you read this entire list and understand it!

[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news]

Three shopping carnivals for VMY 2007

Three shopping carnivals for VMY 2007
Corinne Wan

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will host three mega shopping carnivals to draw in tourists for Visit Malaysia Year 2007 and to meet the targeted RM44 billion (US$12 billion) tourism receipts during Visit Malaysia Year 2007.

The shopping frenzy kicks off with the Kuala Lumpur Grand Prix City Sale from March 24 to April 22 in conjunction with the Petronas Formula One Grand Prix, followed by the Mega Sale Carnival from June 15 to Sept 2 and the Year End Sale from December 1 to January 1, 2008.

Tourism minister Tengku Datuk Seri Adnan Tengku Mansor said the biggest foreign spenders were tourists from Qatar, Pakistan and Kuwait, with average spending of RM4,500 per person.

Shopping contributes RM7.7 billion or 20.8 percent of the RM31.9 billion tourism receipts last year. The ministry is expecting 20.1 million tourists for VMY 2007.

---

SpotLight: Sale! Sale! Sale! Playing catch-up
22 Oct 2006

IN 2000, the Culture, Arts and Tourism Ministry decided to turn Malaysia into a leading shopping paradise in Asia.

The key strategy was the introduction of the nationwide Mega Sale Carnival that was held thrice a year — in March, August and December.

The then minister Datuk Paduka Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir said the tri-annual sale frequency is a reminder that there is an emerging international shopping destination in the region. He said holding it thrice a year also shows the sense of urgency in achieving this target as Malaysia is behind the leading shopping destinations in the region. In the event the sales are held less frequently, they will widen the gap between Malaysia and the other shopping destinations.

Following feedback from retailers that the three nationwide sales were one too many, the Tourism Ministry under Datuk Dr Leo Michael Toyad decided to hold the nationwide sale once a year. Instead, two other regionwide sales, covering the northern and southern Peninsular Malaysia, were held at different times of the year.

What we have now is three nationwide sales carrying three different names — Grand Prix (in March), Mega Sale (August/September) and Year End Sale (December).

Spending but not shopping enoughFOREIGN tourists spend only about 20 per cent annually on shopping in Malaysia.

The bulk of the spending is on accommodation, which makes up about 30 per cent of total spending here although average room rates of hotels in Malaysia is one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest, in the world.

In contrast, destinations which already enjoy international shopping status see more being spent on shopping compared to accommodation, although hotel rates in the same star category could be at least three times more.

A Mastercard International Insights research on ‘Kuala Lumpur as a Travel-Shopping Destination’ in the third quarter of 2005 indicated the Malaysian capital had the lowest spending among key shopping centres in Asia at 22 per cent.

This compares with Singapore’s 53 per cent, Hong Kong’s 50 per cent and Seoul’s 45 per cent. The report also stated that in order for Kuala Lumpur to compete successfully as a shopping centre, it has to move upmarket to become a premium hub for shopping, as being "inexpensive" may no longer be enough.

"Only by going upmarket can Kuala Lumpur be successfully re-positioned, thus avoiding comparison with either Bangkok, China or India," the report added.

Source : TravelWeekly New Strait Times
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news]

Pan Pac's management of KLIA hotel extended

Pan Pac's management of KLIA hotel extended
Corinne Wan

KUALA LUMPUR - Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts' (PPHR) management contract with Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport (PPKLIA) has been extended for another 10 years.

PPHR was part of the planning group and has been managing the hotel for its owner, Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd, since it started operations in June 1998. The hotel has been refurbished and upgraded over the past years.

Source : TravelWeekly
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news]

Top Resorts, Top Hotels - Results of the 2006 Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards

Top Resorts, Top Hotels - Results of the 2006 Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards
Oct 19, 06 2:05 am

The November 2006 issue of Conde Nast Traveler celebrates the 19th annual Readers' Choice Awards. The results are derived from the largest independent poll of consumers' preferences, the Readers' Choice Survey, second in size only to the U.S. Census. With over 21,000 travelers voting this year, the lists show an even greater global variety and depth.

This year many perennial favorites hold on to their top spots:

Singapore Airlines is again the #1 International Route Airline, and has led this
category for 18 of the past 19 years (in 1994 Swissair took the top spot) and
remains the only carrier ever to earn an overall score above 90.0.

San Francisco, the #1 U.S. City, has also been #1 for 18 of the past 19 years (in
1992 Santa Fe won the honor).

But there are some surprises this year, including the Maldives, which is the first island since the inception of the Islands category 13 years ago to beat Maui for the #1 Island ranking. Buckland Manor in the Cotswolds, England, gained the distinction this year for being the highest-scoring hotel in Readers' Choice history by receiving perfect scores for Rooms, Service, Food, and Location. Another property to receive 100s in Rooms, Service, Location, and Design in the Hotels category was Budapest's Four Seasons Gresham Palace.

Also of note is Regent Seven Seas (formerly Radisson Seven Seas), the #1 Large Ship Cruise Line that edges ahead of the nine-time winner and close contender Crystal Cruises. Many Asian properties scored well into the 90's in the Resorts category, led by the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan with a near-perfect 99.6, placing the resort as #1 on the overall Top 100 list this year.

Below are results for the top three winners in each category.

Top Resorts - Africa: 1. Singita - Ebony & Boulders Lodges 2. Chief's Camp, Botswana 3. Chobe Chilwero, Botswana

Top Resorts - Canada: 1. Pan Pacific Mountainside, Whistler 2. Four Seasons, Whistler 3. Westin Resort, Whistler

Top Resorts - Atlantic: 1. One&Only Ocean Club, Bahamas 2. The Reefs, Bermuda 3. Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos

Top Resorts - Central/South America : 1. Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo 2. Explora en Patagonia, Chile 3. Llao Llao Hotel & Resort, Argentina

Top Resorts - Asia: 1. Four Seasons Bali at Sayan 2. Four Seasons, Chiang Mai, Thailand 3. Banyan Tree, Phuket, Thailand

Top Resorts - Mexico: 1. La Casa Que Canta, Zihuatanejo 2. Royal Hideaway Playacar, Riviera Maya 3. JW Marriott, Cancun

Top Resorts - Pacific Rim: 1. Four Seasons Lodge at Koele, Lanai 2. Four Seasons Hualalai, Big Island 3. Voyages Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef

Top Resorts - Europe : 1. Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland 2. Westin Turnberry Resort, Scotland 3. Mount Juliet Conrad, Co. Kilkenny

Top Resorts - Caribbean: 1. Malliouhana Hotel, Anguilla 2. Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman 3. Sandy Lane, Barbados

Top Resorts - United States : 1. Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, AZ 2. Inn at Palmetto Bluff, SC 3. Inn at Spanish Bay, CA

Top Hotels - Asia: 1. Fullerton Hotel, Singapore 2. Amandari, Bali 3. The Peninsula, Bangkok

Top Hotels - Caribbean/Atlantic: 1. Hotel Saint-Barth Isle de France 2. Ladera, St. Lucia 3. Waterloo House, Bermuda

Top Hotels - Pacific Rim: 1. Rialto Hotel on Collins, Melbourne 2. Park Hyatt, Sydney 3. Lilianfels Blue Mountains, Australia

Top Hotels - Africa: 1. Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza 2. Cape Grace, Cape Town 3. Sofitel Palais Jamai, Fez

Top Hotels - Europe: 1. Four Seasons Gresham Palace 2. Chateau Les Crayeres, Reims 3. Four Seasons George V, Paris

Top Hotels - South America : 1. Hotel Monasterio, Cuzco, Peru 2. Four Seasons, Buenos Aires 3. Swissotel, Quito, Ecuador

Top Hotels - United States: 1. The Peninsula, Chicago, IL 2. Watermark Hotel, San Antonio, TX 3. St. Regis, New York, NY

Top Hotels - Canada: 1. Auberge du Vieux-Port, Montreal 2. Hotel Dominion 1912, Quebec City 3. Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City

Top Hotels - British Isles: 1. Buckland Manor, The Cotswolds 2. Gidleigh Park, Devon 3. Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London

Top Hotels - Central America/Mexico : 1. JW Marriott, Mexico City 2. Esperanza, Cabo San Lucas 3. Casa Santo Domingo, Guatemala

Top Hotels - Middle East: 1. Grand Hyatt, Amman 2. King David, Jerusalem 3. David Citadel, Jerusalem

Top Cities - United States: 1. San Francisco, CA 2. Santa Fe, NM 3. New York, NY

Top Cities - Asia : 1. Bangkok, Thailand 2. Hong Kong 3. Chiang Mai, Thailand

Top Cities - Europe: 1. Florence, Italy 2. Rome, Italy 3. Venice, Italy

Top Cities - Africa/Middle East : 1. Cape Town, South Africa 2. Marrakech, Morocco

Top Cities - Pacific Rim : 1. Sydney, Australia 2. Melbourne, Australia 3. Queenstown, New Zealand

Top Cities - The Americas: 1. Vancouver,British Columbia 2. Buenos Aires, Argentina 3. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Top Islands - Europe : 1. Mykonos & the Cyclades, Greece 2. Madeira, Portugal 3. Capri, Italy

Top Islands - Pacific Rim: 1. Maui, Hawaii 2. Kauai, Hawaii 3. Moorea, French Polynesia

Top Islands - Caribbean/Atlantic: 1. Bermuda 2. St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands 3. British Virgin Islands

Top Islands - North America: 1. Vancouver Island, Canada 2. Kiawah, South Carolina 3. Nantucket, Massachusetts

Top Islands - Asia: 1. Maldives 2. Bali, Indonesia 3. Phuket, Thailand

Top International Route Airlines : 1. Singapore Airlines 2. Emirates 3. Cathay Pacific

Top Domestic Route Airlines: 1. JetBlue 2. Midwest 3. Hawaiian

Top Car Rental Agencies : 1. Hertz 2. Renault Eurodrive 3. Avis

Top Large Ship Cruise Lines : 1. Regent Seven Seas 2. Crystal Cruises 3. Disney

Top Small Ship Cruise Lines : 1. SeaDream Yacht Club 2. Grand Circle Cruise Line 3. Regent Seven Seas

The complete results of the awards can be found in the November issue, on newsstands October 24th. The program titled Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards will premiere on the Travel Channel on Wednesday, October 25th at 8 PM (ET/PT).

Unlike many other travel publications, Conde Nast Traveler does not accept free travel and accommodations, and its correspondents, as far as possible, travel anonymously. The result is travel the way consumers experience it -- good and bad, with reporting that is fair and honest. Conde Nast Traveler recently won its 6th National Magazine Award and is still the only travel publication to have won the highest honor in magazine publishing. Conde Nast Traveler, the 2005 Zagat Survey Best Travel Magazine, has a circulation of over 750,000 and is published by Conde Nast Publications, Inc.

Source : Ehotelier
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news]

Marriott Testing Smartphone Check Ins

Marriott Testing Smartphone Check Ins
Oct 19, 06 1:58 am

Marriott is working with Intel Solution Services and Microsoft to enable Windows Mobile device users to check into their hotel from their smartphone - the Pocket PC Phone variety. So instead of waiting of on a long line to check in, a guest could just breeze up to an automatic key dispenser.



To start, users download and install what's called Marriott's mobilitysoftware from Arrive.Marriott.com to access what is the an initial test system, currently accessible at only one hotel; Marriott's Redmond, Washington location - The Redmond Marriott Town Center, not by coincidence, of course. There's also a PDA user guide on the site.



Once installed, users can check into their room while in transit to the hotel. Guests will be able to change room types, receive welcome information and reconfirm their room rates. Should a wireless signal be lost during the check-in process, it picks up where it left off once their reconnected.



Last but not least, when they arrive at the hotel, guests retrieve their room keys from the automated key dispenser in the lobby; bypassing what is often hordes of other travelers waiting on line to check in. For the Pocket PC Phone user, it’s a quick trip up to the hotel room to rest some weary feet.



Marriott expects to complete the test later this year. After evaluation, the hotel chains plans to roll the mobile wireless check-in solution out to other hotels.




Source: SmartPhoneToday.com
News Source : Ehotelier
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news]

Hotel room rates in M'sia move sharply higher

Hotel room rates in M'sia move sharply higher; But charges are still below Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam

October 17, 2006
S Jayasankaran In Kuala Lumpur

AFTER years of depressed prices, Malaysia's hotels have begun to recover, with room rates moving sharply higher and shares in Shangri-La, Malaysia's only pure hotel play, rising 17 per cent to an eight-year high of RM1.95 apiece.

Even so, Malaysia's hotel rates remain one of the cheapest in Asia - good for travellers but less so for investors.

'It's embarrassing,' said Lim Beng Leong, the head of research of securities firm UOBKayHian in Kuala Lumpur. 'We are cheaper than Indonesia, the Philippines, even Vietnam.' The 'cheap' image has stuck to the country because, unlike hotels in Thailand, Indonesia or India which price room rates in US dollars, Malaysia has always set rates in the local currency.

After 1997, that got worse as the ringgit depreciated 40 per cent against the US dollar in the wake of the Asian financial crisis.

Last year, for example, the average room rate for hotels in Kuala Lumpur was RM204.69, or US$56 (S$88.50) - half the average in Indonesia or Thailand.

Even so, it's a step up from the average RM188 rate KL hotels charged in 2004. Higher occupancies (72 per cent last year) are pushing rates up at the more prestigious hotels.
Shangri-La, which has hotels in KL, Penang and Sabah, upped its rates for its flagship KL hotel to RM350 per night from RM320 per night last year. But that still pales before Mandarin Oriental, the most sought after five star hotel in the capital, whose rates come in at RM480 per night. Indeed, Mandarin is believed to be planning to increase this to RM600 per night by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the sale of Malaysian hotel assets is beginning to fetch higher premiums. Listed contractor Ireka recently sold its flagship Westin Hotel in KL to Newood Assets, which is believed to be controlled by Thai whisky king Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, for RM455 million. The sale valued the hotel at RM1 million a room, a record by Malaysian standards and a significant increase on the RM900,000 a room valuation given to Mandarin Oriental when it was packaged as part of Kuala Lumpur City Centre Properties and listed three years ago.

The higher room rates come with Malaysia's increasing success in attracting tourists. Despite fears of avian flu last year, tourist arrivals to Malaysia hit an all-time high of 16.4 million visitors in 2005, up from about 6 million in 1999 and around 2 million when Mahathir Mohamad took over as premier in 1981 and began promoting tourism in a big way.

Hoteliers are also excited by Visit Malaysia Year, which coincides with Malaysia's 50th year of independence next year. Hoteliers are expecting a 15 per cent increase in visitors to more than 20 million.

Source : Hotels Mag

[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news]

Tourism Malaysia to attract 700,000 Chinese tourists in 2007

Tourism Malaysia to attract 700,000 Chinese tourists in 2007

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia plans to attract about 700,000 Chinese during the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 by setting up more Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia) offices in China. Currently, Tourism Malaysia has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou.

And Tourism Malaysia is aiming for more in the Northern parts of mainland China.Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Donald Lim said that the e-visa arrangement with China was supposed to take off this year to avoid congestion at the airport. But the delay in discussions has stalled this initiative.

He hoped that the e-visa could be introduced before the Visit Malaysia Year 2007. For the first half of this year, about 250,000 Chinese had visited Malaysia compared to 350,000 for the whole of last year.

Source : TravelWeekly
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news]

A Colourful Celebration of a Milestone Achieved – The Opening of Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa

A Colourful Celebration of a Milestone Achieved – The Opening of Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa
Oct 02, 06 1:57 am

Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, Penang, re-opened for business on September 28, 2006, marked by a lively colourful ceremony, highlighted by a pair of prancing ‘lions’ accompanied a welcome parade consisting of one hundred staff members who were all resplendently attired in various Malaysian traditional costumes.

The ceremony was planned to jointly celebrate the resort’s opening day as well as to welcome the first guests who checked-in on the same day. The resort's General Manager, Arbind K. Shrestha, said that the resort’s task force team decided not to stage an overtly extravagant affair, preferring one which showcased the world renowned local culture as well as the sincerity and warmth of the people.

The first guests, ferried by a fleet of five limousines, arrived at the Rasa Wing at 10am where they were greeted by 100 uniformed employees lined up along the driveway. A lion dance troupe accompanied by Chinese drummers, Malay kompang and Indian Tabla drummers provided the fanfare as the guests were garlanded by the General Manager and ushered from their limousines, to the exclusive Rasa Wing Lounge.

In addition, there were 8 beauties attired in traditional Malay costumes bearing the "Bunga Manggar" who escorted the guests to the Reception Lobby, where guests made cash deposits as they were checked-in – a symbolic gesture signifying the inward flow of money, an essential element for all thriving businesses.

A cocktail party will be hosted this evening for the pioneering and corporate guests, in-house guests as well as invited media and travel representatives.

The former Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort, incepted in November 1973, consisted of 514 guest rooms and suites, underwent a major redevelopment and repositioning programme from December 1, 2004. The resort was closed for 20 months to facilitate the project which cost RM 100 million.

Over 21 months of meticulous planning and hard work culminates this auspicious day, as the resort and her team, confidently and smoothly move onto a new phase in the future. The new Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, presently houses 304 guest rooms and suites in the Rasa Wing and Garden Wing. All facilities and services, including guest rooms at both the Rasa Wing and Garden Wing, innovative restaurants and bars, Meetings & Conference facilities, Beauty Salon, Health Club & Gym, grounds and gardens, swimming pools and her very own Par-3 Executive Golf Course are fully operational. The resort also marks the introduction of "Chi, The Spa" at Shangri-La, the very first in Malaysia. Last but never the least, our greatest asset - all employees, will endeavour to deliver the legendary Shangri-La brand of hospitality to the greatest of their abilities.

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently manages 49 hotels under Shangri-La and Traders brands with a rooms inventory of over 23,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services. Shangri-La hotels are located in Australia, mainland China, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Thailand, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates. The group has over 40 projects under development in Canada, mainland China, France, India, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Qatar, Seychelles, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States. For more information or reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at http://www.shangri-la.com/ .

Source: Ehotelier

[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news]