Hectic days as journalists converge at Sama-Sama Hotel

SEPANG: Security detail, including hotel staff, auxiliary policemen and the military, can be seen walking around the foyer and lobby of the Sama-Sama Hotel here keeping a watchful eye on things.

Hotel marketing communications manager Kellyn On said it had been hectic since the first press conference on the missing MH370 craft on March 8, the day the crisis started.

She said some of the challenges included catering for the sudden demand for rooms and ensuring enough security measures were in place.

“We received security personnel from Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd to assist us.

“We have 442 rooms and, I think, around 420 are now occupied,” she said when interviewed.

On said the hotel’s department heads receive a daily briefing at 9.30am to run through the operations for the day and to ensure everything runs smoothly.

She said they had stopped external reservations and increased the Internet bandwidth speed from the first day, so the hundreds of journalists could do their work.

“It’s amazing to see how people come together and work hard during this time. The staff will stay back late and they have all done a really good job,” she said.

However, there has been a decrease in the number of journalists camping out here as many have packed up and left in the past few days.

Journalists have parked themselves in the foyer with their laptops as they attempt to glean more information on the investigations while waiting for the daily press conference at 5.30pm.

In the auditorium, video cameras are on standby for hours while most of the seats are “reserved” by journalists who place their belongings there.

Those who cannot get a seat usually crowd around the walls as the room slowly swells with people from around 4.30pm onwards.