GEORGE TOWN: Budget hotel operators are keeping their fingers crossed for an added boost from foreign tourists once international borders reopen on April 1.
Malaysia Budget Hotel Association (MyBHA) National Trade and Bureau chairman Andy Lau said there were about 130 registered hotels under the association that were struggling to make ends meet.
“About 95% of our members are still around after two years of Covid-19, but are struggling to recover to normal operations.
“Some hotels are fortunate that 20% to 30% of bookings are coming from people seeking a place for quarantine, but it’s a lot of work.
“These hotels need to provide contactless payments, check-ins and food delivery services. Not all hotels are capable of committing to these while maintaining competitive rates.
“Those who are close contacts would prefer to stay away from their homes for safety reasons, and we need to ensure that they remain physically distanced to prevent Covid-19 transmission.
“Staffers also require additional training and all rooms need to be thoroughly sanitised after each use,” he said.
Lau added that since the occupancy rate remained low and the domestic market had slowed down due to the high number of Covid-19 cases, they hoped the arrival of international travellers would help.
But he was worried that it would take a long time before enough travellers started arriving to truly benefit hoteliers here.
“Places such as Sabah, Johor and Pulau Langkawi will remain top destinations for Singaporeans before Penang. Here, they usually seek food and local cultural attractions.
“Hopefully, we will get even more travellers after international borders reopen next month,” he said.
Starting April 1, Malaysia will reopen its borders to international travellers. Those wanting to visit the country will no longer need to apply for the MyTravelPass.
Visitors and Malaysians who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will no longer have to quarantine when they arrive.
Super 8 Hotel owner Alex Loo, who operates 40 rooms in Bayan Baru, said he was only getting about a 20% occupancy rate.
“Occupancy used to be about 90% and most of our customers were those here for work. But as many sectors remain inactive, they do not need to travel,” the 42-year-old said.
Loo, who has another 50-room branch in Lebuh Tye Sin here, said more families were booking the hotel due to its close proximity to attractions in the city.
On the arrival of Singaporeans or other international travellers, Loo was sceptical that budget hotels would benefit due to the currency exchange rate.
“With a stronger currency against us, most of them will prefer to book better hotels,” he added.
Condominium unit owner Marcus Lim, 62, who lists his unit in Pulau Tikus for rent on Airbnb to provide lodging and homestay services, said it had been months since it was last booked despite prices being slashed.
“The unit with three bedrooms used to be popular when I charged about RM400 per night, but now I’m listing it for only RM200,” he said.
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