MELAKA: An overbooking incident at a five-star hotel in Klebang here that left guests stranded in lengthy check-in queues during the long weekend has prompted the state government to call for greater preparedness among tourism industry players.
Melaka tourism, heritage, arts and culture committee chairman Datuk Abd Razak Abd Rahman described the incident as regrettable and avoidable, particularly at a time when hotels across the state were reporting near-full occupancy.
"This should not have happened. While the hotel has taken steps to assist affected guests, including refunding payments, such incidents can be avoided with better operational planning and management," he said on Sunday (May 31).
Abd Razak said the state government had invested heavily in promoting Melaka as a tourism destination and attracting visitors to the historic city, making service quality and operational efficiency crucial for the industry's reputation.
"Tourism players must be more alert and better prepared, especially during peak travel periods and long weekends.
"Almost all hotels in the state have been reported to be fully booked this week, reflecting the strong demand for Melaka as a tourism destination," he said.
He added that encouraging visitor numbers must be matched by efficient service delivery to ensure tourists leave with a positive impression of the state.
The incident had earlier gained widespread attention after photographs showing large crowds of guests waiting in hotel queues circulated on social media.
In response, the hotel management issued a public apology and attributed the disruption to a system malfunction that resulted in an unexpected overbooking situation.
The hotel, in a statement Sunday, said the issue affected room allocation and preparation, causing some guests to endure long waiting times while others were unable to obtain the rooms they had reserved.
The hotel said refund and compensation procedures were activated immediately to assist affected guests and that additional measures had since been implemented to strengthen booking controls and operational processes.
It added that the improvements were aimed at preventing a recurrence of similar incidents in the future.
