The fundamentals of improving tourism dictates that everybody has got to do their part to ensure that a traveller’s experience is met beyond expectations.
“We’ve all got to do our part. People, meaning stakeholders, staff, employees, contractors, retail and food workers, the community, and all in between, must play their role in keeping the community clean, for example. Hotels help improve tourism by first of all ensuring that the experience of a visitor who visits Malaysia, is deemed great, beyond expectations and lasting,” Hyatt Place Kuala Lumpur General Manager Bennett Peter (pic) told BusinessToday exclusively recently.
Bennett said the most important reason why people select a hotel is to have a good night’s rest. Let’s go back to the fundamentals. They’re not choosing a hotel because it has a beautiful spa, so a successful hotel will do its part to make sure that promises are kept.
Many times, a brand carries and fulfils this promise and this is the mainstay of the hotel sector to help boost tourism and secondly, on a grander scale, the sector provides jobs for the economy. Today, demand exceeds supply of the labour force needed in Malaysia.
Asked then on what criteria do travellers often cite as the main reasons to choosing a destination and place to stay, Bennett said: “I put myself in the shoes of a tourist. Let’s say I’m sitting in the United Kingdom, I want to come and visit Southeast Asia. My decision would be based on my reason for travel or what first comes to mind; be it business or leisure and next comes affordability then delivery of good value.
An additional point would be service, where at Hyatt, the consistency of the brand comes into play as it is renowned for maintaining and going above global standards in meeting the needs of the traveller. “If you don’t provide a guest with brilliant sleep, the next day would be a waste as it’s limited for them which can render the trip futile, as an example.”
World-class infrastructure is today revolutionising travel as taste of the young replacing the old and the sector must cater for these tastes in travel interest or lose out. The game changer for tourism has a lot to do with access to different locations, food, travel time and cost. The types of stay have also evolved to include concepts from the gig economy like Grab and food delivery services to AirBNB. Keeping to the times and being knowledgeable in these new areas are essential.
Attraction to a traveller lies with what’s exotic and readiness to meet their needs. That’s where the promotion of a destination is very important, especially when Visit Malaysia Year 2026 is around the corner, Bennett said drawing a strong, nostalgic reference to the past monicker of ‘Malaysia…Truly Asia’, which greatly placed Malaysia as a leading tourist destination then.
Similarly, Thailand has been doing this for a long time, the same with Singapore, both nations have stood by long term promotion to increase tourist arrivals. It’s again timely, to promote Malaysia on a large scale across the globe, and this is a good opportunity because of the value of the Ringgit today makes more attractive for any traveller in terms of value.
It also goes without saying Malaysia has lots to offer and “we’re truly blessed to be located in a multiracial country without natural disasters, and other calamities, aside from many other wonderful traits.”
Attitude and Service
Bennett said any contact with a traveller or what many see as service only begins with the right attitude. When hiring personnel at Hyatt Place and across the chain, having someone with the right attitude or personality will decide his or her effectiveness at work, the rest is trainable, and this what service is.
“Service everybody does, what’s different is care. Services is merely the act; care is empathy plus action. And success is often seen when everybody cares,” said the long-standing hotelier with over 25 years of International experience.
You care for what you love. If you love your job, you’d care for it and that’s the combination of what we do.
A healthy occupancy rate has been a result of care, said Bennett, who explained that the Hyatt Place Kuala Lumpur, the second in Southeast Asia, had broken even within two months of its opening on Sept 20, last year and has been profitable since with gross operating profits seeing double digits since December.
An Optimistic 2024
Hyatt Place stands out as a viable destination due to its close proximity to the National Stadium Bukit Jalil where the business hotel captures travellers who are involved in sports event and concerts, which have big business events for Malaysia.
Recently, there was Coldplay which attracted about 60,000 people and a host of spin off revenue in the area as people needed to eat, shop and see the sites, the next being Siti Nurhaliza’s show in March. Such giant events represent huge tourism opportunities for the nation.
Bennett said they also had the Johor Darul Takzim football team staying at the hotel, due to its location and being about a 40-minute drive to KLIA.
Event based tourism had augured well for the development of the sector and holds promise as more event organisers are looking at Southeast Asia which is getting a lot more of the entertainment business.
Loyalty
Asked on what are the traits which stands out in meeting the needs of travellers, Bennett said a loyalty programme can ensure best rates, guaranteed. At Hyatt, the loyalty point is for life and doesn’t expire. That’s one thing which makes people choose Hyatt as they have experienced stays before and know its off good value.
Malaysia’s Harmonious Diversity still Top Seller
Multiracial and multicultural Malaysia still tops the list of reasons for travel. Tourists, till today, often say it is this point which makes Malaysia a sought-after destination. This, coupled with the food and the availability of a myriad of things to to do, from climbing a mountain to a beach holiday to almost everything a traveller would look for, is part of Malaysia’s charm.
“Overall, for tourism in Malaysia to be improved further, we have to get our fundamentals right,” Bennett added.
