NST Online: StreetsJohor
NST Online: StreetsJohor |
| Carving a career out of hospitality Posted: 07 Aug 2011 07:52 AM PDT MY career in the hospitality industry began with Reliance Travel & Shipping Agencies Sdn Bhd almost 30 years ago. It was 1982 when I first set foot in that company, where I took on many responsibilities such as control of payments, customer servicing, travel consultations and hotel contracting. Being a hotel contracting manager in the company meant I not only dealt with one hotel but many hotels throughout Malaysia.
I spent about four years at this hotel. Then I moved on to the Dorsett Regency Hotel in Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur.
Due to the expansion of the hotel's parent company, I was later asked to helm the branding of Silka Johor Hotel. I became its general manager in May this year. Dorsett Regency and Silka Johor come under the same management, the Hong Kong-listed Kosmopolito Hotels International Limited.
We identify key associates and groom them to meet their full potential. With my latest role, I lead and guide my staff to continually improve our business. I bounce off ideas with my staff day and night -- to the point that they sometimes lament it is just too much to handle! But that does not mean I expect them to put in late hours. I believe in having balance in life, so I do not expect my staff to work all day and night. My staff are a dedicated lot, and once they finish work at 6.30pm or so, they go home to spend time with their families. I now live in the hotel itself. I keep myself busy with a hectic schedule. I seldom have any free time when I am in Johor, and time often passes by quickly with work. I workout whenever I can and enjoy reading motivational and spiritual books by such authors as Robin Sharma, Deepak Chopra and the Dalai Lama. As for the hotel, my staff and I have our work cut out for us. The hotel recently underwent a rebranding exercise -- from Dorsett Johor Hotel to Silka Johor Hotel. The launch of Silka Johor was held last month with a luncheon for our corporate clients. A lion dance troupe entertained us while a promotional campaign involving taxis was launched. I have people coming to me to ask, "When did the hotel change?" I would then explain to them about our rebranding exercise. The three-star Silka has three properties in Hong Kong. There will soon be another Silka in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. I like the hotel industry for it challenges my mind to be more creative. It is an industry that never lets me sleep, but it keeps me fit. Dealing with people is what I like to do best. The hotel industry is constantly changing. As it is evolving, one has to move forward with the times. Whatever we did 10 years ago may not be applicable now. Nowadays, we need to understand market demand. As the Silka Johor is corporate-client based, we often see this category of guests checking in between Mondays and Thursdays. On weekends, we have foreign tour groups who come from Southeast Asian countries. The hotel's most recent event was the annual buka puasa dinner in which we invited 44 senior citizens from Pusat Jagaan Warga Emas Nur Ehsan, Kempas. They were treated to food, drinks and entertained by our house band. They were presented with duit raya and goodies courtesy of our staff with contributions from Tesco. My businessman husband and two daughters aged 27 and 20 are still in Kuala Lumpur. Jennifer Thor, 49, leads a balanced life by travelling fortnightly to Kuala Lumpurto see her family. Interview by Ahmad Fairuz Othman Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
| A popularity to the Tune of 2mil guests Posted: 07 Aug 2011 07:43 AM PDT 2011/08/07 TUNE Hotel Danga Bay in Johor Baru, which opened for business on May 15 last year, follows the low cost model similar to airlines that employ a self-service online booking system. The hotel has six levels with 218 rooms. Of these, 155 come with a double bed and 63 with twin beds. There are also two spacious rooms designed with wheelchair-friendly features on the ground floor to cater for disabled guests.
It provides guests with easy access to the Johor-Singapore Causeway and the Second Link bridge, as well as shuttle transfers to Resorts World Sentosa's Universal Studio Singapore and the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort, both in the republic. Tune Hotels Group chief executive officer Mark Lankester said every room is equipped with a ceiling fan and guests would have to pay for add-ons, including air conditioning, television and hair dryer.
The couple recently became the two millionth guest after the opening of the Tune Hotel Downtown Kuala Lumpur, the chain's first hotel, in 2007. The key card will entitle businessman Budi to enjoy free stays for life at the Tune Hotel Danga Bay whenever he comes to Johor Baru.
"The free stays in Tune Hotel Danga Bay will motivate me to holiday in Johor Baru more often," said Budi. Lankester said the Tune Group of Companies was planning to open 30 more hotels worldwide by next year. "There will be six more budget hotels in Malaysia, six in the Philippines, six in Thailand and five in London, as well as our first Tune Hotel in Melbourne, Australia," he said. Tune hotel is scheduled to open in Kulim, Kedah, in September this year. This will be followed by Ermita in Manila in the Philippines, and Hatyai, Thailand, by the end of this year. Next year, Tune Hotels will open in Cyberjaya, Putrajaya, Ipoh, Malacca and Bandar Tasik Selatan, Kuala Lumpur. Lankester is excited about the opening of the six Tune Hotels in the Philippines. They will be in Makati and Ortigas City, both in Manila; Angeles City and Clark Airbase, both in Pampanga; Cebu City and Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao. The group currently has 12 hotels in the country -- Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, KLIA-LCCT Airport, Penang, Johor Baru, Kota Damansara, Bintulu and Kota Baru. There are also Tune Hotels in Kuta and Legian in Bali, Indonesia; and in well known London Westminster in the United Kingdom. "We plan to spend between US$5 million and US$10 million (RM15 million and RM30 million) to set up each new hotel," he added. The Tune Group of Companies also owns Tune Money, Tune Talk, Tune Tones, Tune Box, Tune Studios, Team Lotus, ASEAN Basketball League and the Epsom College in Malaysia in the Kuala Lumpur Education City. One hundred Tune Hotels are being planned to be opened worldwide by 2015 the latest. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
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