Lodgings aplenty for VMY 2014

Datuk Roshidi Hashim (fourth from left), Lee Chee Ming (third from left) and guests posing at the Symphony Suites reception after the launching ceremony. Pic by Diana Yeoh

IPOH: More than 30 hotels have been built  here  in the past five years.

There are also several hotel projects, approved by Ipoh City Council (MBI), namely, Weil Hotel and Cititel Hotel, which will be ready by next June.

Ipoh mayor Datuk Roshidi Hashim said that the MBI has received the second highest number of development applications (4,445 applications), including hotel projects in the country last year as compared to Kuala Lumpur City Hall. This year, MBI received 1,881 applications from January to last month.

"Since the establishment of the one-stop-centre by the council in 2007, 466 commercial development applications have been approved.

"Out of the commercial development applications approved, 268 have been completed, including hotel projects, namely, MH Hotel, Tune Hotel, Downtown Hotel, Seemson Hotel, Ipoh SOHO as well as hypermarkets (Mydin) in Manjoi and Meru Raya, among others," said Roshidi at the opening of the Symphony Suites here.

He said that hotels play an important role not only as a service provider for accommodation facility but also serve as an agent to promote local tourism products.

"There is a competitive mixed of hotels (ranging from three to five stars) developed here to accommodate the coming Visit Malaysia Year 2014 (VMY 2014).

"Among the tourism products lined up for VMY 2014 are Ipoh International Run, Ipoh City Nite Race, Ipoh City Fun Ride and the latest addition is the Heritage Trail Cycling," he added.

He further explained that the council does not only provide urban services such as rubbish collection, drain cleaning and grass cutting but also acts as the main facilitator of development of hotels, shopping malls and convention centre.

Meanwhile, Symphony Suites chief executive officer Lee Chee Ming said the completion of Symphony Suites was timely in view of the VMY 2014. He said the hotel would be working closely with the state government in promoting lodging as well as holiday packages for tourists in Ipoh.

-nst online.