Hotels willing to impose stricter SOP

 

The tourism and hotel industry is willing to impose stricter Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to sustain their businesses during the third wave of the Movement Control Order (MCO). - NST/file pic.

KUALA LUMPUR: The tourism and hotel industry is willing to impose stricter Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to sustain their businesses during the third wave of the Movement Control Order (MCO).

In a statement, the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) president Datuk N. Subramaniam said the industry is willing to lower capacity limits, served-buffet services or limit of two per table, limited dining time, increased screening and even mandatory testing for hotel guests from different states checking-in.

Subramaniam said the industry lost at least RM135 million in food and beverage revenue as the government implemented MCO for the entire fasting month last year.

"We have seen similar situations in other countries and the governments there provide subsidies to businesses for losses due to the inability to operate, in accordance with either business hours affected or volume.

"The tourism and hotel industry is again left helpless as various states fall into another round of MCO and this time it came right in the middle of the fasting month when hotels are busy preparing for the coming Hari Raya holidays and serving the once a year festival buffet for breaking fast.

"Hotels were already badly impacted with the extended interstate travel restrictions and now even RMCO to RMCO travel has been suspended. Since the beginning of Ramadan, hotels had adjusted their breaking fast buffets to the new norm, with added SOPs in place to ensure hygiene and safety of guests," he said.

Subramaniam said the industry understands the need for restrictions but believes that there is room for improvement in balancing lives versus livelihoods.

"The blanket ban on dine-in left hotels in a predicament with only days to reorganise what was planned for the entire month.

"Hotels are not only left with excess supplies of perishables but also committed manpower for the period.

"The government did not offer any support or assistance leaving hotels high and dry with cancellations pouring in for room bookings planned for Hari Raya holidays. They also need to consider these options before imposing blanket bans, to allow the industry to at least survive on its own," he said.

Subramaniam said the government needs to plan ahead with a systematic subsidy system for businesses affected by the MCO if the pandemic situation deteriorates further.

"The government must also speed up vaccination plans especially for economic frontliners like hoteliers and find ways to procure more vaccines.

"At the current rate, it is highly unlikely that Malaysia will achieve herd immunity any time soon," he said.

-nst online.