Sarawak tourism partners upbeat on business opportunities from ITB Asia

KUCHING: Sarawak tourism partners are optimistic the recent Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) participation in the Trade Show for the Asian Travel Market (ITB Asia) in Singapore will encourage some great business opportunities for local travel trade members.

STB regional marketing manager, Kevin Nila, said participating industry partners from Sarawak were expected to be able to meet their marketing target
despite the issue relating to Firefly’s impending discontinuation of flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching and Sibu.

“STB took up a booth at ITB Asia, one of the world’s largest travel trade show organised by Messe Berlin, Singapore in October,” he said in a statement.

He said this year the three-day show in Suntec Convention Centre received a large number of participants, many of whom were key decision makers with 7,511 trade visitors representing 91 countries attending it.

Sarawak travel industry partners who joined STB booth at this year’s show were Borneo Adventure Tours, Greatown Travel, Straits Central Tours, Borneo Jungle Safari, Borneo Convention Centre Kuching and Pullman Hotel Kuching.

All these Sarawak tourism partners hoped to increase their share of the business for next year despite economic uncertainties, he said.

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Kuching's Four Points by Sheraton HACCP certified

KUCHING: Four Points by Sheraton Kuching restaurant and banquet kitchens are now Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) certified.

The hotel also had its ‘halal’ certification renewed in line with the new guidelines issued by the Sarawak Islamic Council.

The hotel has implemented a food safety programme whereby the certification process entails audits under stringent conditions by qualified RABQSA (an Australian personnel and training certification body) and registered food safety auditions appointed by Australia-based Environmental Health Consultancy (EHC).

The hotel food safety programme has been verified as complying with the international CODEX principles of HACCP whereby key hygiene controls are applied on all potentially hazardous and low risk foods at all stages of preparation before they are served to guests to ensure food hygiene and safety.

“Our HACCP certification shows our commitment to food hygiene safety. Hotels and restaurants with HACCP certification are safer from those without because of the prevention systems in place,” said Four Points by Sheraton Kuching general manager Paolo Campillo at a press gathering on Friday evening.

He added in the event of a hazard, certified restaurants have a system with which they treat the affected customer and examine the cause of the problem.

This system helps to ensure consistent food quality and prevent re-occurrence of the problem.

“The renewal of our ‘halal’ certificate allows all our Muslim customers to know that food prepared in our kitchens exceeds the requirements of the Sarawak Islamic Council,” said the hotel’s executive chef Liou Chong Yaw.

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Celebrate Hari Raya with Hilton Kuching

KUCHING: Celebrate this coming Hari Raya Aidilfitri with Hilton Kuching’s delicious and beautiful layer cakes.



Hilton Kuching’s pastry chef Zaleha Abdullah, fondly known as ‘Mommy Leha’, is famous for her exotic and legendary kek lapis creations. Some of her popular original recipes from previous years include Lapis Pertemuan and Lapis Sarawak Kumbu.



Especially for Hari Raya Aidilfitri this year, Zaleha has came up with a new and exciting kek lapis recipe, namely Kek Lapis Labecka, which promises to be her best recipe yet with its eye-catching colours, enticing aroma and pretty mille feuille effect of many layers.



Hilton Kuching is also showcasing Zaleha’s Lapis Book, a traditional Horlicks-flavoured layer cake and Lapis Masam Manis, which is layered with haw flakes.



The kek lapis are priced at RM140 each for a cake size measuring eight inches by eight inches.



In addition, the hotel offered attractive packages for breaking of fast during Ramadan or for ‘Ramah-Tamah Aidilfitri’ parties. The packages are affordably priced from RM58 per person (minimum of 35 persons) for private group dining at its function room.

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Grand Margherita Hotel - Rebranding of a top hotel in Kuching

HOLIDAY Inn Kuching (now Grand Margherita Hotel) was established in 1976.

Under the umbrella of Holiday Inn chain, the hotel started with just 149 rooms, two banquet halls, a fine dining restaurant, a Chinese Restaurant, a bar and a coffeehouse.

The hotel grew by leaps and bounds and by 2011, had added a new wing – Sadong Wing – with a total of 288 rooms. The original hotel building is known as the Serapi Wing.

The hotel housed the state’s first discotheque – Bionic Disco – which was later turned into a banquet room. In the latter years, the Aquarius Club was added as the state’s first underground entertainment outlet.

Going with the trend, the club was renovated and became the ‘happening place’ in the 80’s with the Tribes Music Restaurant and Bar which saw more than its share of celebrities and musicians.

Among those who preformed there were local artists in the likes of Datuk Sharifah Aini, KRU, Amy Search and Poetic Ammo and from the international front, Jordan Hill, Guy Sebastian, Human Nature and Plus One.

Its expansion included the requisition of the two beach resorts – Damai Beach and Damai Lagoon, now known as Damai Puri – and a city hotel, the former Crowne Plaza Riverside Majestic Kuching, now known as Riverside Majestic Hotel.

Exotic was the main theme of the hotel’s decor with rattan, timbered structures of native designs and wood being the dominant features mirroring the country’s rich diversity of culture and heritage.In 2009, the 30-year-old hotel underwent rebranding and was renamed Grand Margherita Hotel.

Explained the hotel’s general manager Arthur Yeap: “The renovation was part of the hotel’s rebranding plan to ensure quality facilities.”

A new name, a new image and a new beginning – it was time for a change. “It also marked the hotel’s commitment to improving its products and services to be on par with international standards to ensure it continues to offer guests the definitive hotel stay,” he said.

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Pullman Kuching forges ahead to expand its business exposure

KUCHING: One of the leading five-star business hotels in the state, Pullman Hotels and Resorts (Pullman Kuching) will be expanding its business exposure, not only within the domestic but as well as the European market this year. The property is managed by an international hotel operator Accor Group.

Eric Tan, who has been with the Accor Group for the past nine years, is current heading the task as the general manager for Pullman Kuching, having taken over from Fabrice Mini in January 2011. Tan has been in the industry for the past 18 years.

“In 2010, the management team as well as the hotel has concentrated mainly on setting up the hotel as a brand including pre-opening and fine-tuning activities as well as getting the right people for the job. More or less in 2011, we managed to stabilise most of the areas in the hotel. One of the major tasks we had was to get Pullman Kuching known domestically as well as in Asia,” Tan told The Borneo Post in an interview recently.

He further said that his immediate objective for this year was to expand the exposure of the hotel, not just within the domestic market but as well as the European market, which he highlighted as an important key point to the hotel’s growth in the industry.

“We are currently working very closely with the European regional office to promote this hotel and this area as a tourist destination. Cooperation also comes closely from regional offices in Thailand, Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, China as well as Hong Kong,” he added.

According to Tan, the top feeder market for Pullman Kuching was mainly Singapore, Japan, Australia and the UK. “The area that I want to work on is mainly on the leisure side, which includes leisure as an individual or leisure as a group. I would like to go one step further into the foreign market. This will generally improve the traffic flow into Kuching and at the same time the neighbouring cities around the state.”

The hotel itself is also well-known as a conference hotel in the state. One of its biggest achievements last year was to secure an international conference, the 19th Malaysian Urological Conference which was held in October. With this success, it has managed to secure a few more conferences in 2011, 2012 and all the way up to 2014.

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Hilton Kuching’s weekday buffet lunch promotion

KUCHING: Diners looking for a gratifying buffet lunch experience in a classy environment yet with affordable price, should head down to the Hilton Kuching for its ‘buffet lunch promotion’ on weekdays.

The buffet menu changes daily with a fusion of Asian and Western cuisines.

From the salad station, a fresh selection of greens with condiments and dressings provides a healthy start, whilst some of the light appetizers offered are poached fish platter with wasabi mango salsa, Cajun fish fillet platter, BBQ chicken salad with tomatoes, spicy local favourites such as ‘Begedil Ayam with Sambal Cili Hijau’, or ‘Kerabu Ayam with young mango’ and more.

For something heavier at the main dishes menu include Krean style braised beef with ‘Kim Chee’ and broccoli, chicken piccata with tomato relish, Hanoi style stir fried chicken with cauliflower along with other continental varieties.

At the Malay corner, diners can also look forward to delicacies such as the traditional Malay must-have dishes namely ‘ayam asam pedas’, ‘daging rendang’, ‘fish head curry with ladies finger’, ‘ayam goreng berempah’ and ‘gulai tulang daging’.

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Tune Hotels woos travel agents and govt bodies in Malaysia Borneo

KUCHING: One of the country’s fastest growing chain of hotels, Tune Hotels Regional Services Sdn Bhd (Tune Hotels) is foraying ahead with a two pronged marketing strategy that focuses on travel agents and government bodies.

Tune Hotels’ distribution channel manager Ahmad Masdi Hussin said that the new marketing plan for the two channels were already in the pipeline earlier but had not been aggressively introduced. “We have massive marketing plans for 2011 and will continue to implement them throughout the year. After Sarawak, we porceed with our plans in Sabah, followed by the northern Peninsular, Penang and down to Johor.”

“We have all the facilities and infrastructure in place whereby the basic amenities are included in the pakage, however the extra amenities such as air-conditioning, towels and internet connections will be on a pay on use basis.

“About 90 per cent of our current business is from online bookings and we hope that with the emphasis on the two new channels we will get a booking ratio of 80:20 from online as well as travel agents and government bookings respectively,” he told The Borneo Post.

During a recent interview with Tune Hotels’ chief executive officer Mark Lankester, he revealed that the company was aiming for a larger presence in Sarawak as well as throughout the country, targeting a total of 30 hotels in Malaysia and Southeast Asia by the end of 2011 or early 2012.

Lankester further pointed out that in Sarawak itself, the company had already identified the towns to foray into and was now pinpointing the exact locations in these towns for a Tune Hotels presence. He also mentioned that the construction of the new property in Miri would start early this year and was scheduled for launch in the second half of the year.

Currently, the company has nine operating properties in the country with the latest one in Bintulu and Kota Bharu, which was set to launch this Sunday, January 23. Internationally, it has two hotels in Indonesia and one in London.

Tune Hotels regional manager for East Malaysia, Shanmugamnathan Suppiah said Tune Hotels planned to have 100 hotels operational, under development or acquired in three years time. With the current 11 hotels, Tune Hotels would have an inventory of 1,780 rooms daily for bookings.

“In East Malaysia, there are three Tune Hotels based in Kuching, Bintulu and Kota Kinabalu, with a total of 401 rooms. Next, we are looking at Miri, Sibu, Tanjung Manis and Mukah for Sarawak and Sandakan, Tawau and Labuan for Sabah,” he said at a media briefing yesterday.

When asked on the possibility of setting up another Tune Hotels property in Kuching, he said it was all based on demand. “Currently, Tune Hotel Kuching is doing great at an occupancy rate of 85 per cent and above. We will initiate our marketing plan and see how it goes in the near term.”

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UCSI Cityisland Hotel to boost Sarawak in hospitality education

KUCHING: With the completion of UCSI Cityisland Hotel by late 2013, UCSI University’s Sarawak campus will be the holistic education centre for hospitality and tourism in East Malaysia.

Currently under construction, the 5-star establishment is located at Kuching Isthmus, and will house 360 rooms, six F&B outlets and four kitchens.

As the specialist branch in hospitality and tourism, the hotel will provide the perfect training ground for its students in all aspects of tourism.

Prospective students will get an opportunity to explore their wide range of courses during their open day this weekend from 10am to 5pm.

“Gone are the days when a career in hospitality simply meant being a waiter or a cook,” UCSI Communications managing director Gracie Geikie said, adding that today’s tourism industry includes a whole spectrum of career opportunities.

“A hotel, for example, is like any other corporation. It is made up of a number of different specialties over and above the generic skills like engineering, computer sciences, hotel management or even tourism experts.”

With 3 million visitors to Sarawak over the last year, Geikie observes that the increase in hotels and B&Bs statewide indicates a mushrooming tourism industry. “Even though BCCK is still new, it’s just a matter of time before our MICE industry comes into fruition.”

In anticipation of becoming a locus for tourism growth, UCSI has a dedicated research centre to tourism and heritage – the Centre for Applied Research of Tourism and Hospitality (CEARTH).

“The opportunity to work with real, actual research findings like tourist exit surveys and presenting it to the Tourism Department is a very enriching experience for our students,” Gracie said.

“Besides assisting our own research and study, there is a real chance to support the government in mega events and heighten the economic spinoff from the tourism value chain from our studies.”

UCSI also provides students with hands-on learning experience with the immediate tourism industry.

“Part of their programme includes an internship to one international locale and another at a local destination. Every year is different from the rest. This year, students will be going to Bali for cultural tourism and Mulu to experience adventure tourism.”

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Timely boost for Bintulu tourism

BINTULU: Tourism in the division received a boost with the opening of new luxury service apartments here yesterday.

Minister of Infrastructure Development and Communication Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong said the development is timely for those who wish to visit Bintulu with their families.

“Not only are there bedrooms, but we can cook, do the work of washing and drying clothes and enjoy a comfortable vacation with the family in the apartment hotel concept,” he said during the opening of JinHold Apartment Hotel.

The development costing RM26 million is located on one acre at Jalan Tanjung Batu.

“There are many advantages of staying in an apartment, not just more privacy for work, but more services and comfort are also offered in terms of facilities such as with luxury apartments developed in the United States and England,” said Manyin.

Jinhold Group Enterprise Development Sdn Bhd president and chief executive officer Tchong Joon Thiam said the idea began 15 years ago when he brought his family to Bintulu for a holiday and found limited accommodation options.

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Tune Hotels celebrates Bintulu opening with no admin fee

BINTULU - The pioneering limited-service hotel chain Tune Hotels is celebrating the opening of its latest property in Bintulu by permanently eliminating the administration fee for room reservations across all of its existing 12 hotels, according to a press release.

"The New Year comes with good news for our guests as Tune Hotels is removing the 10.90-ringgit admin fee across our entire chain - for good. Guests now only pay for the room and opt for our special comfort package to enjoy greater savings.

"As we open more hotels we experience better economies of scale and become more cost efficient. We eventually found the admin fee no longer relevant and are delighted to be in a position to pass on the savings to our guests," said Tune Hotels Group CEO Mark Lankester.

Commenting on the Tune Hotel Bintulu opening, Lankester said: "Tune Hotel Bintulu is testimony to our commitment to Sarawak and we hope it will further promote and develop the state's tourism and travel industry, in particular within the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).

"The opening of Tune Hotel Bintulu will not only provide more convenience and comfort to tourists and holidaymakers to the 'Gas Town' but also those on business trips there.

"As we anticipate more corporate guests from the oil and gas industry, rooms at the Tune Hotel Bintulu are designed for longer stays and more living space."

Strategically located in central Sarawak, Bintulu is connected by air to Kuala Lumpur, Kuching as well other towns. It sits on the massive Trans-Borneo highway trail that links Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, presenting enormous potentials for the tourism and travel industry. Bintulu is also an important access point to Bakun, Southeast Asia's largest hydroelectric dam.

"The Similajau National Park, which is just 30 minutes away, offers nature lovers activities like jungle trekking, canopy walk and a wealth of flora and fauna. With various tribal ethnics inhibiting the Bintulu area like the Iban, Orang Ulu and Melanau, visitors will also discover a myriad of traditional and ancient cultures that are well preserved in the many villages and longhouses.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
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Pullman Kuching Hotel to promote Kuching as tourist and conference destination

PULLMAN Kuching will do its part to promote the state capital as a tourist and conference destination

“Kuching is a peaceful and interesting city with plenty of attractions to offer visitors,” says new general manager Eric Tan.

“We can help increase the tourism industry here in time to come. Part and parcel of my job will be to sell this destination and the hotel to the corporate and international markets,” he said at a cocktail reception and handover ceremony on Wednesday.

Tan, who took over from Fabrice Mini, said Pullman was working closely with the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) for this purpose.

“We’ll see how we can maximise our linkage to sell this location to visitors.”

He added that he would also continue to improve Pullman and present the hotel in a more strategic manner.

“We want to provide good value for our future clients in terms of services and the quality of our product.”

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Tune Hotels Bintulu to help spur tourism, business within SCORE

KUCHING: The opening of Tune Hotels’ latest property in Bintulu scheduled for January 3, 2011 is testimony to the company’s commitment to Sarawak and will further promote and develop the state’s tourism and travel industry, in particular within the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) belt, said Tune Hotels group chief executive officer, Mark Lankester.

According to the company’s press statement, the 101-room Tune Hotels Bintulu would be the pioneering limited-service hotel chain’s second hotel in Sarawak, making it the only state other than Selangor to have more than one Tune Hotel. The first Tune Hotel in Sarawak opened at the Kuching Waterfront in 2009.

Apart from Bintulu, Tune Hotels Kota Bharu in Kelantan (173 rooms) was also slated for opening on January 23, 2011, making it a double celebration for Tune Hotels as it ushered in the new year.

Commenting on the Bintulu hotel, Lankester said, “Bintulu’s strategic location in central Sarawak, coupled with good air connectivity to Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and other towns as well as being on the massive Trans-Borneo highway between Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, presents enormous potential for the development of tourism as well as other priority industries under SCORE. The opening of Tune Hotels Bintulu will not only provide more convenience and comfort to tourists and holidaymakers to the ‘Gas Town’ but also those on business trips there.”

Bintulu was famed as Malaysia’s main producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) but more recently has been identified as one of the growth areas under SCORE. Bintulu is the gateway to Samalaju, one of SCORE’s five major growth nodes, aside from Tanjung Manis, Mukah, Baram and Tunoh. Bintulu is also an important access point to Bakun, Southeast Asia’s largest hydroelectric dam.

The press release further pointed out that SCORE was launched in 2008; a major initiative undertaken to develop the Sarawak Central Region and transform the state into a developed one by 2020. It was aimed at accelerating the state’s economic growth and development, as well as improving the quality of life for the people of Sarawak. SCORE was officially launched in Bintulu by the then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The core of the corridor was the energy resources, particularly hydropower, coal and natural gas found abundantly within the Sarawak Central Region. This would allow Sarawak to price its energy competitively and encourage investments in power generation and energy-intensive industries that would act as triggers for the development of a vibrant industrial development in the corridor.

Continue reading at: Tune Hotels Bintulu to help spur tourism, business within SCORE
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Tune Hotels to open new hotel in Bintulu next year

Tune Hotels will open two new hotels in Bintulu, Sarawak and Kota Bharu, Kelantan by next year.

"The increasing the number of hotels, reiterates the commitment to increasing our network to 100 in major cities globally, providing five-star beds at incredible value and affordability," said its group chief executive officer, Mark Lankester in a statement Tuesday.

The introduction of the 101-room Bintulu hotel and 173-room Kota Bharu hotel will further add value for savvy travelers, both business and tourists alike, keen to adopt the pay-as-you-use concept that we provide," he added.

Kota Bharu has the first Tune Hotel in Kelantan and Bintulu, the second in Sarawak.

With the opening of the Bintulu and Kota Bharu hotels, it brings the number of Tune Hotels in Malaysia to nine and 12 globally.

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Sarawak tourism players urged to exploit the Internet

TOURISM players should exploit the Internet’s global reach to promote Sarawak’s attractions to a wider market, said Tourism Assistant Minister Mong Dagang.

He said the Internet was a powerful and cost-effective tool which could be used to market the state’s tourist attractions worldwide.

“I urge tourism players to exploit the potential of the Internet to reach out to a global audience. It is up to their imagination and creativity to use the Internet to promote our attractions,” he said when launching Sarawak Economic Development Corporation’s (SEDC) enhanced tourism website in Kuching yesterday.

Mong said that SEDC, as a major tourism player, was among the earliest agencies to take advantage of the Internet by showcasing its leisure and tourism properties via a simple website introduced 10 years ago.

“Since then, the website has been enhanced from time to time. This continuous improvement bore fruit when it won the Best Website award from the Sarawak Tourism Federation last year,” he added.

Dubbed Click With Us, the enhanced website at www.sedctourism.com has links to SEDC’s hotels – Riverside Majestic, Grand Margherita and Damai Beach Resort – where visitors can book rooms online and get a sneak preview of Sarawak Cultural Village’s award-winning band Tuku Kame.

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Grand Margherita Hotel opens its newly renovated wing with new offers

Grand Margherita Hotel in Kuching has opened its newly renovated Serapi Wing after a hiatus since January this year.

The wing consists of 139 rooms which was completed in phases in June and the Executive Club Lounge located on the fifth floor.

All in all, the cost of renovation totalled up to about RM14mil, which was RM31mil less than the renovation required if it was carried out under its previous management, said Assistant Tourism and Heritage Minister Mong Dagang during the opening.

“It was a timely enhancement as it had successfully transformed and refreshed the entire look of the hotel, so that it would remain at the front line when it comes to providing excellent products and services to guests and patrons,” he said.

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Imperial Palace Hotel – a new landmark in Miri

MIRI: Bumi Uniplus Sdn Bhd yesterday announced the soft opening of Miri’s latest landmark – Imperial Palace Hotel – located strategically in the bustling Pelita Commercial Centre on Sept 9.

Reflected by its choice of light colour granite and glass panel, the latest and anticipated landmark is another addition to Miri Resort City which will be opened for business with its soft opening this Thursday.

Imperial Palace general manager Su Sii Jiong revealed the property is conceptually transformed into 307 contemporary units of hotel rooms consisting of 155 units of standard rooms, 149 units of superior rooms and 3 units of deluxe rooms.

“The contemporary hotel is also designed to cater for the need of various people such as families, handicapped people, business entrepreneurs, banquet events, meetings, conventions and workshops,” he said.

Apart from the rooms, other facilities and amenities provided by the hotel are X-Force Fitness Centre, open air Jacuzzi pool, surau, VIP room, 4 multi-functional conference rooms and a restaurant.

“The hotel basement car park provides over 100 parking spaces for hotel guests and patrons, served by hotel lifts,” Su said during the press conference at the soft launching yesterday.

The 4-star service hotel offers a 3-star rate pricing with its opening promotion from RM138 nett inclusive of breakfast for standard rooms and RM161 nett for superior room and RM184 nett for deluxe room.

The promotion kicks off from Sept 9 to end of December this year.

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