Malaysia hotels struggle to maintain good service amid staff shortage

Tan Ai Leng

Published Fri, Jul 22, 2022 · 06:02 PM

HOTEL operators in Malaysia are glad for the recovery of tourism, with over 2 million arrivals in less than 4 months since borders reopened – but are also struggling to meet these elevated demands, with service quality suffering amid an industry-wide staff shortage.

Ng Pei Ning, senior sales manager of a 4-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur city centre, said the hotel now has an occupancy rate of 70 per cent to 80 per cent on normal days, and is fully booked during long weekends and school holidays.

Many corporates have already scheduled business meetings, events, company retreats and banquet dinners for the coming 6 months, she added.

However, Ng is worried about whether the hotel’s staff are able to handle such an overwhelming…