JOHOR BARU: Johor hotels are appealing to the local public to support them in facing the Movement Control Order 3.0 (MCO 3.0) which is threatening the survival of the hospitality industry.
Hotels are offering food delivery, takeaways, as well as hotel staycations at very special rates for the festive period.
"With the implementation of the MCO for the third time, and the cessation of dine-ins and hence Buka Puasa buffets, hotels have been left in a quagmire due to over-stocks of food supplies and perishable ingredients that were ordered ahead of time to cater to bookings," said Ivan Teo, chairman of Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), Johor chapter.
"Hotels have no choice but to offer deliveries and takeaways at very competitive rates as an option to clear these stocks," said Teo.
"We appeal to Johoreans to support our hotels in ordering their meals since dine-ins are not allowed now, with the guarantee of good food quality that befits the standards of hotels," he said in an impassioned appeal.
Despite keeping strictly to SOPs and following regular sanitisation schedules, hotels have had to adhere to no dine-ins.
Teo said hotels continue to bear the brunt of wave after wave of MCOs which he iterated had driven the hospitality business to hitherto unseen levels of gloom.
He said while the industry knew it had to play its part in checking the spread of the pandemic, it had to appeal to a discerning public for help in keeping its nose above water.
"We had stocked up on food the moment Buka Puasa buffets were allowed enough to cater to one month's duration. Thus upon the announcement of the MCO 3.0, we have received cancellations from guests who booked from May 7 to 11 which totals approximately 550 persons over five days," said Sunny Soo, General Manager of the Pulai Springs Resort.
He said many had paid in advance, which means they had to refund them for the cancellations.
"We have also hired some temporary staff to cope with service but even they have been released.
"We hope the public can support us by ordering from our takeaways or delivery menu. This will certainly help us to survive during this tough period," he appealed.
Pulai Springs' offer for the festive season starts for single person portions from RM15 and will be available till May 12.
The Le Grandeur Palm Resort, renowned for its Buka Puasa buffet in the Senai/Kulai area are now offering takeaways from RM15.80 per person's portion.
Grand Blue Wave Hotel's advertising and promotions manager, Sutha Menon said her hotel has had to resort to innovation to ease a desperate situation.
"To mitigate the sad situation, GBW has introduced a drive-thru for takeaways and engaged the services of Grabfood and FoodPanda to deliver. We also offer a Hari Raya Room package complete with in-room meals for couples and families from RM150 nett onwards," she said.
Hotels particularly affected are those based in the City Centre with no Singaporeans coming through the Causeway.
The Holiday Inn City Centre is offering their 'Selera Kampungku' takeaway set for two, four and six persons, with prices starting from RM128.
The Thistle Hotel offers their Muhibbah Sets from RM55 nett for takeaway till the end of the MCO on May 20, while the Trove Johor Baru is providing sets for two from RM60 nett, promising authentic traditional tastes till May 12.
Ponderosa Golf & Country Resort is bracing for the impact of no dine-ins with a Hari Raya Dulang Set priced at RM68 and made available for pick-up or delivery till May 31.
"Because of the fluidity of the on and off phases of the MCO, we have been concentrating on both delivery and dine-ins for our Buka Puasa Dulang Sets even before the announcement of MCO 3.0," said Yvonne Loh, marketing communications manager of Ponderosa Golf & Country Resort.
"As guests will prefer dine-ins, however, there have been group and family cancellations of bookings of our Buka Puasa Dulang Sets.
"We hope to get public support from the surrounding communities of Taman Molek, Johor Jaya and Taman Daya, " she said.
Further away, Granada Hotel at Bukit Indah offers takeaway and delivery of Buka Puasa selections from RM58 for two persons till May 14, while its sister property in Desaru, the Tunamaya Beach & Spa Resort offers Thai-style takeaways only till May 11, priced from RM58 for 2-4 persons and RM138 for 6-8 persons.