Corporate bookings and enquiries from Singapore are going strong, Malaysian hoteliers indicate, buoyed by the ease in travel regulations, as well as the strong Singapore dollar.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi director of sales and marketing, Zulkifli Rahman, said: “We are getting a lot of enquiries from c-level corporate clients looking to hold meetings here. Group sizes are small, with around 10 to 15 people and meetings usually will be one full day or 1.5 days.”
The interest to hold meetings in Langkawi, he elaborated, was due to the good flight connectivity to Singapore – which some companies have established their headquarters – as well as the island’s duty-free status.
Another five-star hotel that reports seeing increased corporate business from Singapore is the G Hotel Kelawai in Penang.
The hotel’s director of sales and marketing, Christina Tan, said bookings for corporate meetings have been strong for May, and forward bookings for June and July are also looking healthy.
“Many of our corporate clients have offices and businesses in Penang, hence (it is convenient) to hold face-to-face meetings in our hotel.”
Tan has also noticed that groups from Singapore now have reduced length of stays, and their schedules are not as packed.
“Pre-pandemic, Singapore meeting groups tend to stay a week and have a packed schedule. Now their stays last three to four days, but they have more free time. We also see some spouses tagging along, but not as many as in the past,” she told TTGmice.
Meanwhile, Mutiara Taman Negara Resort located north-east of Kuala Lumpur, is also reporting strong interest from Singapore corporates for July and August, mainly for teambuilding events and incentives, said acting resort manager Kingston Khoo. He added that budgets for such groups have increased around 10 per cent as compared with 2019.
The resort he shares, is generally popular with companies who want to be closer to nature, and Mutiara Taman Negara Resort fits the bill as it is the only resort within the vast Taman Negara national park.
