KOTA KINABALU: Holiday Inn Express Kota Kinabalu City Centre sited along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman is set to augment the number of accommodations in the State Capital. They will open their doors to visitors and guests before the end of this year, to welcome in the new year.
Kurungottu.
This is actually an interesting and commendable move to surf against the impact of the pandemic, Covid-19 which challenged an otherwise robust hospitality and tourism industry in the State.
The first InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) hotel in East Malaysia, its focus is to provide comfortable and hassle-free stays to both business and leisure travellers which for the moment will be the domestic markets, but hoped to cater soon to international tourists when the borders re-open in mid-2021, according to Holiday Inn Express Kota Kinabalu City Centre and Holiday Inn Express Singapore Orchard Road, Cluster General Manager Najeeb Kurungottu.
He shared that their guests are mostly from Europe, China, South Korea and Taiwan and that their brand is prominent in both China and South Korea. These are the markets that are being tapped.
On 21 December, the hotel will carry out a pre-opening promotion to encourage domestic tourism, especially those from other areas in Malaysia. This will enable them to enjoy the sights and site of Kota Kinabalu and its surrounding area, such as parks, museums, beaches and the islands. The hotel is right within the city, where guests can go shopping, sightseeing and dine in comfort and ease of reach.
Guests will enjoy the accommodations and ambiance of the 10-storey hotel which offers 250 rooms comprising of queen and twin-bed rooms. There is also an option of acquiring a
a sofa bed to accomodate a third guest. The hotel has special rooms for handicapped guests.
Each room is equipped with en-suite bathroom and bathroom amenities, universal power
points, 43-inch LCD televisions, ergonomic work desk, chair and among others. They are equipped with the choice of soft and firm pillow to provide a great night sleep and their signature power shower. For those who want to have a mini-conference while staying with the hotel, they have one meeting room that can hold up to 12-14 people. Guests have a choice of doing their own laundry, too. This is especially useful to long-staying guests.
The hotel has a restaurant called the Express Café and Bar. They have a select service concept where a limited menu is offered, being as their focus is not on food and beverage. They do offer free breakfast for all guests though.
“Besides the buffet style breakfast, we also offer guests the ‘Grab and Go’ breakfast
(beverage, muffin and fresh fruit) starting from 5.30am for those on tight schedule and in a
hurry during the morning especially for corporate guests. A special counter is set up for them to take the packed breakfast,” he said, adding that this is also for the convenience of leisure travellers who need to depart early in the morning for their own activities.
Najeeb said they are more focused on providing a strategic location for the guests to enjoy the local offerings.
“We help to promote local food with our local partners, where we will inform guests as where the nearest well known seafood restaurant is or the local food,” he said adding that to support the local business communities, their staff are trained to provide information and directions to guests.
They are not indifferent to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and to date their staff had carried out beach cleaning at Tanjung Lipat and spent time with disabled children at Handprints Family Support and Resource Centre.
They had also successfully raised about RM1,000 for the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) through selling donated preloved/new clothes at Centre Point
Sabah, Najeeb said.
For those who wish to check this hotel out, call +60-88-206888 for more information.-BNN
