The common shortcoming of all budget hotels

 

I REFER to “Challenges in the budget hotel industry” published on Mar 17 which was written to mitigate the impact of “Filthy Kuantan budget hotel not worthy of its 3-star online rating; surprise gift of bra notwithstanding” that was published two weeks earlier.

The response was professionally crafted and the first two paragraphs gave an insight into the hotel industry in Malaysia, with the main challenges being severe manpower shortage, lack of trained staff, and rising operational costs. Hence, service standards were often compromised.

Over the past 35 years, I have stayed mostly at four- or five-star hotels in Malaysia and overseas. They were paid for by my employers when travelling on business, or by organisers when I went to conduct training, or in a complimentary all-expense trip to several Hawaiian islands in 1990.

In recent years when I conducted training in Langkawi, Penang, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, I would stay an extra night out of pocket at a budget hotel as the organiser would only pay for accommodation the night before to ensure training commences first thing in the morning.

To me, sleeping overnight at a budget hotel is still better than rushing to the airport after conducting training to catch a flight and reaching home in the middle of the night. However, there is no inclusive buffet breakfast the next morning, as offered in four- or five-star hotels.

The common shortcoming of all budget hotels is something that has been overlooked by many hoteliers and guests is ventilation.

In larger hotels with central air-conditioning, fresh air is being constantly drawn in to mix with the cool air that is being repeatedly circulated within the building.

High-end hotels invest in air purifiers or air filtration systems that can remove small particles, allergens and odours.

On the other hand, budget hotels are fitted with individual room air-conditioners with basic filters and are unsuitable when the room is used by different occupants.

(Image: Unsplash/Ph B)

When shophouses are converted into budget hotels, many guest rooms are without windows and ventilation. Being low-rise, guests cannot sleep with the windows open because intruders could enter, including mosquitoes, apart from street noise and passing traffic.

Budget hotel operators do not take the trouble to leave the door and window open to air the guest rooms when they are unoccupied, as this could lead to pilferage. To ventilate, it would be more effective if a ceiling fan was kept running, but hardly any hotel room has one.

The most effective ventilation system is to install an exhaust fan in the bathroom to suck out stinky air from the toilet and stale air from the guest room. In fact, exhaust fans should also be installed in homes, especially those with room air-conditioners running most of the time.

In 2022, my Singaporean cousins wanted to stay close to my apartment for their last night in the Klang Valley and chose a nearby accommodation. The budget hotel was clean on the ground floor but there were no windows in the guest rooms and one of them stinks to high heaven.

Something must have been decaying or rotting inside the room. If there was a window that could be opened and a ceiling fan, the air in the room and along with the foul odour could be blown away. But there was just a room air-conditioner that kept recirculating the same smelly air.

When the hotel could not offer another room or refund, all of them decided not to stay. As it was getting late, they came over to my place and were more comfortable sleeping on makeshift beds, sofas, and the floor than having to bear the overpowering stench of the hotel room.

Budget hotel operators should engage mystery shoppers or experienced outsiders to audit the quality of their service and guest rooms, as their own front office or housekeeping staff are too used to their workplace, including the smell, and are immune to the weaknesses and shortcomings. 

YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT. 

- Focus Malaysia.