Hotel licences for guest houses, homestays under new Perak law

 

A proposed new state law on hotels in Perak will allow guest houses and homestay operators to obtain a hotel licence, the state assembly was told. (File pic)

PETALING JAYA: The Perak government has tabled a proposed new law on hotels to replace a century-old enactment to provide for regulation of hotels and new forms of lodging houses such as guest houses and homestay accommodations.

The interpretation of “hotel” is extended to all types of places to board, spend the night or find shelter, said state executive councillor Sandrea Ng (PKR-Teja) when tabling the bill.

She said the new law would allow hotel licences to be obtained by operators of boarding houses, chalets, rest houses, tents and houseboats who could not be licenced under the old enactment.

The Perak Hotel Enactment Bill 2023, tabled at the state assembly for the second reading today, seeks to replace the Boarding House Enactment 1927 that has been enforced for 96 years.

Ng, who oversees housing and local government matters, said the bill also aims to improve provisions on the management of hotels and accommodations for rent that are increasing in the state.

“The 1927 enactment is no longer able to accommodate the needs of the hotel industry today. The guest house business has grown, in line with the needs of visitors who are increasingly attracted to tourism activities.

“Many options for tourism places providing accommodation facilities such as hotels, chalets and resorts have begun to be developed rapidly,” she said when tabling the bill today, Bernama reported.

“The recognition of more hotel licensees will be able to boost the promotional activities of interesting places that may not have been widely implemented because they were not included in the categories allowed by the previous legislation.

“The standardisation of license conditions is expected to be able to control issues of safety, cleanliness and nuisance which are the considerations and concerns of visitors in the selection of tourist destinations,” she said.

The state government would be empowered to levy fees, local service charges or set rates for fees to be paid.

Speaking to reporters later on matters raised during the debate, Ng said the state government had held meetings with all assembly members to explain the purpose of the bill.

“The main purpose is to regulate, so we will indeed take into account, for example, the application, the additional cost to the entrepreneur because after approval (of the bill), we will enter the stage for us to set the rules in detail, the conditions to be followed, the fees that will be charged and so on,” she said.

Further meetings would be held with other stakeholders, including homestay operators. “We will prioritise the aspect of registering and granting licences for regulation rather than the fees that we want to charge,” she said.

The assembly sits again tomorrow. - FMT