Kota Kinabalu: The public has been advised to “do their homework first” before making hotel reservations following a complaint about irregular check-in and check-out times.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said prospective hotel guests should know the hotel’s terms and policies on check-ins and check-outs.
“Find out about it (the terms and conditions) first to see whether it suits your needs or not,” she told a press conference after officiating the Food and Hospitality Malaysia (FHM) Borneo Edition and the 24th Sabah Hospitality Fiesta at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), here, on Thursday.
She said if the terms do not meet the potential guests’ requirements, they might be able to negotiate with the hotel to adjust the flexibility of the check-in and check-out times.
“You should always do your homework before booking a hotel room... always do that.”
Echoing Liew’s remarks, Sabah and Labuan Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Chairman Hafizan Wong said consumers must understand the terms and conditions of each hotel.
“Every hotel has different terms and conditions and check-in and check-out times.
“But if there is a slight delay, as hotel management, we usually offer something for them – an upgraded room or similar,” he said.
He added that delays in check-ins may occur, but they are unintentional.
Liew said she had asked hotel operators to hold a meeting to thoroughly examine the issue so they could offer more flexibility.
It was reported that the Federal Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) is closely monitoring the issue of hotel check-ins in the country and is taking it seriously, requesting industry players to explain.
In a statement on Thursday, it said that it welcomes additional information from the public related to the issue.
The ministry also advises the public to read and understand the terms and conditions set by hotels before making reservations.
The ministry said this step is crucial to prevent any misunderstandings or dissatisfaction, particularly regarding pricing and services provided.
Recent media reports highlighted that some hotel operators have set their check-in time at 4pm and check-out at 11am.
This new policy has sparked discussions on social media, with users generally feeling that the change is unfair to customers, as it significantly shortens the duration of their stay.
It was also reported that when guests questioned the reason for the late check-in, the common explanation was that the hotel was either short-staffed or the staff did not have enough time to prepare the rooms for the next guests.
Public dissatisfaction has grown to the extent that some have suggested calling for a hotel boycott to get them to revise their check-in and check-out hours.
They argued that late check-in and early check-out were reasonable during the Covid-19 pandemic but not in the current situation.
