Letter to Editor
THE hospitality industry in Malaysia is currently facing a severe manpower shortage, making it increasingly difficult to retain trained staff.
This, coupled with rising operational costs, has placed significant pressure on budget hotel operators to maintain service standards while keeping prices affordable for guests.
As part of our company policy, we always offer alternative rooms for a better stay if guests raise concerns with our front office. However, in this case, we did not receive any complaints from Uncle Barry regarding the room during his stay.
We remain committed to improving our services despite these industry challenges and appreciate the opportunity to further clarify the situation and discuss the dilemma of the budget hotel industry.
“No undergarment present in hotel room”
At Sun Inns Kuantan, we take cleanliness and guest experience seriously.
In response to a recent article on Focus Malaysia on March 3 entitled “Filthy Kuantan budget hotel not worthy of its 3-star online rating; surprise gift of bra notwithstanding”, we have conducted a thorough internal investigation and acknowledge that the cleanliness of the room in question did not fully meet Sun Inns’ standards at the time of the guest’s stay.
To address this, we have restructured the hotel’s organisational framework to enhance housekeeping efficiency and ensure stricter quality control.
We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this situation may have caused. Sun Inns Hotels remains committed to transparency, service excellence, and the trust of our valued guests. We are always open to genuine customer feedback and continuously strive to improve our services.
However, we deny the false and misleading claim regarding the alleged discovery of a red undergarment in the toilet. Our investigation, backed by evidence provided by the previous guests, confirms that:
- The room’s previous occupants were two male guests who did not leave any such item behind;
- Our housekeeping team verified the room’s cleanliness after the previous guests’ departure, and no such item was present; and
- The red undergarment was planted after check-in to create deceptive content aimed at damaging our reputation.
We consider this a deliberate act of sabotage and a serious attempt to slander our business. Sun Inns Hotels will not tolerate false accusations intended to mislead the public, and we are prepared to take legal action against individuals or content creators who engage in such malicious practices.
Defamation and reputation sabotage are legal offences, and we will pursue all necessary legal remedies to protect the integrity of our brand. – March 17, 2025
M. Hariz Hatim
Director, Sun Inns Hotel Group
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
