WHETHER this is a case of “willing buyer, willing seller” or otherwise, Malaysians seems to be fuming at the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (MOTAC) which seems to be ‘toothless’ in compelling the local hotel industry to abide by a fair check-in, and check-out time practice.
This came about as MOTAC in a recent media statement said it is monitoring the hotel check-in/check-out registration issue while paying serious attention to ensure industry players provide satisfactory clarification on the matter.
The ministry further advised the public to read and understand the terms and conditions set by hotels before making a reservation.to avoid any misunderstandings or dissatisfaction, particularly concerning pricing and the desired level of service.
📌 SIARAN MEDIA – ISU PENETAPAN WAKTU DAFTAR MASUK DAN DAFTAR KELUAR HOTEL DI MALAYSIA#MyMOTAC #TaatSetia#MySeniBudaya#MalaysiaTrulyAsia#MalaysiaMADANI pic.twitter.com/BX380q2RTG
— MyMOTAC (@MyMOTAC) September 25, 2024
As background, temperature has risen of late with many hotel guests expressing their dismay on social media that they are not getting their money worth in that while check-in hours tend to get later from previously, check-out hours are getting earlier, thus cutting short their hotel stay duration.
The norm in recent times seems to be that most hotels require guests to check in at 3pm onwards but check out by 10am or 11am (previously 12 noon to 1pm for both routines).
“I feel like crying when I see a media release like this,” commented former TopGear Malaysia and New Sunday Times (motoring) editor Hazeri Samsuri who opened the floodgate to brickbats of sorts being hurled at MOTAC.
“Their keyword is ‘monitoring’ … they are the authority yet only able to issue a seemingly sitting on the fence or wait-and-see statement,” lamented another commenter as a slew of more harsh criticism flew in. Below are some examples:
“The laziest and rubbish statement. They think that hotel guests are a lazy bunch who don’t read (the terms and conditions) like those people who buy things online without reading it. 🤦🏼♀️”
“Who is too lazy to read here? The conclusion is this comes from the most dysfunctional ministry in Malaysia.”
“As part of the government machinery, you shouldn’t be siding the tycoons.”
“MOTAC’s task is to press hotel operators to revert to international practice of check-in at 2pm and check-out 12 noon.”
“S, in the end the consumer is wrong for not reading the T&Cs (terms and condition)? And the capitalist hotel owner wins?”
“The conclusion is let’s holiday abroad.”
So what’s the moral of the story here?
“There is no need to expect the government or the ministry (MOTAC) to regulate this check-in and check-out time. Do you know what works?” asked one netizen.
“Boycott. Boycott is the most effective way. Just boycott if you think there are hotels/homestays with ridiculous check-in and check-out time. You’re just foolish if you still support them.” – Sept 28, 2024
Moral of the story, tak payah la nak harap kerajaan, atau kementerian mcmni utk regulate pasai check in check out ni. Tau apa yg berkesan? Boikot. Boikot paling berkesan. Rasa ada hotel/homestay yang waktu check in check out mengarut? Boikot. Kalau still support, hadap ja la. https://t.co/4izgBsDaC1
— Injang (@Injang_Nation) September 25, 2024
Memang wajib boikot je hotel check in 4pm & checkout 11am ni melampau2 dah industry pelancongan malaysia. Kementerian pun buat bodoh je lepas orang dh pegi seberang mula la tak support local semua.
Hotel pun buruk & tak bersih harga kemain kayangan pic.twitter.com/ZImTVlsoKh
— mhmmdhsm (@mhmmdhsm) September 24, 2024
