JOHOR BAHRU: Hoteliers in Johor have reported a surge in inquiries and early bookings for the December festive season, setting the country’s tourism sector on course to hitting a new high this year.

This is mainly from the domestic and international market with the rise in bookings coming as schools close for the long holidays.

Traditionally, the domestic market has been the main driver of the December tourism season, with international arrivals picking mid-December when winter starts.

Malaysian Association of Hotels Johor chapter chairman Ivan Teo agreed there will be a wave in room bookings during the holiday period.

He said as we are a border state, definitely we will have more Singaporeans than the rest of the nationals.

He stressed that Johor Bahru city area will be high occupancy. Those full house hotels will be those who are located in the malls or near the malls.

According to Teo usually bookings are either online and travel agents. As such, is convenient to know the hotel rates and availability at your tip of your fingers.

However, he mentioned that Johor Bahru offers wide range of room availability hotels from places like Bukit Indah, Austin, Permas, which is also minutes away from the city. Also, boutique hotels are equally comfortable accommodation for our guests from overseas.

On whether hotels can cope with their current staff with the influx of tourists into the country, he said this is not a new problem as most hotels can cope well supported by part-timers.

“As usual, this year with the Chinese national visa waive and the Asia Tourism Forum in mid-January, hotels would be busy again,” he said.

Teo made it clear that the Asia Tourism Forum will definitely have impact during mid-January together with Chinese from China, will bring up the usage for Chinese reunion dinner.

Lotus Desaru Beach Resort & SPA group operations director/legal advisor R. Indra Gandhi Pillai said their resort has seen a great surge in the bookings.

She pointed out that based on last year’s report, Singaporeans take the top spot in their international market about 15%.

For Lotus they expect an average of 60% occupancy during the Malaysian school holidays between 20 – 29 December.

“We are not going to turn down anyone as we will carefully manage the room inventory based on demand to ensure optimal availability and pricing,” she affirmed.

Her staff are well trained efficiently to handle 100 percent of the capacity with the existing staff thanks to their experience and their streamlined workflows.

The resort is offering special Christmas promotion that includes a package featuring a room stay and a festive Christmas dinner, whereby the dinner package comes with party packs and New Year celebrations.

On whether the resort is facing shortage of staff this December, she was quick to point out that her team is able to handle full capacity seamlessly.

“However, we are facing some challenges due to the high demand and are working proactively to address the situation,” she stated.

Amari Johor Bahru general manager Pauline Chua says the festive season sees a natural rise in demand, with families, couples, and business travellers planning their holidays or year-end gatherings.

She was quick to add that this year, the hotel observed a particularly strong uptick, partly due to the growing appeal of Johor Bahru as a travel destination, offering a blend of cultural experiences, shopping, and dining.

“We are highly optimistic about reaching full occupancy, especially during weekends and the last two weeks of December. Current projections indicate weekday occupancy rising steadily to 85-90%, with weekends already exceeding 95%,” she said.

This according to Pauline aligns with industry trends where December consistently records the highest occupancy rates of the year, supported by the influx of leisure travellers and corporate clients organising year-end meetings and gatherings.

On whether they have enough staff to cope during the festive period, she said, “Our approach includes optimising schedules, hiring temporary staff, and leveraging partnerships with local and international hospitality schools,”

This, she said, ensures they can maintain the seamless service that Amari Johor Bahru is known for, even during the busiest periods of the year.

She also mentioned that tourists look for packages that provide value, encompassing not just accommodation and dining but also the level of service and unique experiences.

Not mincing her words she said this has prompted the hotel to curate offerings that cater to this demand, for example our very own Trishaw Tales Experience.

On solving staff shortage, she stressed that beyond recruitment, they emphasise providing a positive work environment where team members feel valued and can envision a long-term career with us.

She said this holistic approach helps us attract and retain talent, ensuring we’re always ready for peak periods.

GoodHope Hotel group general manager Callie Tan says they expect a full house on weekends, particularly on Friday and Saturday, and are aiming for an overall occupancy rate of 65% for the month of December.

Callie mentioned that their guests come from both domestic and international markets.

However she said the hotel plans to offer promotions, primarily on food and beverages, exclusively for our guests staying with us during the Christmas and year-end holidays.

“To address staff shortage, our team is focusing on collaboration and effective time management. Staff from different departments, such as the admin office and housekeeping, assist during the peak times like breakfast to clear tables.

Additionally, she said food and beverage staff pitch in with room cleaning to ensure rooms are ready for next arrivals. This approach helps ease the staffing challenges and ensures smooth operations.

She said that there is a significant demand during the festival period, especially for Chinese New Year reunion dinners, as it is an important time for family gatherings.

“We plan to open up the maximum capacity in our ballrooms and convention halls to cater to this market,” she added.

Ibis Styles Johor Iskandar Puteri general manager Charanita Gill said this December bookings have dropped compared to previous years. Especially bookings in from Singapore as now with Scoot flights to other destinations in Malaysia, it is more economical and time efficient to fly.

Charanita said this month will not be full house as there are too many competitors in the market also. Occupancy is approximately at 69% for December.

She said this December the hotel will be having a double celebration of the Hotel’s 3rd anniversary and the Lighting of the Christmas Tree on 18 December.

She claimed that the team is trained to multitasks and they are forced to employ more foreign workers.

However, she said this December there are various offers for their loyalty members as well as the non-members.

Pulai Springs Resort general manager Sunny Soo said December is traditionally a peak season for travel, and they have observed a significant increase in room bookings.

Sunny said said the combination of school holidays, festive celebrations, and year-end vacations contributes to this surge.

He elaborated further stating that the majority of their bookings are from the domestic market, as local travelers take advantage of the holidays to explore destinations within Malaysia.

“However, we are also seeing a growing number of international guests, especially from neighbouring countries,” he said.

Sunny was optimistic stating that they anticipate high occupancy levels in December, possibly reaching 80–55%. This aligns with the increased demand during the holiday season and our ongoing festive promotions.

The resort, he said due to high demand and fully booked dates on certain dates especially on weekends, had to turn down some last-minute inquiries and request for reservations.

The resort always recommend guests make reservations early to secure their preferred dates.

To cope with the influx of tourists into the country, he emphasised that they have taken proactive steps to ensure their team is well-equipped to handle the holiday season. This includes optimizing staff schedules and providing additional training to maintain high service standards.

“Since we have sufficient staff to manage the busy period, our focus is on maintaining high service standards. We ensure this by providing regular training, optimizing team workflows, and fostering a supportive work environment to keep our staff motivated and efficient during the peak season,” he revealed.

The resort’s focus remains on delivering excellent service to meet the expectations of our guests during this busy season.