Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu pledges not to start price war


BY MUGUNTAN VANAR IN KOTA KINABALU

LE MERIDIEN has opened its second hotel in Malaysia with a promise not to kick off a price war among hotels.

Giving the assurance at the soft opening last week, the hotel’s general manager Winston Reinboth said that the promotional price of RM270 against the normal RM350 for a standard room was about the going rate of five-star hotels in the state capital.

“I know there are many people in the industry here watching our pricing.

“But, we don’t intend to go into a price war,” he said at the soft launch of the 307-room hotel, which is expected to be fully operational by early November this year.

Reinboth said the Meridien in Sabah was a blend between a business and leisure hotel that was not in direct competition with the other five-star hotels and resorts in the city.

Reinboth, who personally helped check in the hotel’s first guest, Indonesian business executive Mariany Ham, said that the hotel would be working with state tourism players to bring in tourists.

He was confident that more tourists would be brought in through the Meridien group of hotels worldwide, as well as corporate groups keen to hold meetings in Sabah.

“When Meridien started in Phuket (Thailand), we were among the pioneer hotels and today, the place is booming with tourists,” said Reinboth.

Courtesy of The Star

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