General News
Brunei Hotel going for eco-garden vibe
BRUNEI Hotel is transforming itself to become the Sultanateโs first โboutiqueโ hotel with an โeco-gardenโ concept which jibes with the governmentโs vision in transforming the capital into a green city.
โItโs going to be different from what we were, or what we are now, and basically thatโs going in line with the BSB (Bandar Seri Begawan) master plan,โ Ho Guan Hui, the hotelโs general manager, told The Brunei Times.
The hotel in downtown Bandar closed yesterday as renovations started. It will reopen in early July with an exterior facelift and five-star facilities.
The property will lean towards a โgreenโ concept, Ho said, with the possibility of facilities like an โeco-gardenโ.
As an independent property, he said, the hotel could decide to change its concept later to follow any future trends.
โThe reality of our hotel will be more about offering five-star services so that makes us a bit different, because (when) you go to a three-star hotel, youโre just in a three-star hotel (with the equivalent level of service and facilities). But weโre a boutique hotel so we can offer five-star services,โ he said.
Ho is also upbeat about the changes, saying โpeople are keen on new products anyway, so even being as old as (Brunei Hotel) is, we have a steady business.โ
He also highlighted the hotelโs proximity to major places of interest. The โculture of Bruneiโ was at Brunei Hotelโs doorstep, he said. โWe have an advantage in that sense, where if itโs marketed that way, itโs true everything is within walking distanceโ, citing Kampong Ayer and Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque as two of the major attractions close by.
He said that the changes were welcomed by the staff. โIโm going to change the concept, basically- the service concept, product concept.
โDuring the time weโre closed, the staff will still be employed so weโll be conducting vigorous training for them,โ he said of the change in service philosophy.
โWeโre converting into a different kind of hotel so the mindset has to change along with that โฆ We want (guests) to treat it like a home, so we want to provide that warm, friendly service culture,โ he said.
The hotel will also be implementing changes to accommodate guests with physical disabilities, said Ho.
He said the hotel is looking at installing a wheelchair ramp outside the building and emergency strobe lights for the hearing-impaired.
โItโs the little things weโre looking at,โ he said.
Additional Information
Country: Brunei Darussalam
Website: http://news.brunei.fm/2010/04/02/brunei-hotel-going-for-eco-garden-vibe/
Email: N/A
Phone: N/A
Contact Person: N/A
Source: Email from: TSUCHIYA Michiko
When: 10/4/2010
