Mr Christopher Chan, Première Hotel Manager.

Personalities

Celebrating Première Hotel’s 11 Years Anniversary with Christopher Chan

Mr. Christopher Chan, Première Hotel Manager shares his insights to the hotel’s proud achievements and future plans.

Mr. Christopher Chan, Première Hotel Manager shares his insights to the hotel’s proud achievements and future plans.

By Première Hotel, Klang on November 8, 20218 minutes read

Première Hotel, the iconic business class hotel strategically nestled in the heart of Klang marks its 11^th Anniversary in October this year.  Voted as the No.1 hotel in Klang since 2013 by TripAdvisor, Première Hotel’s presence has become significant to the local community and business travellers with its close proximity to Port Klang, the leading port of Malaysia. Throughout the years, Première Hotel has grown with the city and has helped boost Klang as a go-to city destination, with a vibrant intercultural heritage surrounded by historic and quaint buildings as well as Klang’s local delicacies.

Première Hotel is a prominent address that is close to the heart of many people across various generations over the years who stayed and served with the hotel. Without their unwavering and valuable support, the journey of Première Hotel would not have been possible, especially the dedication depicted by the long-service staff members who have been serving with such loyalty since the beginning of its establishment.

Despite the economic slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Première Hotel remained agile for business continuity depicting resilience amidst pandemics. Première Hotel continues to be relevant and supports the needs of the local community when the hotel was appointed as one of the vaccination centres for the Klang community.

To find out more about the journey, read on this exclusive interview with Mr. Christopher Chan, Première Hotel Manager.

1. What are Première Hotel’s proud achievements throughout its 11 years of operation?

Première Hotel is 11 years old now.  Over the years, Première Hotelbagged several recognitions and awards, which contributed to what Première Hotel is today, an iconic business hotel. One of our proudest moments was when Première Hotel was voted by TripAdvisor to be the No.1 hotel in Klang in  2013. We are proud to say that we still hold the record until today.

Earlier this year, Première Hotel became the 1st hotel to be awarded the Gold certification by Islamic Tourism Centre, Malaysia (ITC) and supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) as a Muslim-friendly hotel accommodation in Klang in 2021.

Despite the challenging COVID-19 and the need to adapt to new operational policies, our guests remain our utmost priority. We continue to ensure that all our guests are well taken care of and they leave with a pleasant memory. It is indeed an honour for us to be certified by Bureau Veritas, an independent auditor supported by the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) to receive the Clean and Safe Hotel certification during the initial period of the pandemic in 2020.

In 2019, Première Hotel was the 1st hotel in Klang to receive the Bersih, Selamat dan Sihat (BESS) Award from Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) for Food & Beverage Department’s Safety, Health, Hygiene and Cleanliness Standard.

2. The long-service employees are being honoured for their dedication and commitment to Première Hotel throughout the years. As someone who has gone through many changes and experiences with Première Hotel, what do you value the most in this hotel?

I believe Première Hotel would not have come this far without the dedication of the long-service employees who stayed committed to Première Hotel since the beginning of the operation. We have grown as a family and have worked together across generations serving the hotel with pride.

Here at Première Hotel, we celebrate our differences despite the age gap because at the end of the day we are all one family that complements each other in everything we do. Première Hotel values each of them. They are the reason we are able to strive for the highest standards of services that have eventually become Première Hotel’s core values over the years.

3. In conjunction with the 11th Anniversary, what can your loyal customers look forward to?

Our guests and patrons have always been our business biggest supporters particularly those long-staying guests working in Port Klang. Thus, we believe that it is very important for us to build and maintain good long-term relationships with our customers. They are very pertinent towards our success.

In conjunction with Première’s 11th Anniversary this year, we have just conducted the ‘Memories Sharing Campaign’ where guests who stayed and dined at our hotel over the years shared their photos and videos for our anniversary compilation. The winners walked away with Première Hotel’s special room packages and exclusive merchandise such as backpack and mug.

Moreover, in commemoration of our 11th anniversary, we offered exciting promotions such as hotel stays for only RM111 and F&B deals for only RM11 for selected menus.

As a mark of our appreciation towards our friends from the media fraternity, Première Hotel sent some confectionery gifts to those who have been supporting us throughout our journey.

4. What was your plan for Première Hotel when you joined and how have you been able to achieve it? 

When I first joined Première Hotel, I had a vision to position the hotel as a business service that contributes to the growth of Klang city and its communities. We have played a significant role in addressing the Klang community’s demands and offering a comfortable, safe and conducive environment that enables guests to create memories with their loved ones.

Première Hotel has always looked at ways to engage the local vendors, tourism services and government agencies in an effort to make Klang an attractive destination. At Première Hotel, we constantly support campaigns or promotions conducted locally that reflect the vibrant culture of the people in Klang.

Now that Première Hotel has been Klang’s No. 1 hotel since 2013, I am extremely proud and grateful that we continue to be welcomed wholeheartedly. We are not merely seen as offering services but as a key contributor towards the development of the community. In addition, it is such a proud moment for us to be recognized by Tourism Malaysia and receive the Outstanding Contribution and Support in Tourism Malaysia’s Paid Accommodation Survey certification in 2020.

5. How does Première Hotel’s presence contribute to the community?

With our strategic location and close proximity to Port Klang, Malaysia’s major port, Première Hotel continues to stay relevant, catering to the needs of the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Première Hotel was appointed as one of the designated vaccination centres under the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) for the Klang community to get their vaccine. Our spacious Ballroom that sprawls across 1,125.50 square meters was able to meet the target of administering 1,500 doses daily.

Apart from the above, Première Hotel also conducts several seasonal CSR projects to assist the underprivileged communities in Klang and promotes volunteerism among its staff members. Among some of the initiatives were distributing meals and basic necessities to old folk and children’s homes.  

6. What are Première Hotel’s initiatives in highlighting Klang as a must-go city destination and how can it benefit Klang’s tourism?

Klang has always been known for its vibrant intercultural heritage surrounded by rich historical and quaint buildings, as well as Klang’s unique delicacies. In our effort of making Klang a go-to city destination, we have been working closely with Tourism Selangor to promote the Pusing Selangor Dulu Campaign. We offered special packages for our guests namely the Family Escape package, Couple Getaway and Première package. All these packages came with complimentary shuttle services to several interesting places in Klang such as Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Indian Muslim Mosque Tengku Kelana and some famous restaurants in Klang. Moreover, we also provided our shuttle service to shopping destinations such as GM Klang and AEON Bukit Tinggi. By leveraging on such initiatives, Premiere Hotel has helped to promote Klang as an attractive destination to visit.

Klang has many attractive destinations. Through the collaboration with several local tour agencies and local vendors, we have listed attractive packages for travellers and customers to explore the Klang neighbourhood such as Royal Klang City Tour, shop at Little India and enjoy Klang’s famous delicacies, Ba Kut Teh. Not forgetting Pulau Ketam that is well-known for its freshest seafood restaurants. It is indeed a great place to visit either for a day trip or longer.

7. Prior to the recent lifting of interstate-travel restrictions, what were some of the initiatives executed to drive guests to Première Hotel especially for those who are very much in need of a short getaway?

The recent easing of the interstate-travel restrictions was a light at the end of the tunnel for the tourism industry. As hotels started to reopen to tourists, Première Hotel took this opportunity to entice our long-awaited guests back to our hotel with various new and exciting packages such as the November Staycation, Family Escapade Package and Frontline Heroes Package. We believe such exciting initiatives will serve as a short escape for our guests particularly those who are very much in need of a vacation prior to the prolonged travel restrictions imposed by the government earlier this year.

8. The pandemic has severely impacted various sectors and hospitality is one of the hardest hit. How has  Première Hotel been able to sail through and remain resilient?

It is heartening to see how many businesses are adjusting their operations and strategies in response to the crisis to stay afloat amidst the pandemic. The Movement Control Order (MCO) has disrupted our daily business operations and reduced our occupancy rate tremendously.

In view of the situation, we took critical measures to focus on our Food and Beverages Services, and expand our capabilities to serve beyond the physical location while being able to reach our customers. The existence of delivery services such as Grab, Food Panda and independent riders, has definitely assisted us to bring Première Hotel to our customers’ homes.

As we remain agile to fit the current situation, Première Hotel offered the Work From Hotel packages for Frontliners and for guests with Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) approval in accordance with the stringent Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). This enabled the guests to book and utilise the hotel rooms as their workspaces. We saw it as an opportunity to attract business professionals who were in dire need of a comfortable workspace.

Such adjustments have somehow changed the way our business operates but eventually prepared us for something bigger. It helped us to rethink and improvise our business operations for the future.

9. Moving forward, what are Première Hotel’s plans for business continuity towards recovery?

For the following year, we intend to focus on executing the recovery plan for Première Hotel. The initiative announced in the recent Budget 2022, which is aimed at reviving the Tourism industry coupled with the transitioning into phase 4 that allows people to travel, we are optimistic that it would contribute towards replenishing our revenue.

We are geared to developing creative ideas, outside-the-box initiatives that adds-value to draw more guests to Première Hotel and having cross-promotional alliances with local brands and businesses in our special packages, rather than just the standard seasonal promotions.

Learning from the experience and with the new norms, Première Hotel is constantly revisiting its services and safety standards in an effort to give guests peace of mind and the assurance that we are going beyond the typical standards to minimise any spread of disease in the future.