KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 — The Ramada Plaza Hotel in Melaka has become the latest casualty in the hospitality industry to be hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and the movement control order (MCO).
The hotel’s owner, MTB Realty Sdn Bhd, had informed the National Union of Hotel, Bar and Restaurant Workers in a letter on April 28 which was co-signed by two directors, Yang Peng Chee and Yeo Pang Kheng, on behalf of the board.
“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic since January 2020 and the movement control order (MCO) since March 18, 2020, the hospitality industry has been extremely impacted and we are no exception.
“As a result of this crisis, the continued operation of the hotel is no longer viable. It is with sincere regrets that we wish to inform that the owners have now decided to close the business of the hotel indefinitely.
“We shall serve two months’ termination notice as per the Collective Agreement or the contracts of employment to their employees and their last working day shall be on June 30, 2020. We will be paying them termination benefit as per their contracts of employment,” the letter said.
The five-star Ramada Plaza Hotel has been a permanent fixture in the Melaka’s central skyline since 1981.
It had 294 rooms and was run by Wyndham Hotel Group Asia Pacific Co Ltd.
The news of the closure had many members of the public voicing their sadness over social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter with many recalling their good times there including weddings and for the “best breakfast buffet in Melaka ever”.
The hotel is the latest in a slew of hotels in the country that have announced shutting down their operations due to the pandemic.
In Ipoh, Kinta Riverfront Hotel and Suites had disclosed on April 22 that the hotel’s last day will be today, on April 30.
Another hotel there, the four-star Tower Regency Hotel is also shutting down its doors today.
Yesterday, G City Club Hotel Sdn Bhd, which manages a 180-room hotel under the trade name of GTower Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, announced that it was shutting down its hotel operations, after a decade in the business, due to a drop in occupancy rates.
Even Bursa-listed firms were not spared from the novel coronavirus’ onslaught with main-board company Plenitude Bhd announcing the closure of Mercure Penang Beach and the Gurney Resort Hotel and Residences, as well as the Travelodge in Ipoh with immediate effect.
