If you want to know what true Malaysian hospitality is, Holiday Villa Hotels & Resorts is where you should stay. The international hotel brand operates 24 hotels in six countries. Holiday Villa offers a total room inventory of 5,641 rooms ranging from city hotels, beach resorts and pool villas.

TD had a chat with Nina Karina Azman, director of corporate affairs, Holiday Villa Hotels & Resorts about the things you can look forward to during your stay in their properties.

Travel Daily (TD): What are some of the unique selling points of Holiday Villa Hotels & Resorts? How has the hotel positioned itself in Malaysia?

Nina Karina Azman (NKA): Our Hotels & resorts are affordable and value for money, with a flair of Malaysian hospitality. The hotel has positioned itself well in Malaysia as we are well-known and have many hotels within Malaysia itself. We have positioned ourselves as one of the leading local hotel brands and have exported our hospitality and management services overseas.

TD: What are the key challenges and key achievements in the last two years in the hotel?

NKA: COVID was a huge challenge for everyone around the world. As Malaysia went into full lockdown for almost two years, we weren’t allowed to open to receive guests. This was definitely a nightmare for any business owners and Operators. We created a campaign called “devoted to your wellbeing” where we ensure thorough cleanliness and sanitisation for our check-in and check-out guests. The advantage during lockdown was that we managed to carry out extensive renovations in our hotels and resorts without disturbing in-house guests. On the east coast of Malaysia, we added A brand new infinity pool, a kids fun pool and new villas in Cherating Holiday Villa. We have new additions to our group which are Holiday Villa Kairuzawa, Japan and Citivilla Penang, Malaysia.

TD: What are the post-COVID travel trends you have been witnessing in hospitality and how do you plan to capitalise on these trends?

NKA: Some of the new trends we are seeing are:

• Human resource is a problem as after COVID, many people don’t want to work where they can be exposed to people. Also people enjoy working remotely from home, hence they are reluctant to come back to work.
• Bookings are done last minute than planned in advance.
• Higher percentage of cancellations and postponement of stay, compared to pre-COVID due to uncertainty and change of plans.
• Guests are more conscious of health & safety and SOPs.

Eagle-feeding is a must which is easily accessible by boat near the resort. The eagle feeding experience is deserving of a ‘national geographic’ material as one can witness thousands of eagles circling the skies and diving into the seawater to feed. It truly is spectacular. The cable car overlooking the Geopark which is a UNESCO heritage site is also a must!