Policemen and immigration officers, trying to be helpful, welcoming? What was this? What was wrong with these people?
It extended to everyone! Girls in jeans, T-shirts and hijab headscarves, guys with spiked up hair, and women in elegant sarees. And not just the airport. This welcoming smile pervades the whole Malaysian nation it seems. From the hotel to the shopping malls, to the street hawkers and garden attendants, from the gardeners to the executives.
I checked into the Traders Hotel, right in the KL Convention Centre and again the standard of service was simply overwhelming. Ok the consistently happy smiling faces around me were now accepted as part of the Malaysian way of life. But to dial the Service Centre over an Internet connectivity problem and be greeted by the operator, “Good afternoon Mr. Bonar, how can I help you?” was a definite curve ball.
A seemingly happy and irrepressibly smiling young man from housekeeping would clear my room, bring me an extra supply of low calorie sweeteners and ask if there was anything else I needed before exiting.
The waiters on the 33rd floor SkyBar with its view of the iconic Petronas Twin Towers were all enthusiastic in offering seating, a menu and bringing beverages. The hostess at Reception encouraged me to take a copy of an expatriate lifestyle magazine with me. Everyone, but everyone was falling over themselves to make sure I was taken care of.
The electric shuttle cart that sedately transfers guests between the hotel and the Suria KLCC shopping mall that lies between the Twin Towers were solicitous about getting me on board with my prosthetic leg and the valets at the hotel entrance rushed to open doors and assist me out of cars.
While my experience of such beyond-the-call of duty levels of service were in the Traders Hotel, the four star chain within the legendary Shangri-La family they are by no means unique.
Ismail Mussa, a British expatriate working in the travel industry here for last eight years says he has yet to meet a tourist not happy with their Malaysian experience.
As he pointed out, “the hotel workers are not even doing it in hope of a tip. They genuinely want to make visitors feel welcome.”
I arrived expecting tropical heat and clingy humidity. I found temperatures at a consistent 29 degrees Centigrade, not unpleasant humidity and the cloud cover which extends at this time of year in KL from mid morning until sunset relieving me of the need to wear sunglasses. People rarely wear jackets. Light trousers and polo shirts seem to be the uniform of the city.
The country’s Real Estate market is about to receive a kick start in international marketing from a new branding operation, Malaysia Property Incorporated, a government backed alliance of industry associations lead by the Malaysian Chapter of the International Real Estate Association. The body has five key initiatives including promoting Malaysia as a viable option for setting up regional offices.
It has my vote. Read more in the November issue of BSR due online on 23rd November.
