Name: Johnny Lau
Position: General Manager
Company: Fraser Place Puteri Harbour
Johnny Lau, 52, was appointed as the General Manager of Fraser Place Puteri Harbour, Iskandar Puteri, Johor, a hospitality division of Tiong Nam Logistics Holdings Berhad on 11th September 2018.
He has more than 30 years of hospitality experience both locally and internationally in the areas of hotels, prestigious clubs, restaurants, and property management. Among his notable previous postings were at Pinetree Marina Resort Puteri Harbour (JB), Acmar Hotel Pre-Opening, Hotel Wind Xiamen (China), the Hatten Hotel Malacca, Pearl International Hotel and Brisdale Holdings Bhd. Additionally, Johnny was also responsible for managing members’ club such as The Royal Lake Club, Penang Swimming Club and Club OUG. He also has vast experience in Food & Beverage where he served in Kuala Lumpur as an independent consultant to various Food & Beverage restaurants.
Johnny graduated from Educational Institute of American Hotel and Motel, East Lansing, Michigan and Stanford School of Hotel Catering and Management.
Tell us more about Fraser Place Puteri Harbour.
Fraser Place Puteri Harbour is a 25-storey serviced residence and part of an iconic mixed-use development that stands out with its distinct nautical-themed design.
We offer 297 units of contemporary accommodation to suit business travellers, couples, or families. Our guests can look forward to an oasis of style and comfort uplifted with natural pastel colours, rich brown timber tones and furnished with chic amenities to complement a luxurious lifestyle.
We are situated in the western region of Johor and are located near the State Administration Offices as well as family-friendly theme park LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort (LMR). The property is also in the vicinity of Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal, Iskandar Studios, Extreme Park and EduCity Iskandar Malaysia, home to several facilities from renowned colleges and universities.
Fraser Place Puteri Harbour is the preferred choice for both leisure and business travellers, whether you’re planning a short getaway or a longer stay.
What are some of the unique selling points of this hotel?
We always aim to make guests’ stay as smooth sailing and comfortable as possible with the conveniences of modern living at their disposal.
Convenient facilities such as washer and dryer, well-equipped kitchenette, club lounge, and round-the-clock security and CCTV surveillance will also ensure their stay remains pleasant and safe. En suite bathroom comes with Malin & Goetz toiletries and the luxury bathtub is there to create memorable moments with your kids and loved ones!
Our all-day dining restaurant allow guests the freedom of dining accompanied by our scenic sea view. As an added advantage, we also provide scheduled shuttle service to take guests to selected attractive locations.
How did Fraser Hospitality deal with the economic blow to the tourism industry during this COVID-19 pandemic?
As our properties worldwide reopen with reinforced #FraserCares commitment, heightened health and safety initiatives are implemented for the well-being of our guests and staff.
These include reservation flexibility, new cleaning regime, safe distancing protocols and redefined operational standards following local relevant authorities. These standards are put firmly in place to provide guests with peace of mind whenever they are ready to travel and stay again.
We are fully aware that many of the travel plans may be affected as a result of the developing situation with COVID-19. During these uncertain times, we would like to work alongside guests to alleviate any concerns they may have with regards to their reservations with us.
Given the dynamic nature of the situation and varied changing travel restrictions in many countries, we are continually reviewing our policies to keep pace with updates, and will continue to work with guests to find the best solutions for their accommodation needs during travel.
Our property will endeavour to ensure flexibility in reservations. However, policies may vary from time to time as they are subjected to changes in local government regulations.
What are some of the plans or promotions that Fraser Hospitality is rolling out post MCO?
We value our customers loyalty and rewarding Fraser World members with additional 10% discounts, and with accumulated points, it can be exchanged for free stays, shopping vouchers, late check-out and 25% birthday discount.
For our valued partners, we are offering our special Fraser Bonanza 2.0 promotion at RM150/ night and are giving away attractive freebies.
We are also working with LEGOLAND theme park where our Fraser’s room promotion with LMR package for 2 persons is at a special price of RM488.00. Moreover, we’ve appointed foodpanda for our all day RM12 Bento Box delivery, and customers will get to enjoy our delicious hotel food at an affordable price.
Recently, we have reopened our Absolute Hi-Tea “paradise on your plate, eat with no limit” buffet with an attractive price of RM108nett for 2 persons while adopting the new normal buffet SOP.
What role does the hotel industry in particular have in rejuvenating the current state of the local economy?
One of the biggest advantage hotels have now is time. But we need to approach this opportunity as a new game. In a downturn economy, choices are critical, and speed is indispensable. In many aspects, the hotel industry requires all businesses within it to work together.
We are offering unique promotion on our room rates with attractive cancellation policy. This is to encourage local tourists to visit different states within Malaysia. We are also doing cross marketing with other hotels in other states too. With this strategy, it will encourage the number of tourists to prolong the length of their stay, and increase the daily average spending.
Hotels are also connected with agents and Online Travel Agency (OTA). Developing partnerships with the right agent and OTA can have a significant impact on travellers to discover their destination. This will help to boost the state’s economy.
Hotels should invest in video marketing which offers guests an immersive glimpse into their destination which includes regional insight that highlights the most desirable aspects of the place and ultimately boost the hotel bookings as well as be highly advantageous to the local tourism industry, including places of interest and other food and beverage offerings.
In your own words, what lesson can we take back from the COVID-19 experience?
Resilience is the key and being able to survive during these challenging times and bounce back quickly when opportunity arises.
On a personal note, how and why did you choose to venture into the hospitality industry?
I am a passionate hotelier and have been in this industry for over 30 years, and risen from the ranks. I’m always offering my services to discerning guests and share my experiences with my fellow associates. Watching my associates grow gives me the satisfaction and strength to excel even further.
What does Johnny Lau do in his free time?
As a father of two, I enjoy cooking and gardening to fill up my family time and attend gymnasium session to keep myself fit and healthy.
