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Mixed Performance in 2010 Reported by Malaysian Hotels, Hotel Study- Horwath HTL 2011 Malaysia Hotel Operations Survey Results Released

Kuala Lumpur, 23rd August, 2011

Hotel occupancy levels in Malaysia rose to 70% in 2010 from 62% in 2009, with Kuala Lumpur registering growth in Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR), while other cities witnessed a decline in performance, as reported by Horwath HTL in the recently published 2011 Malaysia Hotel Operations Survey.
About 89 hotels across the country participated in the Horwath HTL 2011 Malaysia Hotel Operations Survey, making it the most prominent study of its kind in the Malaysia hotel industry. The survey conducted annually is supported by the Malaysian Association of Hotels, and is used extensively by developers, investors, hotel operators and government agencies.
Hotels across the country reported a growth in occupancy and a general improvement in Income Before Fixed Charges and Management Fees (IBFCMF), but Average Daily Rate (ADR) dropped from RM281 in 2009 to RM223 in 2010. This is due to a general decrease in ADR, as well as an increase in participation from hotels in lower rate categories. However, tight cost controls exercised in 2010, particularly in undistributed operation expenses, resulted in a growth in IBFCMF margins from 35% in 2009 to 39% in 2010.
Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya/ Subang Jaya/ Sepang recorded slight increases in RevPAR, largely driven by growth in occupancy. Other main tourism destinations, such as Penang, Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu, however, reported year-on-year drops in RevPAR by 11% to 15%. The largest IBFCMF margins were seen in Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi, while Kuching offers the leanest margins.
Leisure demand emerged as the most prominent source of business in 2010, contributing 32% to 67% of room nights across the cities. Corporate demand is also strong in the Greater KL area and Penang. Participating hotels reported Southeast Asian markets as the largest regional source, making up about 60% of all room nights in 2010, including the domestic market which accounted for about 43%. Other significant markets include Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, Middle East and China.
“Overall, participating hotels are conservative in their projections for both occupancy and rate increases in 2011, projecting only a 4% and 6% increase respectively,” said Sen Soon-Mun, Director of Horwath HTL Kuala Lumpur.
In 2010, tourist arrivals grew by 4% to a record 24.6 million arrivals, compared to 23.6 million arrivals in 2009. This resulted in total tourism receipts of RM 56.5 billion – a strong 5.8% growth from 2009. The top 10 source countries include regional markets such as India, Korea and China.

About Horwath HTL
Horwath HTL (Hotels Tourism and Leisure) is one of the world’s pre-eminent consulting specialists in the hotel, tourism and leisure industries, providing unequalled experience and expertise for client projects around the world through a combination of detailed local knowledge and international understanding. Horwath HTL is currently the world’s largest consulting organisation specialised in hospitality, with 50 offices in 39 countries.
Horwath HTL is a member of Crowe Horwath International, a professional association of accounting and management consulting firms founded in New York in 1915. Crowe Horwath International is currently ranked among the top ten international professional service groups with offices in close to 586 cities in 108 countries.
To purchase the 2011 Malaysia Hotel Survey of Operations, please visit our website at www.horwathhtlasia.com. For more information, please contact Sen Soon-Mun, Director of Horwath HTL Kuala Lumpur at sen@horwathhtl.com and/or Shyn Yee Ho-Strangas, Assistant Director of Marketing and Special Projects at syho@horwathhtl.com.