By V. Sivaji
Penang Hyperlocal sat down with the newly elected chairman of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH Penang Chapter) Tony Goh who is also the general manager of The Wembley – A St Giles Hotel Penang and Cititel Express Penang. His will serve the term from 2022- 2025.
Question 1- What is the order of business for MAH Penang Chapter after your election to office ?
Answer – To create a different portfolio of responsibility for the Exco members ie Destination Marketing, Human Resources Development and Social Media etc. Also to work with respective industry players, state tourism agencies, state authorities to seek strategies to make Penang a safe preferred tourist and business event destination.
Question 2- With International borders reopening in April, how will MAH Penang stand to benefit from this move ?
In the immediate term after the reopening of international borders, we expect visitors from our neighbours namely, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia for a start. But we also anticipate tourists from Middle East to come back.
Question 3- Being full time general manager and now chapter chairman, how do you balance and delegate your duties?
I always manage the hotel by delegating and empowering our staff to make decisions without fear of making mistakes as mistakes are part and parcel of the learning process.
Question 4- Where would you like to travel out of the country after the re-opening of international borders ?I would like to travel to and visit Thailand as I love their authentic food.
Question 5 – Do you have any hobbies / pastimes after a hard day’s work to unwind ?
I like to surf the Internet and various websites to enhance my knowledge for best practices in the hospitality industry.
Question 6 – What is your dream car ?
Anything in the classic car category.
Goh also likes to follow sports like badminton during his free time, he follows the various Open Championships like the Malaysian Open, Indonesian Open, Singapore Open, Japan Open, All England, China Open etc.
Goh’s outlook in life is not to take any issue as a problem, but treat it as a challenge and find a solution to the challenge.
He will be assisted by two vice-chairman, Ben Ho (Lexis Suites Penang) and Kevin Cheah (Iconic Hotel)
The Honorary Secretary is John Kim (Mei Hotel) with the Treasurer being Dennis Lee (Royale Chulan Penang)
The committee members are Dennis Cheng (Jazz hotel), Amran Taib (Royal Hotel), Melvin Ooi (Prestige Hotel, Steven Suffian (Hompton Beach Hotel Penang) Datuk T H Lim (Tien Hotel Group) and Punitha Mary (Travelodge Penang). Meanwhile, the Internal auditor is Lynne Choong (Bayview Hotel Georgetown).
Penang Hyperlocal congratulates Tony Goh on his appointment and wishes all the best for MAH Penang under his tutelage and leadership. Syabas !