By V. Sivaji
A general manager and prominent member of Penang’s hospitality industry has been bestowed the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) which carries the title dato’ in conjunction with the Penang Governor’s 73rd birthday celebrations.
Seasoned hotelier, Gulab Mahatam Rai was awarded the honour in recognition of his services to the industry and community.
The investiture ceremony was held at the Dewan Sri Pinang in Georgetown earlier today.
Gulab who is currently serving as the general manager of the Hotel NEO+ Penang was instrumental in setting up the first quarantine hotel in the state.
At that juncture, he was the general manager with the Paradise Hotel in Tanjung Bungah in 2019.
Being the first hotel to take up the challenge of turning a hotel into a quarantine accommodation came with its challenges as it was unprecedented and “navigating new territory”.
“There were no time tested standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the containment of the pandemic. We were entrusted to ensure the safety of the guests and their well-being”, he added.
For him personally, it will be a vital learning curve which will last a lifetime. The facility also helped many returning Penangites serve their quarantine period and also medical care at the hotel.
Meanwhile, Gulab’s travels as a hotelier has taken him to overseas stints including Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Seychelles.
On the local front, he had also worked in various hotels and resorts in Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Pulau Redang and Genting Highlands to name a few.
True to keeping his nature of motivating staff and all those around him, Gulab is naturally a down to earth, lively, amiable and energetic person whether on duty or off duty.
He also was the first to initiate the “Songkran Festival” and the “Kaamatan” festival which drew a good response from Penangites.
Supporters of the festival can also look forward to another round of Songkran festivities next year in April.
Prior to this award, Gulab had also received the Ahli Ahmad Shah Pahang (AAP) award from the Pahang state government.
We at Penang Hyperlocal congratulate Gulab on the conferment of the Datoship award in conjunction with the 73rd birthday celebrations of the Governor of Penang.