Damai Beach Resort Now Fully Owned, Managed by SEDC

Hilltop, Damai Beach Resort (file picture)

SANTUBONG: The just re-branded Damai Beach Resort, which is now fully owned and managed by Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), seeks to re-position itself as an affordable retreat and business destination.

After exactly 20 years as part of Holiday Inn – an international franchise, the four-star facility has reverted to a management team comprising local and several foreign expertise.

Chief among them is the manager  Zulkifli Othman,  a Singaporean  who brings with him years of experience from The Hyatt Singapore.

Another new recruit is a former staff of Borneo Highlands Resort, Caroline Yeo, who now heads the Talent and Business Development unit at Damai Beach.

Yeo disclosed during a media tour yesterday that the partnership between SEDC and Holiday Inn came to a mutual end on April 1.

“This follows a similar move with SEDC’s second major property - the newly minted Damai Puri Resort & Spa.”

Yeo said Damai Beach Resort, the older of the two, and rated one-star less than Puri, was neatly sandwiched in the middle-affordability segment. (Santubong Resort is the third major competitor in the area.)

In the pipeline is a proposed three-to-five year plan to renovate Damai Beach in stages.

“It (renovation) is under negotiation with the owner. It should involve mostly infrastructure work to beautify the place,” Zulkifli said.

But for now, the resort is concentrating on raising its publicity: via media cooperation and a host of new ‘retreat packages’.

Among them are golf retreats with Damai Golf and Country Club, ‘Previous Moments’ for romantic getaways, spa retreats, among others.

Yeo added: “All these packages are very high value, yet very affordable. We believe we don’t need to be expensive to be exclusive.

“Put it this way - everybody is entitled to have fun. Even the lower segment of the public will find our packages affordable.”

For example, she highlighted the resort’s ‘Standard Balcony’ rooms, which are priced between RM220 and RM270, depending on seasons. There are about 20 of these.

The new management is projecting a modest occupancy rate increase of about five per cent, from 50 per cent in 2007 to 54 per cent in 2008.

The resort is fully booked for the upcoming Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival.

“The festival is our super-peak period. Bookings have been coming since more than a year ago,” Zulkifli said.

Yeo added that Damai Beach would increase partnership with foreign travel agents, with a view to attract more customers from the East Asian market, while strengthening its base in Europe, Australia and America.

“You think of places like Hong Kong or Singapore, you don’t have much access to nature experiences, which we at Damai can offer abundant life enriching opportunities,” she said.

Nonetheless, about 70 per cent of the resort’s clientele throughout the year are locals.

As such, Yeo said renewed emphasis would be placed on recreational activities, which are open to day-trip visitors.

Its beach house section, which supervises water sports, for instance, has been outsourced to add more activities.

Another segment that should receive added promotion would be the resort’s food and beverage offerings.

“Our Fishermen’s Catch serves mostly Chinese-style cuisine headed by a chef from nearby Buntal. But more importantly, prices are comparable, if not cheaper for certain dishes, to Buntal’s.

“We are very proud to offer such attractive prices in a four-star resort with five-star service,” enthused the business development head.

Turning her attention to the business sector, Yeo said the resort was going ‘aggressively’ into the meeting, incentive, conference, and event (MICE) market because they had banquet halls and meeting rooms.

“But we also believe a different kind of MICE experience can be had with events carried out on our beach front or hill top areas.”

Damai Beach Resort is about 50 minute-drive from the city centre, and is situated at Teluk Bandung, facing the South China Sea.

For more information, call 082-846999, fax 082-846777, e-mail general@damaibeachresort.com or visit www.damaibeachresort.com.

Taken From:

The Borneo Post Online , 5/04/2008