Malaysians sought after by big hotels

By Lee Siew Lian 11 October, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR: A few months ago, Andrea Lee packed her bags, flew to Macau, and started work at the second-largest building in the world. She now works at the landmark Venetian Macao Resort Hotel at more than double the pay she used to get here.

The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel is so big that it takes Lee 15 minutes to walk from the shuttle drop off point to the employees' entrance.

The hotel, which can accommodate 90 Boeing 747 jumbo jets, drew more than 110,000 visitors in its first 24 hours of operation when it opened in August.

It cost US$2.4 billion (RM8.2 billion) to build, required three million sheets of gold leaf for its decor and is said to consume as much power as 300,000 homes.

It has 16,000 employees, and is always looking for more.

Last month, a team from its human resources department flew here on a recruitment drive, looking to fill positions from servers to captains and managers.

It's not the only one. The 600-room US$1.1 billion MGM Grand, slated to open in Macau later this year, is also expected to recruit staff from here.

Drawn by the hefty salaries offered, a steady stream of Malaysians have left the hotel industry here to work in the Chinese gambling enclave.

The ability to speak Mandarin, Cantonese and English is an advantage, putting Malaysian Chinese in particular demand.

Lee, who has more than 10 years' experience, declined to say how much she makes, but said those in managerial positions like her draw between 24,000 and 30,000 Macau pataca a month, or roughly between RM10,000 and RM13,000 a month.

"It's not uncommon for people to draw three to four times the salary they get in Malaysia," she said. The Venetian Macao did not respond to requests for an interview.

Recruiters are also snapping up those fresh out of hotel management schools.

Student affairs officer Dorothy Pang has been fielding calls from hotel chains around Asia wanting to hire students graduating from Genting Inti International College.

Among them were MGM Grand and the Venetian in Macau, and the Shangri-La on Sentosa Island, Singapore .

A former hotel staff herself, Pang also gets calls from ex-colleagues and former students working in the Middle East and China.

"I wish all this had happened when I was younger. I would have gone, too," she laughed.

These lucrative prospects are making jobs in the service and hospitality industry more acceptable.

"We are getting a few straight-As students, one with 11As, another with 13As. We never used to before," said Michael Chew, GIIC's principal and chief executive officer."

"The industry is increasingly losing the perception that there are only menial jobs. There's a career path and it pays well."

The reality was Malaysian hotels would just have to pay more to keep their staff, said industry veteran Ivo Nekvapil.

For instance, a demi-chef in Malaysia is paid an average of RM2,000.

With a RM4,000 salary in Macau, he could put away a tidy nest egg of at least RM100,000 after two years' work if he's careful, said the vice-president of the Malaysian Association of Hotels.

"Why wouldn't he go?" Nekvapil asked.

Demand is unlikely to abate in the near future, he said.By 2010, Macau's Cotai Strip will have some 30,000 rooms and about 1,000 gaming tables in 25 American-style resorts and casinos.

Macau is likely to need a further 80,000 workers by then, to cater to the 40 million visitors expected that year.

The industry has grown at such a sizzling pace that the average salary for hotel and restaurant workers grew almost 20 per cent over 2006.

Closer to home in Singapore, the 2,500-room Marina Bay Sands casino resort is slated to open in 2009, followed by the Genting group's 1,800-room Resorts World at Sentosa in 2010.

Add to that the expansion of the industry in the Klang Valley, and the wage bill for hoteliers and restaurateurs here looks set to spiral.

"There are eight hotels opening next year in the Klang Valley and seven more in 2009," said Nekvapil.

That means at least 3,000 workers will be needed next year, and 4,000 the year after.

"To keep their best staff, Malaysian hotels will just have to pay more. Otherwise, the quality of service will drop."

Those that offered attractive benefits and good prospects were less likely to lose their staff, Nekvapil said.

That's what the Shangri-La chain would be banking on, said Rosemary Wee, its communications director in Kuala Lumpur.

"It's a long-term strategy because at times like this, we have staff loyalty," she said.

With 54 hotels all over the world, the group can afford to send its staff overseas, and hence lose few workers to rival hotels.

"Our employees are well taken care of, and our turnover of staff is very low."
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