Datuk Seri Naresh Mohan has been in the hospitality industry since the 1990s when he was the “eyes and ears” of JW Marriott Hotel, which opened its doors in Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur in 1997.
As the hotel owner’s representative dealing in procurement and the setting up of the hotel, Naresh was also in charge of ensuring the hotel lived up to the standards and reputation it is known for.
“I stayed until 2004, by which time I had learnt first-hand how to open a hotel and to ramp up business. It was a great learning experience as JW Marriott is one of the world’s leading hotels. So, I learnt from the very best,” said Naresh, president and Group CEO of Trinidad Group.
“In 2004, I was approached to take the franchise for Best Western Hotels. It isn’t a luxury brand. But if I wanted to get into the hotel business, this would be a great platform because I’m now going to learn about how the industry worked from a brand perspective.
“I learnt the whole spectrum, from planning and designing the hotel, to pre-opening, to launching and operating the hotel.”
After the contract with Best Western ended, another opportunity came knocking when Wyndham Hotels, the world’s largest and most diverse hotel company, encompassing more than 9,000 hotels in 95 countries, wanted to work with Naresh.
“I decided I wanted to work on my terms. We signed a deal and opened the first Ramada Inn in Bukit Bintang in 2017,” said Naresh, who was appointed honorary Consul of Monaco in Kuala Lumpur in 2023.
“Since then, we’ve grown. Today, we have eight hotels under our management in Malaysia in five states.”
Embracing technology and artificial intelligence
The government is pushing for the use of technology, including artificial intelligence, and the hotel industry is ripe for a revolution.
Naresh said he has always been an advocate of technology.
“I believe it’s the future. You’re not going to run away from it. So, I always encourage my people to embrace it and start learning to deal with it as early as possible. For example, we introduced robot (room) service in our hotels several years ago,” said Naresh.
“If we have a robot that can deliver to the rooms, that allows our staff to focus on other areas.
The robots can also deliver miscellaneous items from housekeeping, like electric cables and irons.
“We’ve invested in a new operating system, which is a machine learning system, that over time, will be able to advise the operators and give better suggestions on how to improve the overall service and profitability of the company.”
He added that artificial intelligence was still in its infancy but will improve when more people use it.
Naresh cited the example of self-check-ins that have been around for nearly a decade, but it is only recently that customers can do self-checkouts.
He said recent advancements in security have changed the game as hotels can now use payment gateways using facial recognition, identification documents, and electronic deposits.
“These machines are connected to the property management system, which updates the system in real-time,” he said.
“Customers can push their cart, select checkout or extend their stay, and the machine will show the bill. They can even email the bill to themselves and return the card. This is becoming more common in the budget sector, helping to reduce costs.
“However, those in the luxury hotels still prefer human interaction.”
To further embrace technology, Naresh said his Trinidad’s revamped mobile application – Go Tifi – is driven by artificial intelligence.
Like Trivago and Agoda, Go Tifi is “Malaysia’s smart itinerary travel planner designed with AI solution for travellers to create personalised trip schedules and easily explore the wonders in Malaysia”.
“It is a truly Malaysian app, and we will work closely with Tourism Malaysia to help promote off-the-beaten tracks or hidden gems,” said Naresh.
“For example, if you are in the Kuala Lumpur city centre, the app will suggest interesting places in the vicinity, so you can have a list of places to visit.
“We are also working with Sabah Tourism Board, and eventually, all the states, and our neighbours.”
Back to nature
Naresh may love all things technology, but he is also a nature lover.
As such, the soon-to-be-opened Wyndham Garden Shahzan Fraser’s Hill Hotel will be his way of helping rejuvenate the once-popular tourist spot.
The hotel is undergoing its final stages of renovation. It will be completed by the end of the month.
“Everything in the hotel is new – the rooms have been stripped and redone. The restaurant, too. The next phase will be the ballroom.
“Fraser’s Hill as a destination has lagged behind and is a ‘forgotten’ place. The new generation focuses more on Genting Highlands and Cameron Highlands.
“The hotel will help traders return as more people visit Frasier’s Hill.”
Naresh said Frasier’s Hill remains the best place for tourists to spend time with nature, and he believes the new hotel is the spark the area needs to be the ‘hip place’ again.
