Industry Talk
@ Halal | September-October . 2022
BY DR AZMI ABD AZIZ Technical Assoc Director , Global Haltech
Muslim-friendly hospitality services – challenges in Malaysia
Accommodation is one of the essential aspects of a Muslim-friendly experience for tourists
MUSLIM-Friendly Hotels ( MFH ) are one of the innovative and creative services in Malaysia ’ s hotel industry ( Karia & Fauzi , 2019 ). MFH is a hotel that provides basic facilities that are more accommodating to Muslim customers , such as the availability of Mecca direction ( Qiblah ) indicator , praying facilities , praying tools , halal food services and the provision of a list of mosques near the hotel area ( Mansor , et al ., 2018 ).
The existence of the MFH concept in Malaysia is derived from the idea of Shariah Compliant Hotel ( SCH ) that unsuccessfully attracted the attention of hotel operators in Malaysia for adoption due to the concept of being inharmonious to the accommodation sector in Malaysia which does not concentrate on catering only to demand from the Muslim market ( Zawawi & Ramli , 2016 ).
A study by the Islamic Tourism Center ( ITC ) showed that the Malaysian tourism industry ’ s readiness towards Shariah compliance positively impacts the tourism sector . Hence , hotels can be places for tourists to fulfil their obligation to Islam , such as the five daily prayers and ease of searching for halal foods ( Satar , 2016 ).
To guide hotels to be Shariah-compliant , the Department of Standards Malaysia , in collaboration with ITC , launched a standard which provides guidelines for industry players to adapt to their Muslim customers . The standard is named Muslim Friendly Hospitality Services ( MFHS ) -Requirements ( MS 2610:2015 ) which serves to maintain and protect the integrity of the systems and services of tourism products of Islamic countries ( Mustaffa , 2016 ).
Malaysia ’ s Islamic Tourism Centre ( ITC ) reported that Malaysia is the most preferred destination for Muslim travellers worldwide , hosting 5.1 million Muslim traveller ’ s in 2015 ( Karim , Ahmad & Zainol , 2017 ). The tourism industry has contributed to the growth of Malaysia ’ s economy , especially in the hospitality sector , particularly in Muslim-friendly tourism ( Crescent Rating , 2017 ).
Accommodation is one of the critical aspects of a Muslim-friendly experience for tourists . In Malaysia , among the hotels listed as Shariah-compliant by ITC are PNB Darby Park Executive Suites Hotel in Kuala Lumpur , Grand Pacific Hotel and De Palma Hotel in Ampang ( Mohd , 2011 ).
Muslim-friendly hospitality services in the tourism industry
In the Malaysian tourism industry , there are an increasing number of hotels that provide Muslim-friendly amenities and rooms ( Shaharuddin , Kassim , Yusof , & Abu , 2018 ). There were approximately 396 hotels in 2019 active currently in catering for the niche market of Islamic related Journal of Islamic Philanthropy & Social Finance ; 4 ( 1 ), 2022 , pp . 14-22 eISSN : 2590-3942 Published by Center for Islamic Philanthropy & Social Finance 16 hospitality segment ( JAKIM , 2019 ).
In general , the expansion was influenced by : i ) the Organisation of Islamic Conference ( OIC ) countries increased efforts to improve the tourism industry of its members by increasing travel among its members ( Md Salleh , 2015 ), ii ) the high spending behaviour of Middle Eastern tourists , which piques the interest of many hotels in catering for their hospitality demands ( Amer Nordin & Abd Rahman , 2018 ), iii ) strict security measures in Western countries that have made it difficult for Middle Eastern tourists to obtain travel visas , causing them to travel to Eastern countries ( Abdul Aziz , 2018 ); and iv ) The halal revolution has increased Muslim tourists ’ knowledge of their religious expectations when travelling ( Karim et al ., 2017 ). As a result of these factors , the prospect for the MFH concept and the business itself appears to be bright , even though the development seems to be swaying due to the earlier concept of Islamic-related hotels in Malaysia , which is the SCH , not becoming the preferred choice for adoption by Malaysian hotel operators
Issues and challenges in implementation
For Muslim-Friendly Hotels globally , hoteliers face some challenges in developing and operating halal hotels . They are :
• Satisfying diverse customers According to Rosenberg and Choufany ( 2009 ), the challenge of implementing SCH is the loss of income from the sales of alcoholic beverages , which affects food and beverage profits . Furthermore , the prohibition of alcohol influences the decreased number of customers who come only to eat and dine at the hotel premise . Almulla Hospitality was the first to introduce the Shariah-compliant hotel concept in European cities . Reportedly , this concept of SCH was a challenge for their four and five-star hotels because of the expectations of European hotel guests of exclusive bars in the hotels for them to relax in . As revealed by Junainah & Norazla ( 2015 ), this caused most four- and five-star hotels in Malaysia to lose interest in adopting the MFH concept and venturing into the market segment especially when their European guests ’ expectations for the availability of bars in the hotel ’ s building is forbidden .
Shaharuddin et al . ( 2018 ) mentions that the culinary preferences of Muslim and non- Muslim guests also differ . Getting halal meals on the hotel premises is a challenge , especially for Muslim guests , when the hotels choose to remain with the existing conventional food service operation ( Abdul Razak , 2019 ).
• Changing existing facilities in the hotels Samori and Rahman ( 2013 ) found out from their study that among the challenges for SCHs is the separation of rooms and floors for men , women , and families because it complicates planning and capacity and affects the design and interior . Hoteliers need to maximise staff of both sexes and ensure productivity and service quality . The hoteliers are in a dilemma because they must satisfy Muslim and non- Muslim guests to avoid conflicts . Moreover , many accommodation operators claim the risk of alienating non-Muslim guests will lead them to lose their income and reservations if they participate in this Islamic-friendly standard .
Separating swimming pools or gymnasiums for men and women is a big challenge for hotels because of the cost of incorporating such a policy . Some accommodation providers address this challenge by offering different opening hours for men and women to use swimming pools and gymnasium facilities . However , this was met with complaints by some travellers because families travelling together , including Muslim guests , may want to enjoy the facilities together ( COMCEC Coordination Office , 2017 ). The direction of Mecca meanwhile , Karim et al . ( 2017 ) also stated that changing the position of beds and toilets away from the direction of Mecca will take too much time and can be very costly .
• Customer and supplier compliance Besides , the inability to make room profit is also an issue when hotel management must allocate male and female housekeepers to the segregated female and male floors to make the guest rooms .
Summary
• In a nutshell , it is critical for Malaysia to have a solid MFH implementation system to encourage more hotels to adopt the MFH concept seriously . The advantages of MFH are numerous , one of which is that it may provide the hotel with a competitive edge due to the growing demand for Islamic goods and services . However , the appeal of MFH must be weighed against the existing state of the Malaysian hotel business . Because the Muslim market is not the only one to be serviced , it must be acknowledged that the non-Muslim sector has contributed significantly to Malaysia ’ s hotel industry . Hence , hotels must tread cautiously when incorporating the MFH idea into their operations to avoid financial losses .
• Muslim and non-Muslim guests have different requirements and assessing halal elements is difficult due to the ever-changing products . In the Malaysian setting , studies on the challenges of SCHs are scarce and need updating , especially after the introduction of Muslim Friendly Hospitality Services ( MFHS ) - Requirements ( MS 2610:2015 ).