GEORGE TOWN – In a bid to survive on zero leisure travellers and keep their staff employed, hotels in Penang have turned to selling hawker food at rock-bottom prices.
Offering drive-through, pick up and delivery options, Penangites now have a myriad of hotel food choices to select from. Here is a compilation of hotels, their food offerings and prices that will suit any budget.
Royale Chulan Penang
Though their ‘Take Me Home’ food and beverage campaign has been running since October, Royale Chulan has taken the opportunity to expand its menu to cover local and western specialities to cater to a larger crowd.
What started as a pick-up and delivery service to the George Town area has expanded to the north of the island at Batu Feringghi and south at Batu Maung. On good days, even their sales team is recruited to deliver food.
They have breakfast and lunch meals starting at RM7.90 and keto meals priced up to RM15. For those who just want to munch on snacks, they’ve got dim sum and desserts priced RM8 and below too.
Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa; Golden Sands Hotel (pictured)
Though both of these luxury establishments under the Shangri-La Hotels (Malaysia) Bhd are temporarily closed, they are offering a drive-through so their F&B staff can continue cooking up a storm.
Located at the parking lot between both locations, nine action stalls have been set up to sell meals at RM10. The menu includes Penang’s staple dish, Char Koay Teow, Mee Mamak, Penang Laksa and Hokkien Mee.
Meals are cooked upon order and there is no need to get out of the car.
Jen Hotel
Another hotel under Shangri-La Hotels (Malaysia) Bhd group is Jen Hotel, located in the heart of the island. Because of its strategic location, those who want to purchase food can drive through the lobby area, place their order, make the payment, collect their food and drive off.
They are offering local delicacies with a signature twist like the Shang Palace Fried Rice and Duck Rice. For those who need their bubble tea fix, you can get that here too. Every meal is priced at RM8.50 and below.
Hotel Royal
The busiest period of the day is breakfast time when the hotel’s Nasi Lemak stall is brought out from the comfort of the banquet hall to the roadside.
At RM3 per pack, the hotel sees many passersby make a pit stop to rake in packets of Malaysia’s favourite breakfast.
At noon, their little stall moves into Penang Plaza, a shopping outlet next door, offering lunch delights.
They are also offering other chef-recommended meals like ‘Abah’ fried rice, and Nasi Minyak for less than RM17.
G Hotel
The premium hotel located along the touristy Gurney Drive was not left unscathed by the pandemic. Its sister hotel, G Kelawei has temporarily ceased operations while G Hotel is holding the fort, servicing business clients and offering chef specialities that include large portions of rice and noodle meals at only RM15.
Decadent afternoon tea sets are also available for pick up. They come in Western, Peranakan and Oriental 3-tier packages to suit any occasion at RM60.
Cititel Premier
To test the waters, Cititel Premier started a drive-through offering only one item – their laksa.
After receiving good feedback, they decided to add on additional items into the menu and rebranded it as Tabao 2.0. They have four action stalls lined outside the lobby area so patrons can call in 30 minutes before, and drive through to pick up their meals.
Inside the hotel, there is a buzz of customers going through temperature checks, making orders, paying and collecting their meals – almost like clockwork.
Here, a cup of teh tarik costs RM1 and Penang’s coveted oyster omelette at RM12 and Char Koey Teow at RM8.
Since its inception on January 26, they have seen 50 to 60 orders during lunchtime daily.
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The hotels have also braced themselves for a quiet Chinese New Year as the Covid-19 numbers continue to surge in the thousands.
Instead of relying on state borders to be open or the possibility that dine-ins are allowed, they have rolled out takeaway Chinese New Year packages to accommodate small reunion dinner parties as relatives will not be doing home visitations this year. - The Vibes, February 6, 2021.
