KUCHING (THE BORNEO POST) – The newly opened Theatre Hotel Kuching, located on Ban Hock Road, stands as Sarawak’s pioneering smart unmanned hotel, with owner Datuk Roman Sia emphasising a fully online booking process to minimise in-person interactions at the front counter.
Conceived during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, this innovative establishment reflects both hospitality industry innovation and a strategic response to the ongoing challenges.
“When the Movement Control Order (MCO) was implemented, I wanted to start a smart hotel so that the interactions between people could be reduced,” he told See Hua Daily, The Borneo Post’s sister paper.
Sia said bookings could be made via the hotel’s official website and a mobile application would be used for room check-ins and check-outs.
He added that the hotel room could either be accessed using the digital key available on the mobile application, or just simply keying in the personal identification number (PIN) at the door before entering.
“For example, if there are other guests wanting to return to the room to grab some things, the person who made the booking could just unlock it using the application.
“This would reduce the inconvenience of passing the key to the other guests,” he said, adding that those on working trips could also perform check-out at the airport.
According to Sia, the digital system is supported on a cloud platform developed in Australia.
Sia said the hotel’s site previously was where a cinema used to be between 1965 and 1977.
