The Gurney Resort Hotel & Residences Treats Its Local Guests

By Janice Pelayo

It's a fine time to be Malaysian if you happen to be looking for a place to stay in Penang right now. The Gurney Resort Hotel & Residences is currently offering a special promo for Malaysian guests only. With its 1-Malaysia Suite Deal promo, local guests who book the Studio Suite of the Penang hotel will be entitled to the discounted rate of RM 195.00++. This is inclusive of one breakfast meal, with additional person's breakfast costing only RM 12.50++ per meal. Rates are still subject to 10% service charge and 5% government tax, depending on room availability. Guests who wish to avail of the promo only need to present a valid Malaysian ID upon check-in. The promo is valid until November 15, 2010.

Enjoying a prime spot along Gurney Drive, The Gurney Resort Hotel & Residences is conveniently close to all of the major shopping and corporate venues of the area, making it an ideal place to stay for business travelers and visiting tourists alike. Guests will find it easy to explore popular tourist destinations such as the Bukit Jambul Shopping Complex, KOMTAR, Bukit Jambul Golf Club, Pearl Island Golf Club, Batu Ferringhi Beach, Tanjung Bungah Beach, Butterfly Farm, Bird Park, Tropical Spice Garden, Tropical Fruit Farm, Botanic Gardens, Kek Lok Si Temple, Snake Temple, Penang International Airport, Jerejak Island jetty, Penang Bridge, Penang Hill, and Fort Cornwallis.

This seafront business and entertainment hotel in Penang provides 259 inviting accommodations that boast of sophistication and style. Every elegant room is filled with amenities for a comfortable stay, each having air conditioning, cable television, coffee/tea maker, daily newspaper, hair dryer, Internet connectivity, ironing board, mini-bar, private toilet and bath, radio, room safe, telephone, trouser press, voicemail system, jacuzzi, three-seater sofa lounge set, electronic entrance lock, express check-in/check-out, data/modem port phone, separate shower stall, full-sized writing desk, and dining table with chairs.

To complement its enticing lodgings, the hotel makes a vast range of facilities available to take care of guests' concerns about dining, leisure, and business. These include a business center, ballroom, bar, nightclub, conference rooms, restaurants, indoor games equipment, gym, steam room, outdoor pool, sauna, spa, recreational park for children, and children's wave pool. Aside from these features, the hotel also offers massage services, a travel agency, valet parking, safe deposit boxes, car rental, babysitting, city transfer, currency exchange, laundry, and wake-up call.

To know more about The Gurney Resort Hotel & Residences and its 1-Malaysia Suite Deal promo, visit http://www.gurney-hotel.com.my/. Use its online reservation system to make direct reservations and receive instant confirmation.

Experience Luxury and Comfort at the Gurney Resort Hotel & Residences

By: Kara Ochoa

The Gurney Resort Hotel & Residences is pleased to announce that aside from offering first-class accommodations, it now also offers lightning speed broadband Internet service, providing you with not just great relaxation but modern conveniences as well.

The resort hotel has just unveiled the latest addition to their world-class service: high-speed broadband Internet connection of up to 22 Mbps. From its current speed of 4 Mbps, this major improvement will be made available by the middle of July 2010 and will make The Gurney Resort Hotel the first hotel in Penang with the highest Internet broadband facility.

Assisting the contemporary lifestyles of guests from the young and trendy to the business elite, this additional feature comes complimentary during your stay at the resort hotel.

The Gurney Resort Hotel & Residences provides top-notch accommodations right at the heart of Penang. It provides spacious and relaxing rooms fully equipped to meet every customer’s need and luxury. Each room is well appointed with cable TV, in-room iron and ironing board, IDD phone, mini-bar, hair dryer, jacuzzi bath, in-room safe, and much more.

In addition, guests can also explore and enjoy much of the hotel resort’s facilities such as the outdoor gym, sauna, swimming pool, wave pool, water slides, and mini-waterfalls, among others. The hotel's expert and hospitable services also include laundry, valet, secretarial, concierge, as well as limousine and shuttle services, making each stay a complete vacation experience.

For more information on the hotel’s premium offerings and to make reservations, visit www.gurney-hotel.com.my.

Enjoy an Extra Night for Free with The Northam All Suites' Bonus Free Stay Promo

Business travelers and leisure tourists on a budget who are planning a trip to Penang, Malaysia will want to make their reservations at The Northam All Suites. The hotel is currently offering its Bonus Free Stay promo, which treats guests to an extra night for free when they make a two-night reservation at either the Junior Suite or Deluxe Suite. The promo is valid for reservations until 31 March 2010 and can be availed when booking online at the hotel's direct reservation system found on its website.

The Northam All Suites takes pride in being a business hotel in a luxurious resort setting. All of its 142 air-conditioned suites are fitted with modern conveniences including a king-sized bed, private toilet and bath, powder room, water-massage jacuzzi, Internet connectivity, two (2) cable televisions, coffee/tea making facilities, ironing board, daily newspaper, mini-bar, room safe, two-line speaker phone, personal fax machine, full-sized desk, and lounge. All are non-smoking rooms.

Guests will also be pleased to know that the Penang hotel offers several dining options, the Coffee House, Lobby Lounge, East n' West Restaurant, Taipan Fins Restaurant, and Roof Terrace. All provide a wide array of cuisine to satisfy every craving. Those who are interested in keeping themselves in shape, meanwhile, can avail of the recreational facilities of the hotel, which include a swimming pool, walking or jogging track, and tennis, squash, or golf match equipment and venues. For winding down and relaxing after a hectic day, there is The Suite Spa, which provides a variety of rejuvenating spa treatments.

The hotel enjoys a strategic location in Georgetown, a city famous for its architectural history, mixing new designs with the traditional. Cathedrals, mosques, temples, government offices, shops, and cafes are all proximate to the hotel, which is also just walking distance away from the old business district and commercial attractions.

To learn more about The Northam All Suites' Bonus Free Stay promo and to make direct reservations online, visit http://www.northam-hotel.com.my/. Instant confirmation of bookings is guaranteed.

How to counter bad luck this month of Hungry Ghosts

Do you need to travel but are afraid to because August is the month of Hungry Ghosts? Counter the bad luck that it brings with these charms and tips from feng shui experts.

The Chinese in Malaysia and across the region believe that during the seventh lunar month the gates of Hell are opened and souls are left to wander Earth. That lunar month is the equivalent of August—a month that Chinese folklore says is the time of year when myriad spirits roam around the Earth trying to fulfill past needs, wants, and desires.

These spirits are called Hungry Ghosts by the Chinese, and are often held responsible for tragedies and disasters that happen in August. For the Chinese, these Hungry Ghosts need to be satisfied in order that fortune instead of bad luck will come to them.

One tradition that Chinese in Malaysia do to appease the spirits during the Hungry Ghosts Month is to prepare a lavish meal for the wandering spirits. Some say prayers to their deceased relatives and burn joss (luck) sticks. At the Chinatown district in Malaysia, the Chinese stage street operas and paper effigies of daily items are burned for the spirits to use in the afterlife.

The Chinatown in Malaysia is located at the city of Georgetown in Pulau Penang. A resort island northwest of capital Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Penang in Malaysia is a favorite destination among tourists because of its storied cultural heritage sites, beaches, and architectural gems.

Despite the supposed dangers that the Hungry Ghosts Month brings, however, there remains tourists that visit Pulau Penang and locals that instead try to counter bad luck with charms and tips from feng shui experts.

Accommodation providers in Malaysia, from budget to five-star hotels, often enjoin their guests to do certain practices meant to counter the bad luck of the Hungry Ghosts Month. When staying at a hotel in Malaysia like the Century Bay Service Suites, Chinese guests place a bowl of rock salt beside their bed. Others believed that wearing bright-hued clothing will help fend off the negative energy.

Old practices, on the other hand, include wearing sandalwood and using pomelo as incense and perfume during the Hungry Ghost Month. Nowadays, these scents are readily available in spray bottles. Charms are also believed to be effective, like ruby with Kwan Yin and cinnabar charm, dragon crystal quartz with the No. 8, and lotus with mantra dzi beads.

Instead of shutting in the house or living a normal life for the whole month of August, the Chinese in Malaysia use these charms and tips to counter the bad luck of August. A lot more are put into practice in the Chinatown district during the Hungry Ghosts Festival.

Most hotels in Malaysia, especially in this part of Pulau Penang where the Chinatown is located, practice a keen observance of the Hungry Ghosts Month. Century Bay, a hotel in Malaysia located in Georgetown, Pulau Penang, is 30 minutes away from Chinatown provide a convenient jump-off point to the annual Hungry Ghosts Festival.