If you are from Kuching, you’d definitely know Pullman Hotel. Sitting perched on the highest hill in Kuching City center, the hotel dwarfs all the rest in terms of size, and even stature making it among the best known among many. Why not, Pullman Kuching now ranks 1st on Tripadvisor, with reviews and feedbacks on their service and hotel spiking to the skies, which is a clear reflection of how popular they currently are.
All this effort can be attributed to Mr Fabrice Mini who has been in charge of Pullman Kuching for the past 18 months. This good looking gentleman says that Kuching is special in his heart and he thinks the most important trait of Kuching is it’s people. Well, that sounds very familiar because previous outsiders such as the ambassador of Bosnia, H.E Ensar and the Borneo Colours CEO, Daniel Doughty said something similar. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but it’s actually something very pleasing to hear.
Last week it was made known to everyone during a Cocktail Reception that Fabrice is leaving Pullman Kuching, and he is leaving the magnificent hotel in the hands of Mr Eric Tan who hails from metro KL. This smart looking guy has fallen head over heals over Kuching, as had nothing but praises for the Cat City while saying that the Sarawak River Cruise is something every tourist should take. He added that Pullman intends to make Kuching more visible as a tourist spot as it is actually a very much hidden secret. He added that people tend to think that coming to KL means they have visited all Malaysia, but he said Kuching is a totally different city, and tourist should be aware of this.
Honestly, with outsiders saying such nice things about Kuching, I feel that it’s high time for us Kuching people to stop saying Kuching is a boring and less attractive place but rather put more effort in making it a place everyone loves because when outsiders say that our Kuching is a city with a soul, it actually defines us Kuchinginites very well, BUT when we start talking negative about our own place, it becomes less appealing for tourist particularly when many say that we are the true strength of the city.
If you do not know how to play your part in making our city more ‘soulful’, why not do this: Smile and say ‘hello’ to a stranger when you do go outside. Chances are, they will reply you with a gracious ‘hello’ or smile, but I bet they would silently saying “Hey, this is a city I’d love to stay in, and Kuchinginites are friendly people”. How’s that for effort?
With that said, Cheers to Pullman Kuching for their continuous effort in promoting Kuching as ‘the city with a soul’!!