Book and stay between December 7, 2020 to January 31, 2021 to enjoy 45% off our Best Available Rate. Stay for 2 nights and above to enjoy an additional 10% off total room charges.
All rooms will include:
- Breakfast for 2 persons
- 24-hour check-in and check-out (subject to prior notice of arrival and departure details at time of booking)
- Complimentary minibar with daily replenishment
- 25% Off F&B (Excluding alcoholic beverages) and UR SPA treatments
- Best-in-class WiFi anywhere throughout the hotel
- Complimentary parking (1 car per room)
Terms and conditions:
- Full prepayment required upon booking.
- Subject to availability, terms, and conditions
- All bookings are non-cancellable and non-refundable
- This offer is not valid in conjunction with prepaid vouchers and other promotions and discounts
Make your reservations here
It’s that time of the year again – a time for turkeys, cranberries, and everything nice. Leave the festive cooking to our professional chefs this season and enjoy a relaxing, satisfying meal at The Courtyard.
Available Date:
1 to 31 December 2020 (*excluding 25 December 2020)
Time:
12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Price:
MYR 128 nett per person
Extended Breakfast
Celebrate the most magical time of the year with a festive – themed breakfast buffet, showcasing a spread of authentic Malay, Indian, and Chinese flavours. Savour roasted whole turkey, signature chicken rice, satay and much more, along with local desserts and Christmas goodies such as gingerbread delights, stollen and pudding.
Available Date:
25 December 2020
Time:
7:00 am to 3:00 pm
Price:
MYR 138 nett per person
ADD-ON – MYR 100 nett per person for a glass of bottomless House Wine
Family Feast
This Christmas, tuck into an extravagant feast at The Courtyard with beloved family and friends. Be inspired by luxurious roasts, paired with a wide selection of sauces, including mushroom, rosemary and brown sauce. Marvel at meats carved live at your table. All these and more will be waiting for you.
Available Date:
21 to 31 December 2020
Time:
Lunch – 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Dinner – 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm
Price:
RM 350 nett (Dine in/Takeaway)
Feast for 5-6 persons
Choices of:
Whole Roasted Turkey
Roasted Leg of Lamb
Roasted Prime Rib (3 Ribs)
RM 200 nett (Dine In/Takeaway)
Feast for 5-6 persons
Two whole roasted chicken
All feast set is inclusive of –
Side dishes:
A selection of Roasted Herb Potatoes, Grilled Corn on the Cob, Roasted Root Vegetables, Sautéed Broccoli and Brussel Sprout
Sharing dessert:
Choices of Fresh Fruit Platter/Warm Christmas Pudding in Casserole
– JLL’s report demonstrates resilience of premium offices over broader office market
Kuala Lumpur, 15 December 2020 – According to JLL’s December 2020 Premium Office Rent Tracker (PORT), rents for premium buildings worldwide have fallen less than the broader Grade A office market, demonstrating the resilience of quality workspace. As office workplace requirements adjust to the new normal, premium offices offer collaboration space, serving as social hubs and centers of innovation. The banking and finance sectors, traditional occupants of premium space, continue to be the driving force of rental demand, followed closely by tech firms, which are particularly active in innovation-rich cities.
“Kuala Lumpur is one of the best value cities globally. Testament to this is that Greater KL has attracted more than 100 MNC’s in recent years, taking advantage of attractive real estate costs, a large talent pool as well as Government tax incentives,” said YY Lau, Country Head of JLL Property Services (M) Sdn Bhd.
“The pandemic has proved to be an accelerant of trends in commercial real estate,” said Jeremy Kelly, Director, Global Research, JLL. “As markets adapt and recover, we anticipate both investors and occupiers will continue to seek out premium real estate for its ability to adapt to a new purpose of work.”
The sixth annual edition of PORT includes 100 office markets and submarkets across 86 cities and is JLL’s benchmark view on the best achievable office rent in the world’s top office markets. The research provides a reference tool for corporate occupiers seeking to compare occupancy costs across markets and find the best value in the world’s most expensive cities as well as global investors looking to identify sources of real estate demand for premium space.
For more information, download the report: Premium Office Rent Tracker.
– Article by Leonard Yeoh and Pua Jun Wen
Malaysia reported a record high of 2,188 new COVID-19 cases on 24 November 2020, bringing the total number of cases in the country to a whopping 58,847. As Malaysians observe the constant escalating number of COVID-19 cases, the likelihood of employees being exposed to COVID-19 virus will also increase.
Employers will need to spend a fortune in dealing with COVID-19 cases detected in workplaces, having to professionally sanitize and disinfect. Remaining employees in the office will need to be relocated or to be asked to work from home temporarily to allow the areas to be treated. It is inevitable that businesses may need to be shut down temporarily, even for one COVID-19 case detected. Employers will need to immediately notify employees of the confirmed case and all close contacts will need to be sent home for a 14-day self-quarantine. The office workflow will be disrupted severely and customers or clients will be fearful to return.
Employee’s refusal to obey an employer’s instruction to stay home
Employees are constantly reminded and encouraged to stay away from crowded areas to prevent contraction of the COVID-19 virus. Would employees who contract the virus risk being disciplined for insubordination for not staying at home as per the employer’s instruction? Could they be punished for causing the disruption of workflow and shut down of workplace?
Article 9 of the Federal Constitution provides for freedom of movement. Emotional connectivity remains a core part of being human and employees will need to leave home, at the very least, for grocery and basic daily necessities. Strictly speaking, an employer has no right to restrict movement of his employees just to prevent the risk of infection. It is also unreasonable for employer to punish an employee for the contraction of COVID-19 virus due to the employee’s refusal to stay home. However, if an employee contracts the virus due to his infringement of any movement restriction imposed by the Government, the employee may then be subjected to appropriate disciplinary action for conduct detrimental to the workplace.
Medically board out an employee
Employees who are tested positive for COVID-19 will be excluded from work and be hospitalized to obtain necessary treatment, which may last more than one to two months for patients with severe COVID-19 condition. Can employees be terminated for not being able to perform his or her duty under the employment contract during Covid-19 hospitalization or treatment?
In Malaysia, employers can only terminate an employee on medical grounds when illness or disability impeded the employee’s ability to perform his or her duties. “Medical board out” means the termination of employment on the ground that the employee has no or slight prospect of recovering from his or her illness or injury. In essence, an employee can only be terminated on medical ground (be it COVID-19 or otherwise) when he or she experiences disability which would affect his or her ability to work.
Although it’s too early to confirm what lasting disabilities COVID-19 survivors will face, many will likely deal with lingering effects of the virus including permanent lung injury and heart problems. An employer may decide to terminate the employment of an employee who is diagnosed with COVID-19 only if the contraction of virus leads to permanent disability which hampers the employee’s ability to work.
While an employee may not be terminated for inability to perform his or her task during COVID-19 treatment, he may be requested (subject to his or her agreement) to utilise his paid annual leave for prolonged COVID-19 treatments and follow-up appointments when medical leaves are exhausted. Once paid leaves are utilised completely, he may even be put on unpaid leave for any subsequent medical treatments.
Moving forward
A second wave of COVID-19 infections could collapse our economy completely. The health of employees and financial situation of businesses are intrinsically intertwined. The health and well-being of our nation’s workforce are paramount to sail through this economic turbulence. Businesses should focus on ongoing prevention and action plans in response to the changing environment. All sensible measures to control risk of COVID-19 in the workplace must be adopted.
Employees too play a significant role in protecting their colleagues and prevent the contamination and spread of virus in the workplace. Employees should be wary and stay away from crowded places to minimise the risk of exposure to COVID-19 virus, “kita jaga kita”.
Leonard Yeoh is a partner and Pua Jun Wen an associate with the law firm, Tay & Partners.
Celebrate the joyous festive season with your loved ones at Hotel Equatorial Penang.
Be delighted with the plethora of amazing gastronomical dishes from the succulent tom turkey, perfectly roasted lamb, premium fresh seafood, and desserts to satisfy everyone’s sweet-tooth. Eat your way through Kampachi, Golden Phoenix, The View, nada lama and nadaba.
Contact (04) 632 7068 and BOOK NOW!!!
Let’s not forget the less fortunate too!
HEP Charity Foundation, our very own charity organisation, has teamed up with 4 children’s homes.
To get involved, donate a minimum of RM50 and we will place a unique Christmas tree ornament with your name on it! 100% of the collections will be donated to House of HOPE, Rumah Kebajikan Hati Sejati, Pusat Kebajikan Seri Cahaya, and The Children’s Protection Society.
Visit our Facebook and Instagram or call our Duty Manager at 012 – 408 8808 if you have questions or wish to make a donation remotely.
Kuala Lumpur, 15 December 2020 – Gibraltar BSN Life Berhad (“Gibraltar BSN”), one of Malaysia’s fast growing life insurance companies, today launched GoProtect Platinum, a high coverage investment-linked plan that allows customers to grow their wealth and protect their legacy through savings and investment while enjoying superior levels of protection.
GoProtect Platinum offers high coverage starting from RM500,000 for death, total and permanent disability, with accidental death coverage increasing fourfold if death occurs overseas. In light of the rising numbers of Malaysians being diagnosed with non-communicable diseases, the Plan also comes with a unique proposition, 3-High Cover, which provides up to RM20,000 to help offset recuperation bills when customer is diagnosed with High Blood Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure, or High Blood Sugar (Type 2 Diabetes).
Rangam Bir, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gibraltar BSN Life Berhad said, “According to the Life Insurance Association of Malaysia, while 54% of the Malaysian population are covered by life insurance, 90% of those insured are underinsured. On average, the estimated average protection gap ranges from RM150,000 to RM723,000 per family and the gap widens depending on the age of the breadwinner or whether the breadwinner has life or medical insurance. With the launch of GoProtect Platinum, we are pleased to be able to close the insurance coverage gap for our customers seeking superior protection to correspond to their families’ needs and lifestyles.”
To help customers grow their insurance coverage to correspond with their lifestyle changes, GoProtect Platinum boosts coverage amount by 5% starting from the fifth year onwards until the 11th year. GoProtect Platinum also provides an extra premium allocation of 3% every 2 years after the 11th year to protect the customer’s investments against inflation.
GoProtect Platinum is distributed via Gibraltar BSN’s nationwide agency channel and further complements the life insurer’s range of simple, relevant, and affordable financial solutions that includes life and health protection through traditional and investment-linked plans. For more information, please visit www.gibraltarbsn.com
