In an interview with The Brunei Times recently, Sanya Saengboon, managing director and general manager of Al-Meroz Hotel in Thailand, said the hotel has partnered up with a number of travel agents in Brunei to attract more Muslim visitors from Brunei.

He said the hotel is providing facilities that are designed to ensure the comfort and well-being of both Muslim and non-Muslim guests.

“All meals in our restaurants are halal-certified (by the Thailand government) and alcoholic drinks are prohibited,” Sanya said.

The general manager also invites Bruneian entrepreneurs who are interested to have joint ventures in Thailand to work with the hotel and cooperate in the area of providing halal meals to the hotel’s clients.

“Brunei has halal products. We will mostly welcome Bruneian entrepreneurs who are interested to partner with us,” said Sanya.

Brunei and Thailand should bank on the growing number of Muslims in the world which is an opportunity to develop one another’s tourism industry, he said.

“Both countries can cooperate with one another in terms of halal product and service marketing,” said Sanya.

The Brunei government can also cooperate with the hotel in terms of human resource management, he added.

“Over 60 per cent of our staff are Muslims who have been trained on Islamic dress code. Not only Bruneians can become our partners, but we are also welcoming Bruneians to work here too.”

Sanya said the restaurant in the hotel offers Halal-certified cuisine in an alcohol-free environment.

The restaurant’s staff are also trained to operate and prepare food according to Islamic laws.

According to information from a booklet, the hotel is located with easy access to Suvarnabhumi Airport and the city centre.

It is also situated close to The Foundation of Islamic Centre of Thailand, which runs religious services and offers guidance to the Muslim community in Thailand.

The hotel has been created with a clear vision to provide Muslim and non-Muslim guests with the best traditions of the Islamic way of living.