BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Enterprise  >  Open For Business  >  How Hotel Owners Lose Money And How to Avoid It

How Hotel Owners Lose Money And How to Avoid It

Dr. Timmy Ho, Managing Director, Pragmatique

20-May-25 10:00

How Hotel Owners Lose Money And How to Avoid It

Owning a hotel sounds glamorous, but beneath the surface lies a high-risk, capital-heavy, and often misunderstood business. Dr. Timmy Ho, Managing Director of Pragmatique, a boutique hotel asset management consultancy, joins us to break down the realities facing hotel owners in Malaysia.

Since 2021, Pragmatique has guided hotel owners through the entire investment cycle, from site selection and financing to operations and eventual exit. In this conversation, we explore:

  • What hotel asset managers actually do (and why they’re often called “nannies” and “whip crackers”)

  • Why many hotels underperform financially, and what investors often get wrong

  • The structural fragility of Malaysia’s hotel market, including oversupply and stagnant room rates

  • How Pragmatique helps clients benchmark performance, reduce waste, and plan for the long haul

  • Why this boutique consultancy focuses on depth over scale, and how it plans to grow organically through like-minded collaborators

Whether you’re a property developer, investor, or just curious about what it really takes to make hotels work, this is one for the playlist.

Produced by: Roshan Kanesan

Presented by: Roshan Kanesan


This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  marketsCorporateseconomymanaging

Tags:  hotel investmenthospitalityreal estateconsultingmalaysia businessproperty development





Play / Pause

Listen now : BFM 89.9 -- The Business Station

Today’s Shows



6:00 AM

The 6AM Stretch

Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our lives.

7:00 AM

World Market Watch

Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist, US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management tells us where international markets are heading.

7:15 AM

Morning Brief

We recap global and local headlines from today's papers and portals.

7:30 AM

Morning Brief

Dr Sonia Mycak talks about the phone call between Trump and Putin in regards to the war between Russia and Ukraine.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Zeckqualine Melai, Teacher & Researcher from the Faculty of Education, Language and Communication from Unimas Sarawak unpacks the broader implications of free tertiary education in Sarawak.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

Mirzan Mahathir, Managing Director, Betamek.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Shazrul Ariff Suhaimi of Khazanah Research Institute looks into why 2.1% of jobs remained unfilled, even as Malaysia’s labour market reached 9.1 million in the Q1 2025.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

(REPEAT) We dive into the local and international news that matters to you.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) We bring you the latest on Bursa Malaysia and international capital markets.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) We take a look at the FBM KLCI as well as regional capital markets.

9:35 AM

People, Planet, Profit

Najah Onn, founder of FashinFidelity discuss Malaysian trends in sustainable fashion.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

How Hotel Owners Lose Money And How to Avoid It

11:00 AM

Marketing Mojo

Beyond Tokenism: How Brands Can Get DEI Right

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

Can the Global South Replace the West in Global Trade?

1:00 PM

The Breakfast Grille Repeat

Mirzan Mahathir, Managing Director, Betamek.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

An eclectic selection of BBC shows, curated with variety in mind.

3:05 PM

Beyond the Ballot Box

A Political economist shares his thoughts on IMF’s suggestion to increase retirement age to 70.

4:05 PM

Health & Living

We speak to a health economist about how supermarkets and governments can nudge people to make healthier grocery choices.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

6:00 PM

Talkback Tuesday

Do you think that the internet has largely been a force for good or bad, in the world? Would you prefer to live without the internet?

8:00 PM

BBC World Service