In St. Julians where we live there are four hotels, all without garages, and this means that we residents are left with no parking at all although we have ‘residents parking’. A BIG JOKE.

An even bigger joke is this new policy, because we will go back to looking like a building war zone, and all this to please some hoteliers who supported PL. What an island.

Hotels are shutting down left right and centre, of course it doesn’t make sense.

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-05-24/news/chamber-of-architects-reacts-to-hotel-height-relaxation-policy-1674477568/

What we need is for the MTA and MEPA to work hand in hand to promote the development of boutique hotels in Valletta and other core villages. This is what we are lacking and what our country needs.

The MHRA never promoted this as it will obviously compete with the large 5 star hotels which currently control MHRA and indirectly control the MTA. Now they get a concession to build 2 extra floors when they have been ‘complaining’ that they do not have enough tourists to fill in their rooms and that they are not making any profit because of the lower rates and rising costs.

It seems that they now also have a grasp on this government and Joseph Muscat & Co. have with their first months in power shown us that all their pre-election talk was a complete scam.

Bugger the paying guests who can’t get a sunbed or even find a space by the heavily overcrowded pool.

Bugger the paying guests waiting patiently for the waiters to clear a table for them in the overcrowded restaurant.

Bugger the paying guests who can’t fit in the overcrowded bar or get a seat by the pool in summer for the evening entertainment. On this one, to add insult to injury, Maltese paying guests are allowed in many hotels making the problem even worse.

The greed of the hotelier comes first. Pack in as many guests as you can and get the most profits.

To hell with the complaints. Let the tour operator take the flak.

I was on the receiving end on many occasion of complaints about this very issue from numbers of tourists.

Nice one, MHRA. Make the problem even worse.

One hotelier admitted to my face there were too many people in the hotel for the restaurant to cope, as they had built too many extra rooms, when I told him the guests were upset with the long wait to get in the restaurant.

Noting that it is not in possession of the updated policy as approved by the Malta Envirnment and Plannng Authority (Mepa), the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers reiterates its availability to discuss with government its concerns and possible refinements to this policy seeing that it now needs to be ratified by the Prime Minister as required by law.” (The Malta Independent)

Not really. Present hotels are big enough to house all of the tourists, especially in the summer boom.

I’m no architect, but letting them build two more floors means that they have to kindly inform their neighbours that they are making adjustments, and that these neighbours have to make their adjustments (such as wiring etc).

It also crowds an already crowded X tourist-infested location.