Five-star hotels increase their security system<\/p>\n
Rizky KD Ntoma and Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Following the bombing at JW Marriott Hotel in the Mega Kuningan
\nbusiness district in South Jakarta on Tuesday, which claimed at
\nleast 10 lives according to police reports, five-star hotels in
\nthe capital started to beef up security.<\/p>\n
The action also fulfilled a call from Coordinating Minister of
\nPolitical and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono moments
\nafter the explosion for restaurants, hotel chains, malls and
\nother public places to tighten security.<\/p>\n
A similar call was conveyed by Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso after
\na meeting on Wednesday evening with the top management of hotels,
\nrestaurants and malls across the city.<\/p>\n
The meeting at City Hall was also attended by Susilo and
\nMinister of Tourism and Culture I Gede Ardika.<\/p>\n
The Shangri-La hotel, located on Kota BNI, Jl. Jend. Sudirman,
\nCentral Jakarta, started to deploy more security guards in
\ncooperation with police personnel. The hotel management also have
\nmore security devices installed including bomb detectors, metal
\ndetectors, handheld metal detectors for searching individuals and
\nmonitoring cameras.<\/p>\n
"We definitely must increase our security internally and also
\nexternally," said hotel public relations manager Ratna Sjamsiar
\nIdris on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The consequence of tightening security meant more time was
\nneeded to check every person going in and out of the hotel.<\/p>\n
"Previously, it only took only a minute to screen each guest
\nbut now our security personnel need up to three minutes," she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The deployment of more security guards and police backup was
\nalso done by the Jakarta Hilton International Hotel in Central
\nJakarta, located near the Semanggi cloverleaf.<\/p>\n
"We have around 200 security guards at the hotel with back up
\nfrom police officers and also the K9 squad. There is always a
\nsecurity guard and several policemen at each entrance," said
\nHilton marketing communication officer Dita.<\/p>\n
"We conduct a body search and have metal detectors for
\nemployees and guests before and after entering the lobby. We also
\ncarefully check their bags and luggage," she added.<\/p>\n
Like the Shangri-La and the Hilton, Hotel Borobudur on Jl.
\nLapangan Banteng Selatan, Central Jakarta, also deployed more
\nsecurity guards at the entrance gate and maximized the use of
\ndetectors.<\/p>\n
"We are doubling our security guards from 30 to 60 people
\ndivided into two shifts," Grace Alviar, the hotel's director of
\ncommunications, said.<\/p>\n
"We also have plainclothes police officers. In total, the
\nhotel has around 100 security officers at present," she said.<\/p>\n
To limit the possibility of unmonitored guests, the hotel
\nmanagement has reduced the entry points from three to only one.<\/p>\n
The management also decided to move the taxi pool from the
\nside of the hotel to the rear, close to the parking lot.
\nTemporarily, the hotel has also stopped their valet parking
\nservice.<\/p>\n
Several foreigners were still spotted inside and at the
\nhotel's foyer on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Grace added that Borobudur Hotel received several guests from
\nthe JW Marriott Hotel checking in on Tuesday but so far there has
\nbeen no confirmation on booking cancellations from overseas
\nguests.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, police were still guarding the Marriott and have
\nclosed the area to the public for a radius of 150 meters. Debris
\nand broken glasses have started to be cleared.<\/p>\n
Most guests at the hotel were evacuated and transferred to
\nGran Melia Hotel on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta.<\/p>",
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