I Wayan Juniartha
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nDenpasar, Bali<\/p>\n
Bali's hotels gear up for holiday season<\/p>\n
The hotel industry in the country's main resort island, Bali,
\nis expecting a higher occupancy rate during the year-end holiday
\nseason, which will be kicked off by a five-day Idul Fitri break
\nnext week and holidays for Christmas and New Year.<\/p>\n
Most of the island's hotels, whose occupancy rates mostly
\nplunged to below 10 percent following the terrorist attack on the
\nisland's entertainment center recently, have started to attract
\nmore guests thanks to their campaign to lure more local
\ntravelers.<\/p>\n
Most hotels in Bali's principal tourist resorts, Kuta, Legian,
\nNusa Dua and Sanur, have seen a growing number of guests for Idul
\nFitri or Lebaran next week.<\/p>\n
Kuta, the scene of last month's deadly bombing, is reportedly
\nthe area that has received the biggest number of confirmed
\nbookings for the season.<\/p>\n
\"In fact, for Lebaran we are already over-booked by
\ntwo or three rooms. On December 6, 7 and 8, our estimated
\noccupancy rate will be 100 percent,\" the Hard Rock Beach Hotel's
\npublic relations manager, Dedy Sasmita, said.<\/p>\n
Situated next to the famous Kuta beach, the four-star
\n418-room hotel has received the majority of it's confirmed
\nbookings from domestic vacationers from Jakarta and Surabaya.<\/p>\n
\"Meanwhile, for Christmas our estimated occupancy
\nrate varies between 58 percent and 60 percent,\" he said.<\/p>\n
To attract more visitors, the hotel had slashed room rates
\nunder it's Christmas package, effective from Dec. 20 to Dec. 26,
\nfrom Rp 950,000 to Rp 750,000 (about US$85) per night. It's the
\nprice of its four-night New Year package has also been slashed,
\nfrom US$199 to $125 per room per night. About 65 percent of the
\nexisting rooms have been booked for these events.<\/p>\n
\"The price of the Christmas and New Year packages are usually
\nhigher than the normal room rate, but this year they are cheaper
\nthan our US$180 normal room rate,\" Dedy said.<\/p>\n
A significant increase in confirmed bookings has also been
\nconfirmed by the Nusa Dua-based five-star, 390-room Nikko Bali.
\nThe hotel's estimated occupancy rate during the three days of
\nLebaran will be 90 percent, way above the current level of around
\n18 percent.<\/p>\n
Over Christmas and the New Year, the hotel expects an
\noccupancy rate of 30 percent.<\/p>\n
The Nikko Bali is also offering an interesting rupiah package
\nof Rp 750,000 per room per night to lure domestic travelers. In
\naddition, the hotel has scrapped its initial plan to impose a Rp
\n100,000 of surcharge for guests staying in the hotel over
\nLebaran.<\/p>\n
\"Except for Lebaran, those who stay for a minimum of four
\nnights in the hotel will received a complimentary dinner for two.
\nThis offer is valid until December. 26,\" the hotel's sales
\nmanager Sitawati said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Sophie Suzylowati, the marketing communications
\nmanager of the Legian-based, five-star, 405-room Bali Padma, said
\nthat the hotel had only received a slight increase in confirmed
\nbookings for the holiday season.<\/p>\n
\"It is not something that we are very happy about. Currently,
\nour occupancy rate is seven percent, and it will increase to
\naround 30 percent over Lebaran,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The hotel is offering an attractive year-end three-night
\npackage for just Rp 2.7 million per package, with additional
\nbenefits including a 20 percent discount on admission to the
\nwater park and rafting, 35 percent discount for cruises, and a 50
\npercent discount for a spa treatment.<\/p>\n
Separately, the situation is similar in Sanur, where the four-
\nstar, 196-room Raddin is located. The hotel's senior sales
\nexecutive, Yunita Hidayatullah, expects no big increase in the
\noccupancy rate over the holidays.<\/p>\n
She estimated that the occupancy rate would be about 10
\npercent over Lebaran, while for Christmas and the New Year, the
\noccupancy rate would be lower at six percent.<\/p>\n
\"The situation is very serious indeed. It seems that the
\nmarket is not responding to the various packages and price
\ndiscounts we have been offering,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Bali Hotel and Restaurant Association
\n(PHRI), I Gde Wiratha, stated that whether holiday season
\nvacationers would provide the island's tourist industry with a
\nsignificant boost was something that remained to be seen.<\/p>\n
\"The occupancy rate, particularly in Kuta, is getting better,
\nhovering at around 25 percent, and we predict that it will
\nincrease to around 50 percent by the end of this year. But, we
\nmust remember that there are still many hotels that are suffering
\nfrom single digit occupancy rates. And, we are still waiting for
\nany huge influx of domestic tourists to materialize,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He also advised the tourist industry against slashing prices.
\nInstead, the industry should be more creative in integrating
\nvarious new services into their holiday packages.<\/p>\n
\"Do not slash prices, but provide more services. So for the
\nsame price the customers will get a chance to experience more
\nactivities and facilities, and, consequently, the package will be
\nmore interesting,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/i-wayan-juniartha-1447899208",
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