Santika, a hotel with a clean image<\/p>\n
Dewi Anggraeni
\nContributor
\nSemarang<\/p>\n
Regardless of how secure your marital relationship is, whenever
\nyour spouse is away, the thought of them staying at a hotel often
\nstirs a degree of concern. The temptations to be unfaithful for
\nsomeone temporarily single, rightly or wrongly, are presumed to
\nbe strong.<\/p>\n
Who is going to stop your loved one from walking into the room
\nwith an attractive member of the opposite sex?<\/p>\n
If it is any consolation, in Hotel Santika Semarang, someone
\nwill.<\/p>\n
Apart from wanting to keep a clean image of its hotel, located
\non Jl. Jend. A. Yani, the management has also had something to
\nprove. The Kompas Group, which owns Santika hotels across the
\ncountry, bought an existing hotel, which was well known for its
\nimage as a center for having a \"good time\". As if having an in-
\nhouse disco was not enough, which in Semarang could raise
\npeople's eyebrows, it also had a policy of letting out its rooms
\nby the hour.<\/p>\n
Asked if they never had any problems enforcing the \"keep it
\nclean\" policy, Yulianti, the hotel's general manager confessed:
\n\"Oh yes, we have had complaints from guests who were put out when
\nwe stopped them from taking their female escorts to their room.
\nBut we'd rather lose the patronage of those guests than spoil the
\nimage that we've established.\"<\/p>\n
The idiosyncrasy does not stop there. Once, as the story goes,
\nwhen a guest became agitated about being given monastic
\ntreatment, the management politely offered to take him and his
\nlady companion to another hotel where the management had a less
\nstringent policy. And, the story continues, that when this
\nparticular guest returned to Semarang, he chose to stay at Hotel
\nSantika again!<\/p>\n
A two-star hotel, Santika Semarang is known as a \"house that
\ngrew\". It has a homely feeling of a guesthouse, or a rather
\nlavish home. On the ground floor, where all the standard rooms
\nand restaurant are situated, there are ponds with running water,
\nthe sound of which helps create a relaxing atmosphere.<\/p>\n
\"When we bought it, there was only the main building. We then
\ngradually built on the extensions.\" It now has 77 rooms, a
\nrestaurant, a convention hall, a VIP lounge bar, and a general
\npurpose room where guests can hang around if they find themselves
\ntoo exposed in the lobby.<\/p>\n
Originally it was known as the Grand Hotel, whose owner, now
\nliving in the Netherlands, sold it to a company who named it
\nHotel Mutiara, before the Kompas Group bought it in 1985.<\/p>\n
Curiously, there are two Santika hotels in Semarang. Yulianti
\nexplained that building the other hotel, known as Hotel Graha
\nSantika located on Jl. Pandanaran, was a business decision.<\/p>\n
\"This hotel became so popular we wanted to maintain it just
\nthe way it was. Yet we were aware that some businesses wanted to
\nsend their representatives to four or five-star hotels, so in
\norder not to miss out on that market, we built Graha Santika.\"<\/p>\n
It appears to have been the right decision, because the
\noriginal Hotel Santika has maintained its dedicated clientele. It
\ncertainly has vibes and atmosphere rarely found in other two-star
\nhotels.<\/p>\n
True to Javanese form, the management keeps the image clean
\nwithout leaving its courtesy behind. The employees are always
\nready with a smile. The service is personal and delivered with
\nunrelenting politeness. Presumably, for someone with a less than
\ninnocent intention, being greeted by name as you come and go
\ncould be a daunting prospect. But for sure, your spouse will be
\nhappy. So will you, if all you need is rest, a good sleep and a
\nwarm welcome.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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