Big hotels fete 473rd anniversary of Jakarta

Big hotels fete 473rd anniversary of Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): The Sahid Jaya and Borobudur hotels plan to hold
special events, including live entertainment and fashion shows,
to mark Jakarta's 473rd anniversary which falls on Thursday.

Other hotels are joining in on a more modest scale, while
hostels along Jl. Jaksa, which cater mostly to foreign
backpackers, have again decided to miss out on celebrations this
year.

Sahid Jaya is planning a Betawi fashion show by designer
Ramli, and a bazaar from June 21 to June 23 in the Sukoharjo
lounge, public relations manager Shinta Langka said.

The hotel will throw in the service of fortune-teller Noerhadi
for guests to the bazaar.

The Borobudur Hotel will feature a lenong performance by
Betawi comedians Harry de Fretes, Ade Juwita and Mpok Atiek at
Singosari restaurant on June 22, public relations manager Yanti
Sri Handini said.

The restaurant will hold a Betawi food festival offering local
fare, such as taoge goreng (fried beancurd), soto mie (noodle
soup), kredok (vegetables with peanut sauce) and pesmol ikan
gurame (fried carp cooked with seasoning).

The Bogor Cafe, famed for sop buntut (oxtail soup), plans to
add kerak telor and asinan Jakarta to its menu between June 19
and June 25.

Other hotels, such as the President, Mandarin Oriental,
Shangri-La, The Regent, Le Meridien and Kartika Chandra, are
planning Betawi food festivals at their restaurants to mark the
occasion.

The President Hotel will display a delman, a traditional
Betawi horse from the Dutch colonial days, in its lobby.

"In the past, we displayed oplet (public transit van from the
1970s) or becak (pedicab)," said public relations manager Bening
Setara Bulan.

All the big hotels in Jakarta will be sending their
representatives to the Soekarno-Hatta Airport to greet all
arriving guests on June 22.

Each hotel will send a young couple dressed in Betawi style to
hand out gifts to passengers arriving at the airport.

But a hotel complained about the poor coordination between the
tourism office and the airport in organizing this program in past
years.

For the inexpensive hostels and hotels lining Jl. Jaksa, it
will probably be business as usual during Jakarta's anniversary
next week.

"The market condition is simply not conducive to hold special
events," said Boy Lawalata, owner of Wisma Delima.

Some 10 hotels and numerous hostels on the street last
organized Jalan Jaksa Fair to mark the capital's birthday in
1997, featuring dancing, singing and bazaars.

The economic crisis which struck later that year hurt tourism
in Jakarta, including the hostels along Jl. Jaksa.

Major department stores and shopping malls announced on Monday
they would offer discounts of up to 70 percent on many of their
products to mark this year's Jakarta's anniversary.

In all, more than 280 retail outlets have pledged
participation in the month-long Jakarta Discount Fair starting on
Wednesday, the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (Kadin) said.

They include all Pasar Raya, Sogo and Pojok Busana department
stores; the Taman Anggrek, Plaza Indonesia and Ambassador
shopping malls; and the Hero supermarket chain, chapter chairman
Pungky Bambang Purwadi said.

"Let's make Jakarta a shopping paradise," Pungky said.

Yustian Ismail, who is coordinating the discount fair,
appealed to stores within the three shopping plazas to join in.

The tourist industry, including airlines, should also take
part, Yustian said.

So far, the organizers have only managed to enlist Treva Hotel
in Central Jakarta into the fair.

"We are targeting local shoppers to take advantage of the
opportunity, especially with the coming school holiday," he said.

Yustian said a successful fair would send a positive image to
the world that Jakarta was a safe city for shoppers.

He said that next year, the organizers hope to attract
tourists from neighboring Southeast Asian countries and Australia
to take advantage of the discount fair.

The organizers would closely monitor the sales to make sure
that they are genuine bargains, he said, adding that under the
new consumer protection laws companies could be prosecuted for
misleading the public.

Last year, 148 retail outlets took part in the discount fair.
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