Carlson Group intends to run 20 hotels in Indonesia

JAKARTA (JP): American hotel chain operator Country Inns & Suites By Carlson plans to run at least 20 properties in Indonesia within five years.

The company's executive in Indonesia, Michael Hughes, said yesterday the company recently started work on the Bukit Nusa Bali hotel.

The 150-room hotel will be in Bali's Taman Mumbul area in Bukit Nusa near the Nusa Dua bypass. It is expected to have soft opening by next April.

PT Kreasi Taman Mumbul is the hotel's owner.

Hughes said most of his company's hotels in Indonesia would open in 1998 and early 1999.

There will be hotels in Jakarta's Kuningan area and Cilegon, Jatiluhur and the West Java capital of Bandung.

"We are considering other locations including Irian Jaya, Tana Toraja and Ujungpandang in South Sulawesi and Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara," he said.

He said Country Inns & Suites By Carlson planned to operate more than three hotels in the greater Jakarta area.

"We have different partners in operating the properties. We also own a number of shares in some of the owning companies which are our partners," he said.

All of the hotels will be three-star hotels.

Country Inns & Suites By Carlson is part of the Carlson Group which manages Regent Hotels International, Radisson Hospitality Worldwide, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises and TGI Friday and Country Kitchen International.

There are already Radisson hotels in Indonesia. These are four-star hotels. (icn)