Country's oldest hotel going strong at 40

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A Balinese businessman who was here for a business trip had a pleasant surprise upon his arrival in the city on Tuesday morning. When he checked in at Hotel Indonesia at 8:05 a.m., he was told that the room was free of charge.

Putu Purwata, chairman of the Bali chapter of Real Estate Indonesia, got the complimentary room because he was the first guest the day.

The day itself was special as Hotel Indonesia (HI) was celebrating its 40th anniversary.

In celebration of the event, for a whole year, the hotel's public areas and gardens will be decorated with paintings, sculptures and mosaics by some of the country's most prominent artists. The hotel has also organized a series of architecture and art workshops, performances, films and music concerts as well as an international seminar on restoration of old buildings.

HI, the nation's first hotel of international standard, is located on Jl. M.H. Thamrin, Central Jakarta. Its construction began in 1959 and it was inaugurated in 1962 by the country's first president Sukarno. In the same year, Jakarta hosted the Sixth Asian Games and many foreign guests stayed at the hotel, which helped nasi goreng (fried rice) and chicken porridge go international.

The establishment of the hotel was followed by the construction of Sarinah department store, Gelora Senayan sports complex, the National Monument (Monas) and several skyscrapers.

Now, there are many luxury hotels in the city. Compared to other five-star hotels in the city, especially the new ones, HI looks quite modest. Yet, HI is still going strong with a 40 percent occupancy rate.

Hotel Indonesia General Manager Nyoman Megeg is optimistic about the hotel's future.

"We have our own market," he said.

The hotel with 570 rooms and suites targets people of the middle income bracket. Around 80 percent of the guests are locals while the rest are foreign tourists. Of the locals, some 40 percent are government officials.

While some five-star hotels charge foreigners more than locals, the state-owned Hotel Indonesia charges all guests Rp 350,000 per night for a standard room.

The four-star President Hotel, which is just at a stone's throw from HI, charges foreign guests US$66, while locals pay Rp 332,000.

Bram Schram, a retired branch manager of shipping company Jakarta Lloyd who comes from Manado, North Sulawesi, said he felt at home in the hotel.

"I feel safe here," said Bram, who has been a faithful visitor for 22 years. He said he enjoyed the comfort and hospitality and hardly ever had any complaints.

However, he said the hotel furniture needed refurbishing and some parts of the building needed renovation.