Grand Mercure opened in Yogyakarta

YOGYAKARTA: Four-star Grand Mercure Phoenix Yogyakarta hotel, Jl. Jendral Sudirman, was officially opened to the public on Friday. The Accor hotel joins sister properties previously opened in this city, Ibis Malioboro and Novotel Yogyakarta.

Grand Mercure presents itself as a boutique hotel that combines cultural heritage with modern values. The hotel was a colonial mansion established in 1918, and later operated as Phoenix Heritage hotel in the 1990s.

After a full renovation and upgrading that have left the classic art nouveau style intact and combined it with Chinese and Javanese cultural influences, the hotel offers 143 rooms, including 10 suites, with a private balcony for each room.

"A new wing has been added that maintains the historic design of the building, prompting the Indonesian government to name the hotel a national heritage site," Grand Mercure general manager Xavier Cappelut said.

Grand Mercure had its soft opening on Feb. 15. The hotel's management is hoping for an occupancy rate of 62 percent this year.

"We expect to be very popular with international and domestic tourists as well as business travelers and conference groups," Xavier said. -- JP