Hotel occupancy rates drop sharply again

JAKARTA (JP): City hotel occupancy rates dropped sharply yesterday as apprehension over unrest and riots subsided following president Soeharto's resignation Thursday.

Sari Pan Pacific's marketing communications manager Satria Wira told The Jakarta Post that his hotel's occupancy rates fell yesterday to about 52 percent from 76 percent the previous day.

"Our occupancy rate has declined since Thursday following the announcement of president Soeharto's resignation. It was 100 percent since Thursday last week until Wednesday when riots and protests escalated," Satria said.

He said yesterday's rate was still slightly higher than the hotel's normal daily occupancy rate of about 50 percent during the economic crisis.

Satria said some of the guests were locals who owned or ran businesses in the commercial district on Jl. Sabang, adjacent to the hotel's location straddling Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman.

"We also received some employees, mostly expatriates, who were stranded on the streets when the riots occurred and couldn't make it home. Some of our guests are also several groups of foreign reporters who are covering the protests."

Rioting, looting and arson hit Jakarta and other nearby towns on Thursday last week. The capital remained tense in ensuing days as students continued their antigovernment protests.

The massive unrest throughout the city boosted occupancy rates of many star-rated Jakarta hotels as local and foreign guests sought shelter to avoid violence-torn streets.

Hotels located in the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport area, also booked solid with guests wanting to leave town last week, have also experienced declining occupancy rates.

Sheraton Bandara's public relations coordinator Esther Pormes said her hotel's occupancy rate dropped to 48 percent yesterday. The hotel was fully booked since Thursday last week -- when the riot peaked -- until Wednesday, she said.

"We even opened our ballrooms to accommodate people wanting to leave the city and walk-in guests," she told the Post.

Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza said its occupancy rate dropped yesterday to 50 percent after enjoying 80 percent on previous days.

"Many of our guests were Chinese-Indonesians who felt unsafe (at home). They have checked out to go home or are going abroad," an assistant to the hotel's public relations manager, Hendra Nugraha, said.

He added that there were also many expatriates who stayed at the hotel as they waited to be evacuated by their embassies and companies.

There has been a huge expatriate exodus as many countries, including Britain, the U.S., Japan and Australia, issued warnings about the dangerous political situation in Indonesia.

The Chinese-Indonesian minority, often a target during social unrest, have also made up a large number of outbound travelers.

The Jakarta Hilton's public relations executive, Dewi Widiyanti, said her hotel's occupancy rate dropped to between 35 and 40 percent yesterday from 65 percent Tuesday.

Dewi said the rate peaked at 80 percent on Friday last week, the day after the worst riots, and started to decline Tuesday as many of expatriate guests left the country.

She said the hotel had been so full that "we even resorted to only accepting walk-in guests and could no longer provide reservations after the unrest last week". (gis)