Hotel puts regional culture on the stage

Hotel puts regional culture on the stage

JAKARTA (JP): Putting local culture on show seems a natural
tie-in for Jakarta hotels to bring in foreign guests. After all,
there is so much to choose from, with each of the country's 29
provinces offering something unique in dance and cuisine.

Such events were commonplace in several hotels, including the
Borobudur in Central Jakarta, before the economic crisis struck
and foreign tourists stayed away from Indonesia in droves. With
economic fortunes stirring a little, some hotels have revived
their special food and cultural presentations.

One of the local hotels putting Indonesian culture back at
center stage is Kempinski Hotel Plaza, which holds its Indonesia
Mysteriously Beautiful night every Thursday in its Jimbaran
Gardens on the lobby level.

"The idea of introducing such a program derives from the fact
that many business travelers only stay in Jakarta for a few days
with very little time to explore the many beautiful cultures and
variety of cuisine of Indonesia," said the hotel's public
relations director, Uraini Umarjadi.

For the time being, the one-month-old program is concentrating
on Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, and provinces in
Sumatra and Sulawesi. The evening buffet features the particular
dishes from the selected province, plus fare from other areas.

"This gives the guests a better insight into the dishes
available and enables them to have a taste of other
specialities," Uraini said. "We have received good feedback from
both in-house guests and outside visitors."

West Sumatra was featured on Aug. 22, including dances and
music from the land of the Minangkabau. They proved excellent
diversions as diners sampled the delicious spread of food --
curries, salads, satay and traditional desserts.

The dynamic dances from West Sumatra, including the twirling
plate dance, were a delight to several western guests.

"I think these are good, but Japanese prefer dances which are
slower, where the movements are more defined," said a Japanese
visitor. "They would probably like dances from Central Java and
Bali more."

The night costs Rp 105,000 ++, which includes a complimentary
welcome cocktail. For family groups, one child accompanied by two
adults receives a complimentary meal, with any additional
children receiving a 50 percent discount.

There is a cultural performance at 6:30 p.m., the buffet
begins at 7 p.m. and dances are held from 8 p.m. It closes at
10:30 p.m. (Bruce Emond)