Hotel regulars prefer to stay home these holidays

Bambang Nurbianto The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

This year well-to-do Setiawati and her family will have a different Idul Fitri holiday.

In previous years, they stayed in star-rated hotels or resorts "to make daily life more simple as our housemaids have their vacation".

"But now, in solidarity with those suffering under the impact of the recent fuel price rises, we'll stay home," Setiawati, who runs a tourism business, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Setiawati is donating her holiday budget to a charity educating poor children.

Another resort regular, Bambang Tribudiman, who runs a business producing alternative fuel, has also decided his family would abandon fancy treats for a more frugal gathering at home this Idul Fitri.

"All Indonesians should live modesty as there are many of us in economic difficulties," he said.

Many hotels in Jakarta, however, are hoping that the increase in the cost of living will not hurt their traditional business during the fasting month and Idul Fitri holidays on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4.

This year, they are offering special discounts and additional services for a families.

Shangri-la public relations officer Ratna Sjamsiar Idris said the hotel was offering a special family package from Nov. 1 to Nov. 13 with discounts for children's meals.

Ratna expressed optimism that, as in previous years, 50 percent of the hotel's 400 deluxe rooms would be occupied during the holiday.

Gran Melia Hotel public relations manager Hana Hoed said the hotel was also offering special discounts for deluxe rooms.

"The discounts are expected to attract families to stay in our hotel because we cannot count on business travelers during the holidays," she told the Post.

Hana declined to mention the hotel's target occupancy rate for the period because "the majority of Jakarta people would prefer to go out of town".

Like Ratna, the public relations manager of the Mercure Convention Center at the Ancol resort in North Jakarta, Nur'aini B. Prapdanu, was similarly upbeat, estimating the occupancy rate of the hotel would be at about 70 percent, most of them regular family visitors.

And while others were discounting rates, the center, formally the Horison Hotel, had put prices up.

Nur'aini said since the soft launching of the new name on Oct. 17, the hotel had offered special tariffs -- at Rp 395,000 a night for all rooms up to Nov. 30. However, from Nov. 2 to Nov. 6, the prices would rise to between Rp 645,000 and Rp 699,000 for rooms with golf-course views.

"We believe our regular customers will still come to our hotel these holidays because many rich people don't want to be preoccupied with household jobs," she said.