Hotels adopt various strategies for Indul Fitri
Hotels adopt various strategies for Indul Fitri
JAKARTA (JP): A number of star-rated hotels will profit from servant-deprived families in the coming holidays, while others will just cater for routine business travelers.
A number of requests for bookings at the Ciputra Hotel in West Jakarta have been for the "Lebaran package", which offers 35 percent off published room rates.
"The usual thing, no servants," said Harti Hadisoemo, the hotel's public relations officer, of the offer.
The discount off the usual rate of US$130 before the 20 percent tax does not actually make for net lower prices, because a premium is added for various meals and extra services. Harti argued the extra facilities make the holiday hotel stay a bargain.
The Grand Equatorial in Central Jakarta has an month-long discount for its rooms up to Feb. 25., charging $90 a night, but in contrast the Mandarin Oriental doesn't feel the need to follow suit.
"We know everyone is putting up special packages," said Diah Permata Wulan, the hotel's public relations manager.
"But our clientele are mostly business travelers," she said. The hotel, she added, has a year-long special rate for business people.
"We also realize we do not have enough facilities to cater for families. The pool, for example, is too small," Diah said.
The Borobudur Intercontinental, which is undergoing a renovation, is also declining to offer special rates.
Uraini Oemarjadi of the hotel said as of yesterday not many people have booked rooms at the available Garden Wing. But around Idul Fitri the hotel expects to host families from out of town, she said.
The nearby Dai-ichi Hotel in the Senen business area in Central Jakarta is also being spruced up for domestic tourists.
However the public relations officer, Lira Dachlan, said special rates are only limited to the night of Feb. 20, as the management knows that hotels host only part of family gatherings.
"We know that people coming from Surabaya, Medan and other cities only want to spend one night in the hotel," Lira said.
"They usually have families in Jakarta which they treat for a night in the hotel, then spend the other night at their family's home."
The hotel sources said current occupancy rates of at least 70 percent, are usually not as high as during the Christmas and New Year holidays. (anr)