Hotels fully-booked for tonight's fiesta

Hotels fully-booked for tonight's fiesta

JAKARTA (JP): Hotels along Jl. Thamrin have been fully booked
by people wanting to see tonight's fireworks display, which is
part of the Kenduri National gala party, held at the National
Monument (Monas) square to celebrate the country's 50th
Independence anniversary.

Staff of the five-star Grand Hyatt and Hotel Indonesia and the
four-star President Hotel, located on Jl. Thamrin, an area which
is about one kilometer from Monas square, told The Jakarta Post
yesterday that their rooms are fully-booked for today.

Dian, a public relations officer for the President Hotel, said
that her hotel is fully-booked by visitors not only from other
cities, but also from Jakarta.

Renata Sofjan, public relations officer for the Grand Hyatt
hotel, and Maya Kosasih of the Mandarin Oriental Jakarta,
supported Dian's statement, saying that most of their hotels'
guest are from Jakarta and its surrounding areas, including
Bandung.

Henny Puspa Sari, public relations manager of Hotel Indonesia,
said guests who want to see the fireworks are also coming from
many places in Indonesia, including Surabaya, East Java, and
Menado, North Sulawesi.

The high occupancy rate at the hotels along Jl. Thamrin,
including the President Hotel and Hotel Indonesia, is apparently
partly caused by a 50 percent discount on room prices, offered to
those staying at the hotels during this month.

The Kenduri Nasional party, which is organized by the Jakarta
administration, will start today at 2:30 p.m. It will feature
music, dances and a pyrotechnical spectacle, which is a gift from
the French government to Indonesians. The fireworks will start at
8:30 p.m.

To celebrate Kenduri Nasional, PLN, the state-owned
electricity company -- whose office is located in the same
neighborhood at the National Monument -- will instruct its
employees to attend the party.

As today is a holiday for PLN employees, they are urged to go
to the party. The company has given them a transportation
allowance to enable them to be able to go there.

The West Jakarta Office of the Education and Culture Ministry
will also see that 5,200 students and 2,400 teachers join the
party, which will be attended by President Soeharto, First Lady
Tien Soeharto, Vice President and his wife Mrs. Try Sutrisno.
(als)