Hotels fully booked in major cities ahead of long holiday

Hotels fully booked in major cities ahead of long holiday

The Jakarta Post, Bandung/Yogyakarta/Medan

As the Idul Fitri celebration nears, hotels in several major
cities across the country are fully booked with domestic tourists
wishing to spend this year's extended public holiday in hotels.

Grand Hotel Preanger's Public Relations Assistant Manager
Christine Effendy revealed on Saturday that the hotel's 189 rooms
are fully booked from Nov. 26 through Nov. 29.

Gumilang Sari Hotel and Sheraton Hotel and Tower are also
fully booked for the next few days.

"Beginning Nov. 22 until Nov. 29, all 152 rooms in the hotel
are full," Sheraton Hotel and Tower's public relations manager
Lucky Iswandi said.

Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Bandung
chairman Hermawan said on Saturday that overall the occupancy
rate of hotels in West Java reached 60 percent of the total
17,000 hotel rooms available.

"In Pangandaran, the occupancy rate of star-rated hotels and
motels is 90 percent," he said.

Popular sites for domestic tourists in West Java include
Lembang in North Bandung, Ciater, Subang, Puncak area, Cianjur,
Cipanas, Garut and Pelabuhanratu, Sukabumi and Pangandaran Beach
in Ciamis.

Jakarta hotels are experiencing a similar boom with Sari Pan
Pacific Hotel and Grand Hyatt Hotel reporting a 100 percent
occupancy rate.

The situation in Yogyakarta is similar.

Chairman of PHRI Yogyakarta Stef B. Indarto said on Saturday
that all 9,500 hotel rooms in Yogyakarta were booked for this
year's Idul Fitri holiday.

"There are no more rooms available a week either side of Idul
Fitri," said Stef. He added that of the 38 star-rated hotels and
324 motels in Yogyakarta, all reported a 100 percent occupancy
rate.

"Compared to last year's total occupancy of 1.2 million
people, this year's total occupancy of 1.6 million is much
better," he said.

The high occupancy rate was possible thanks to holiday
packages, offering an overnight stay at affordable rates.

"But the occupancy rate will fall back to 50 percent a week
after the Idul Fitri holiday," said Stef, adding that the
occupancy rate would again increase in the second week of
December, nearing Christmas.

Unlike in Jakarta, Bandung, and Yogyakarta, Medan, which
usually has an occupancy rate of 80 percent, had an occupancy
rate of only between 50 percent and 60 percent of the total
available hotel rooms.

According to the secretary of the Indonesian Tourism Society
Ronald A.M. Tambunan, the low occupancy rate happened every year
during the month of Ramadhan and Idul Fitri holiday. But he was
optimistic that the rate could go up to 80 percent after Idul
Fitri.

"Most occupants of hotels in Medan are businesspeople who
usually do business before the month of Ramadhan or after the
Idul Fitri," said Ronald.

He said many businesspeople had made reservations at the
Emerald Garden Hotel, which has 157 rooms, after Idul Fitri.

Although, overall the hotel industry experiences a boost in
business during the Idul Fitri holiday, the tour and travel
industry is not affected by it.

Manager of Puri Tur at Hotel Melia Purosani Amri Sitia
Daniyuwono explained that tour and travel business before and
after the Idul Fitri holiday were the same because most customers
were foreign tourists.