Indonesian runs plush hotel in Tashkent

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian businessman Jay Abdul Alatas has taken over and relaunched the plush Le Grande Plaza Hotel situated in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The hotel was previously known as the Bumi Tashkent International Hotel and was run by the Bakrie Group, also from Indonesia.

Jay took over the hotel last October but the price he paid was not revealed.

"We are continuously renovating the hotel without disturbing our services to guests," said Le Grande corporate secretary Sally A. Sudrajat on Monday. She added that the new management had achieved a high occupancy rate, but she refused to give any figures.

Jay was present at the renaming ceremony but did not make a statement.

The hotel's general director, Abu Bakar Yakob, said the management was also targeting Indonesian visitors.

"Jakarta is a big market. We hope Indonesians will want to visit Uzbekistan and stay at our hotel," he said.

Le Grande Plaza Hotel is located in downtown Tashkent, about 10 minutes from Tashkent Airport. The luxurious hotel's most expensive room is the Presidential Suite, which costs US$1,900 per night.

Apart from doing businesses, Abu said, Indonesians could also visit various tourist attractions and catch cultural performances in Uzbekistan. There are several ancient sites in the country, including those in the cities of Bukhara, Samarkand and Khiva.

The city of Bukhara, which was built 2,500 years ago, is located around 700 kilometers from Tashkent.

Ruslan Hasyim, the hotel's managing director of destination of the world, hoped more people from eastern Asia would visit Uzbekistan, which could serve as "the gateway to Europe".

So far, there are no direct flights from Jakarta to Tashkent but the city can be reached twice a week from either Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok.