Indonesia's own Fawlty Towers?

Indonesia's own Fawlty Towers?

The Kartika Graha Hotel in Malang must rate as Indonesia's
Fawlty Towers. My wife, child and I stayed in this hotel over the
Lebaran holiday to see relatives, friends and so on. We did not
expect the "service" that we received from the hotel. Apart from
a catalog of bad service, bath water that regularly turned all
manner of nasty colors, food that on occasion was rather less
than appetizing, staff that seemed to be on another planet, being
charged for breakfasts that were supposed to be part of the room-
rate, the piece de resistance had yet to be experienced.

On checking out of the hotel, we were told that the "hotel
directory" was missing from our room and could the staff search
our luggage for the missing item. As my Indonesian is not quite
up to the mark, my wife explained what was going on. I put my
foot down with a very firm hand and insisted that the hotel
porters, etc. immediately stop going through my belongings as
though they were Rottweilers on a blood scent.

I demanded to see the manager, who sauntered up after a wait
of 10 minutes and asked what the problem was. I explained quietly
that the hotel's apparent policy of treating guests as though
they were criminals was not a good policy and that, even if I had
inadvertently taken the hotel directory, I would send it back by
post as I had no earthly reason for taking the said hotel
directory.

The manager displayed absolutely no remorse in explaining that
it was, and effectively would remain, hotel policy to check
guests belongings in the event that a few pieces of PR paperwork
was missing from the room. Even worse, this search was carried
out in the hotel lobby, presumably calculated to embarrass and
belittle the former hotel guest now considered to be a major
criminal in the eyes of the hotel management.

Apart from being totally incensed at this point, I made the
point that if the hotel manager should find it necessary to
venture through my belongings, there should be a police presence
who had a warrant to search and that the search would be
conducted by the police, most definitely not by the hotel
employees. I have nothing to hide, but I do not agree at all with
the high-handed attitude displayed by this gentlemen and wonder
what his attitude would have been if I did not have an Indonesian
wife with me. It bears consideration.

I personally have experienced many things in Indonesia that
lead me to believe that human rights of privacy and so on has
little impact on a considerable number of people who feel it
their right to impose sanctions on ordinary people going about
their business, without the benefit of legal representation.

I would say to the gentlemen who runs the hotel: Do not treat
your guests as though they are low level criminals paying a visit
to a prisoner's holiday home; treat your guests right and they
may forego the dreadful service.

MARTHA and MARTIN BOOTHBY

Jakarta