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