Jakarta's top hotels get the APEC bug

Jakarta's top hotels get the APEC bug

By Lenah Susianty &
Prapti Widinugraheni

JAKARTA (JP): Renovating suites, adding new wings and tending
to health and food inspections are just a few of the things the
star-rated hotels have had to busy themselves with in order to
prove they are good enough to host some of the world's most
important people who will be attending the momentous "APEC
Event".

"We have renovated a 300-square-meter presidential suite and
geared up the security," said Uraini, Public Relations Manager of
the Borobudur Inter-Continental Hotel.

She refused to disclose which head of state would be occupying
the newly refurbished suite, but said the hotel management had
already allocated "about 500 rooms" -- numbers keep fluctuating
-- for "very important" guests.

David Tzou, director of the information division for the
Taipei Economic and Trade Office told The Jakarta Post that the
delegation of his country, including journalists, will stay at
the Borobudur.

General Manager of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Duncan R.
Palmer, also declined to name the country which his hotel will be
hosting, but assured that all suites met the "highest standard of
quality and security levels possible".

The South Korean embassy here has confirmed that they have
booked rooms at the Mandarin.

"We have made sure that the departure and arrival process runs
smoothly, the medical facilities are in good shape and that all
staff are aware of the important situation," Palmer said.

The hotel has prepared 225 rooms for the APEC conference.
Although the hotel has received no "unusual" requests,
journalists have asked for additional international direct lines
and facsimile lines, he said.

PNG

Unlike Uraini and Palmer, Kartika Chandra hotel's PR Manager
Dani said openly that the hotel would be hosting delegates from
Papua New Guinea.

"Food, sanitation, restaurants and kitchens have been
inspected by officials from the Ministry of Health," she said.

The hotel even went as far as adding a new wing to its
building -- providing an extra 140 rooms -- 60 of which will be
occupied by the Papua New Guinean government officials, business
people and journalists, while a royal suite has been prepared for
the prime minister.

An additional room and three extra telephone lines have been
provided for an emergency business center, she said.

Le Meridien hotel will house the Canada delegation -- "from
the prime minister to journalists", Harti Hadisumo, the hotel's
public relation manager, said. The hotel has prepared 127 rooms
for the delegates.

A press room and an APEC counter have been also set up.

"But, we cannot add any new facilities nor rooms because our
hotel is very small," Harti said, adding that the Canadian
embassy has been occupying one room, which functions as its
secretariat, since late October.

The Jakarta Hilton International Hotel, which may be the
busiest among the capital's accommodations facilities because it
will host the American, Chilean, Japanese, Singaporean, Thai, and
some of the Australian and Hong Kong delegates, has done its best
to prepare 900 reserved rooms.

Hilton's public relations manager, Andra Djajadiningrat, told
the Post that all the facilities at the hotel have been fully
booked by the delegates, especially for banquets.

"We don't have any new facilities, but we will extend our
services. Our cafes will be open 24 hours and our restaurants
will operate longer hours," Andra said. "In the morning, for
instance, breakfast will be served earlier than the usual hour
and in the evening, our guests, who will be bound by tight
schedules, will not miss their dinner because the dinner hour
will be also prolonged."

He added that Hilton also has recruited dozens of part-time
employees to strengthen its services.

"They will work as lift attendants, housekeepers and banquet
officers," said Andra, adding that other members of the hotel
staff have been asked not to take leaves during the conference.

Shangri-la

Riza A. Suryo, director of communications of one of the newest
hotels in town, the Shangri-La, told the Post that more than 80
percent of his hotel's 669 rooms have been reserved by delegates
and people involved in activities related to the meeting, such as
businessmen, from Brunei, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, Mexico and
some from the United States.

Three state leaders will also stay at the hotel. However, Riza
declined to mention their names. He would only say that
especially trained butlers would be on duty 24-hours-a-day to
tend to the needs of the leaders.

"We will also have food displays in each leader's room. For
the first night, we will put their traditional food on display
and the second and the third night will have Indonesian food,"
Riza said.

He added that Shang Palace, a Chinese restaurant in the hotel
which normally operates only for lunch and dinner, will be open
for breakfast with a dim sum menu. The Margaux continental
restaurant will be open on Sundays and public holidays for
brunch. He also said that a banquet hall has been converted into
a jazz pub called Ceria to entertain the APEC delegates.

A red carpet, a 24-hour business center, six new Mercedes cars
and a press room are among Shangri-La's long list of preparations
for the APEC meetings.

"Two months ago we formed an internal APEC committee to be
able to serve the delegates. Our key is only one thing:
anticipation. We have anticipated everything," Riza said.

The Sahid Jaya hotel, which will have a corner for Indonesian
handicrafts, has prepared 160 rooms for Japanese journalists who
will be centered in the hotel, 65 rooms for Mexican delegates, 41
rooms for the New Zealand delegation and 71 for visitors from the
Philippines.

President Fidel Ramos of the Philippines and Prime Minister
Jim Bolger of New Zealand are reported to be planning to stay at
Sahid Jaya.

The hotel will also have a corner display on Indonesian
tourism and development, Ananta, a member of the hotel's public
relations division, said.

Australian delegates

Retna Purbo, public relations manager of the Grand Hyatt
hotel, which will be the base of the Australian and Brunei
delegates, said that the two countries have reserved a total of
110 rooms, "but this may change based on their requests".

To attend to the personal needs of the heads of delegations,
butlers will be on call around the clock. Besides that,
personalized room amenities and furnishings will be available if
the leaders require them.

The Grand Hyatt, which has installed an illuminated 'Welcome
to APEC delegates' sign outside the building, provides a
hospitality desk for enquiries, with a computer installed to make
direct Garuda airline reservations. It also has a special 24-hour
medical service available apart from the medical staff assigned
by the APEC host committee.

Emergency systems, including fire extinguishers and a fire
brigade, as well as a helipad, have been thoroughly prepared and
checked, Retna said, adding that the food and beverages also are
being inspected and approved by APEC's host committee.

"And, for entertainment, live traditional gamelan music
nightly will delight our guests, while they dine at our outdoor
dining venue," she said.

For security reasons, police officials also have inspected all
of the hotels. Metal detectors and X-ray machines will be
installed at the hotels as well.

"The APEC committee has warned us to be extra careful in
giving out the names and room numbers of the guests and to keep
an eye on presents such as flower bouquets," Dani said.

The APEC organizing committee seems to be in close contact
with all of the hotel managements.

Dani even considers herself to be a regular attendant at the
committee's meetings.

Uraini says her hotel's management has never failed to consult
on every single detail with the committee since preparations at
the Borobudur began in August.

Palmer said the Mandarin Oriental has always been in close
coordination with the committee, especially on security matters.

"I think preparations are entirely correct for such a high
level meeting ... And I think everybody understands the need for
impressions to be made," he said of the seemingly painstaking
efforts of the hotels.

A security headquarters, operated under the supervision of
City Police Headquarters and the Jakarta Military Command, has
been set up at the Grand Hyatt for central communications, Retna
said.

Andra says because of the strict security, employees of the
Hilton should wear their name tags at all times. "This is
standard procedure. Every time they come here to work, they must
pass through two lines of security: ours and that of the APEC
host committee."

"We will be open to the public as usual, but I am not sure
people will fancy staying here because of the tight security,"
Harti commented.