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.