JIHD picks local chain to manage Borobudur

JAKARTA (JP): PT Jakarta International Hotels and Development (JIHD), the owner of Hotel Borobudur Intercontinental Jakarta, has appointed Discovery Hotels & Resorts to replace Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts in managing the five-star hotel.

JIHD president Jusuf Indradewa said on Friday the management arrangement for the hotel, to be renamed Hotel Borobudur Jakarta, would commence on Jan. 1, 1999.

Jusuf said it was decided after considerable discussion not to extend the management contract with Intercontinental when it expires on Dec. 31.

Intercontinental managed the hotel for the past 25 years.

"As we approached the completion of the current management contract with Intercontinental, we thoughtfully assessed the alternative opportunities for managing our hotel property entering the new millennium," Jusuf said.

"We feel confident that Discovery Hotels & Resorts' impressive professional skills and commitment will deliver the kind of top quality service that our respected customers expect."

Jusuf said that his company decided to seek an Asia-based hotel operator which could offer the flexibility and service awareness its customers expect.

JIHD, a major property developer, is a major shareholder in Discovery Hotels & Resorts, which was established in Jakarta early this year. The Hotel Borobudur will be the first hotel under Discovery's management.

The recently established hotel operator plans to sign three additional management contracts in Indonesia next year.

Jusuf said the public launch of Discovery Hotels and Resorts in Indonesia, and the formal signing of the hotel management contract and the introduction of the new management, were planned for late January out of respect for the upcoming Christmas, New Year and Ramadhan fasting month.

First opened in 1974, the Borobudur Intercontinental Jakarta was relaunched in November last year after a 22-month, US$70 million renovation program. (gis)