Minister Joop Ave opens 5-star Gran Melia Jakarta

Minister Joop Ave opens 5-star Gran Melia Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): Spanish hotel chain Sol Melia's first grade
hotel in Asia, Gran Melia Jakarta, has become fully operational.

The five-star hotel, located in the prime diplomatic and
business district of Kuningan, South Jakarta, was officially
opened Tuesday by the Minister of Tourism, Post and
Telecommunications Joop Ave.

The 428-room hotel had its soft opening last July.

Hotel marketing director Rosmalia Hardman said the Gran Melia
name has been assigned to only four of Sol Melia's 205 properties
worldwide. These include two properties in Spain, Gran Melia don
Pepe and Gran Bahia del Duque, and one in Mexico, Gran Melia
Cancun.

The premium name was only awarded to select hotels which meet
stringent criteria, she said.

The hotels should have the highest-standard service, excellent
architectural design and facilities. They should be also located
in the center of a major international city or first-class
tourist destination.

"Gran Melia Jakarta is such a product. Its uniqueness is not
only in its architectural design, with its spectacular atrium
lobby, but also in the meticulous detail paid to the interior
design and fittings of each guestroom," she told a press
conference before Tuesday's grand opening ceremony.

The hotel's architecture was designed by renowned Spanish
architect Emilio Nadal. Sol Melia invested $102 million in the
hotel.

"We primarily target business travelers," Rosmalia said.

The hotel has 60 executive rooms and suites, called Servicio
Real, designed for businessmen with rates between US$270 and
$450.

Servicio's guests have access to express check-in and check-
out services, a private fax machine, a complimentary daily
American buffet breakfast, free use of private meeting rooms for
the first three hours and a round-the-clock executive lounge.

The hotel serves a variety of cuisines, including Japanese
food at the Krishima Japanese Restaurant, Cantonese food at the
Tien Chao Chinese Restaurant, international food at the
round-the-clock Cafe Gran Via and South European cuisine at the
Columbus dining restaurant.

Other facilities which are open 24 hours are a business center
and fitness center.

"We are the first hotel in town to open 24 hours. We are
opened round-the-clock so that business people who arrive late at
night can still clear away their jetlag," hotel district sales
manager Naomi Sihombing said.

The hotel also has a pillarless Mutiara ballroom which can
accommodate 2,200 guests.

Rosmalia said the hotel's occupancy rate last year was 51
percent and she projected an occupancy rate of between 61 percent
and 62 percent this year.

Sol Melia, Spain's top hotel group, has a portfolio of 205
city and resort hotels in 25 countries under the brand names of
Melia, Sol, and Paradisus Hotels and Resorts.

In Indonesia, Sol Melia already operates hotels like Melia
Bali, Melia Benoa, Sol Inn Legian Bali, Sol Elite Marbella in
Anyer, West Java, Melia Purosani Yogyakarta, Melia Comfort Pusako
Bukittinggi in West Sumatra and Melia Panorama Batam in Riau. It
plans to open Sol Elite Bintan in Riau this year. (jsk)