MPR session brings mixed luck to hotels
MPR session brings mixed luck to hotels
JAKARTA (JP): The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Annual
Session, which is slated for Aug. 7 through Aug. 18, will bring
mixed luck to hotel operators in the capital.
Interviewed separately, hotel operators gave varied answers
and expectations over their hotels' occupancy rate during the 12-
day session.
The Assembly secretariat has set aside nearly half of the
session's budget for members' accommodation, Rp 10.6 billion
(US$1.17 million), about 42 percent of the total Rp 25.7 billion
budget.
Two hotels near the MPR compound -- Jakarta Hilton
International Hotel and Mulia Senayan Hotel -- have been booked
to accommodate 695 Assembly members.
Lugiman, a concierge at Hilton Hotel said his hotel was almost
fully booked, with 90 percent of its 600 rooms booked for
Assembly members who will come from all over the country.
"So far, 60 percent of them have checked in at our hotel. We
expect more to check in over the next few days," he said.
"It's a sharp increase compared to our usual occupancy rates
for June and July, which reach about 35 percent," he said.
He said that the hotel was also accommodating another large
group of participants, of the Asia Pacific Consultative Finance
Meeting, organized by Economic and Social Commission for Asia and
the Pacific.
"The conference is ongoing," he said.
"We'll also host the Asian Parliament Union meeting in
September. It must be our harvest time."
Meanwhile, Mulia Hotel was still busy recording its guests.
"I'm sorry sir, I can't give the number of our visitors nor
our occupancy rate now, because we are still working on our
records," a female staffer said.
Other hotels, however, are not enjoying the boom, stating
various occupancy rates.
Kempinski Hotel's public relations director, Uraini Umarjadi,
said her hotel's occupancy rate was slightly lower due to the
session.
"The average occupancy rate in town was above 40 percent for
the past few months. But I think it will drop to 30 to 35 percent
during the MPR session," she said.
"There are fewer reservations during the annual session. But
there are more reservations after the session, starting from the
end of August. We have a good figure until the end of the year,"
added Uraini, while refusing to state the exact figure.
She hinted that there would be an international conference
here during the MPR session.
"This shows guests believe that our country is actually quite
safe," she said.
Uraini said hotels also used another benchmark to assess their
performance, especially due to the economic crisis.
"We've been using room night sales instead of percentages to
assess our performance. And our room night sales are better than
other hotels in town for the last four months," she said.
She said the Kempinski, which is located on Jl. Sudirman, also
operated 241 apartments.
"But the apartments are leased on a long-term basis so the
occupancy rate is not affected by the session," she said.
Similar expectations were aired by Henny Puspitasari, public
relations manager of Sheraton Media Hotel on Jl. Gunung Sahari,
Central Jakarta.
"We only expect a maximum 35 percent occupancy rate during the
annual session.
"It's lower than our average of 46 percent in July, which
coincided with school vacation," she said, adding that guests to
the hotel's restaurants were decreasing at the end of July.
Henny said most of the guests came from Japan, Malaysia,
Singapore, Taiwan and European countries.
"Most of them are in automotive and garment businesses, which
are sensitive to security issues," she said.
"A recent bombing incident also added pressure to our hotel's
occupancy rates," she added.
Henny, however, expected that the condition would be better
after the annual session.
The 586-room Hotel Indonesia (HI), located at the tip of Jl.
Sudirman, Central Jakarta, boasted a stable occupancy rate of 50
percent to 60 percent despite the political uncertainty.
A Hotel Indonesia public relation officer, Kosim, said, "Our
occupancy rate is not affected at all by the annual session.
Perhaps because most of our guests are local residents. Only 20
percent are foreigners."
"The guests aren't afraid of student demonstrations in front
of the HI traffic circle. They even consider it as an attraction
to Indonesian democracy fiesta," he added.
Kosim also said that the students did not pose any threat to
the hotel.
"I'm sure the students understand that the hotel has a
historical background, as it was president Sukarno who
commissioned its construction," he said.
Similarly, assistant front-office manager of Sahid Jaya Hotel
on Jl. Sudirman, Heryadi, said the hotel had an increase in
occupancy over the past three months.
"I can't give you the exact figure as I don't have it. I have
to check it first," he said. (nvn)