Mulia Senayan looking to shed shoddy image

Mulia Senayan looking to shed shoddy image

By John Aglionby

JAKARTA (JP): It has gone up quicker than you can say "19th
SEA Games athletes village", there have been two fires and only
last week water was still dripping through the ceiling into the
lobby. But does the Hotel Mulia Senayan really deserve the bad
publicity it has received?

"Admittedly from the outside the impression you get is just of
a huge bloody block, but it's when you come inside that you
notice there's much more to it than that," says general manager
Bruno Dedual.

What that "much more" is, and how the misfortunes of the last
six months will be wiped from people's memories, is not yet
apparent, and Dedual, a veteran of 46 years in the hotel industry
is the first to admit it.

"In the last six months the emphasis has very much been on the
construction and the administrative side ... was not the
priority. The priority was to get the building up and fitted out.

"So I have had to pick up the pieces and try to find the
philosophy for the hotel, where we go from here, what do we do
after the SEA Games, what level do we come in at."

The philosophy seems simple enough; fill the 1,008 rooms and
seven restaurants and provide a home away from home. Achieving it
is the million dollar question.

Or perhaps that should be $89++ question, as that is the
price for the regular rooms. And Dedual believes it will stand
the hotel in good stead opening with the big bang of the Games.

"It's much better to get hit really hard because it then all
falls into place much faster. People will have to make decisions,
people will have to react to circumstances and carry on. And
after that everything is just smooth sailing."

Part of the reacting to circumstances is that Dedual firmly
believes in the 2.007 staff taking their fair share of
responsibility.

"We should be a friend to the customer and not shy away from
them. And more importantly if we make a commitment to do
something for the customer we must see it through personally and
not push it on to somebody else."

During the SEA Games, about 875 rooms will be filled and
thereafter Dedual is looking for 67.5 percent occupancy. "We will
hold our price for as long as possible," he said.

He believes that the location, not being right in the middle
of the business district, will be an advantage in the long term.

"Yes we're not on Sudirman, which everyone considers as the
main drag, but in Jakarta walking distance, per se, is not
important as no one walks anywhere.

"Not only are we just as close to much of Sudirman as say the
Grand Hyatt, our part of the city is not overly busy, there's a
lot of greenery and it is mainly residential. It's nice to be in
a place like that, rather than stuck between skyscrapers."

And, if the haze clears, guests staying on the top (40th)
floor will have the best hotel-room view in the city. The
question is, will 675 people want to see it every day ...?