New hotel to open in Medan

New hotel to open in Medan

JAKARTA (JP): A new three-star hotel will open in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, to anticipate the rapid growth of the province's tourism industry and commerce.

The 163-room hotel, called Emerald Garden International, is located on Jl. Yos Sudarso, which is near the city's business and commercial centers.

Emerald's spokesperson, Emilia Embunsari, said yesterday that the 10-story hotel targets regional business travelers as its customers.

She said the owner of the hotel, PT Mujur Likalestari, invested US$15 million for the property.

The new hotel will start trial operations on Dec. 15, before its official opening early next year.

Only a few star-rated hotels currently operate in Medan, including Tiara, Garuda Plaza and Natour Dharma Deli. International chain hotels Best Western, Ibis and Novotel will open in the city next year. Other chains, such as Sedona and Radisson, also plan to operate hotels in Medan.

The length of foreign tourists' stays in Medan reached an average of only 2.3 days in 1994, far lower than 11 days nationally.

Last year Indonesia saw more than four million foreign tourist arrivals, of which more than half entered Indonesia through airports in Jakarta, Bali and Batam. Approximately 185,000 came through the Polonia airport in Medan. (icn)