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)