Paradise lost?

Paradise lost?

One should not be ungrateful, especially to those who have
been good to you. So, in writing this, it is not to be ungrateful
but because of a feeling of disappointment and frustration. Why
is that? Because, I think, the prevailing monetary crisis has,
among many other things, also revealed the not so beautiful side
of a paradise; through members of the hotel and tourism
industry's behavior toward customers, especially those living in
Indonesia and thus being hit most by the crisis.

For approximately 30 times in almost six years my wife and I
made the sometimes very exhausting trip to what became our second
home -- Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. One reason why we liked it
there so much was the wonderful service and friendly ambience of
an international hotel at Senggigi, which we always chose for our
stay. Including the relaxing atmosphere of well-sculptured
gardens and magnificent pool area adjacent to the beach.

Having not been to the hotel for a few months, we were in for
a surprise during our recent visit, not a pleasant one though.

True enough, the staff as usual, was very friendly and the
ambience was still there. However, as soon as we decided to have
a snack for lunch after our arrival, and subsequently looking at
the menu, the good feeling of being "back home" rapidly began to
fade. The menu now contained prices in U.S. dollars only and not
exactly modest ones, which were to be calculated, we were told,
according to the prevailing exchange rate.

This would buy you, for instance, a 200-gram steak for more
than Rp 100,000, not to mention the price for wine and cocktails.
The next day, after a round of golf at the nice but not
spectacular Rinjani Golf Club, I was happily informed of the new
price of $70 for one round, about Rp 600,000, which would buy you
10 rounds in Jakarta. Thinking that a massage at the hotel
fitness center might be good for the old bones, I was told that
this would be no problem for a mere Rp 270,000.

And so it continued, with us becoming more and more annoyed
about this "milking" of customers in a time of national crisis.

If I am not mistaken, there is a government decree that
regulates the question of charging in dollars and the exchange
rate to do so. An interesting point is that the staff of the
hotel, as they assured me, do not enjoy salary increases of three
to four times their old income.

Thus, it seems this hotel, and it is not the only one to do
so, apart from having higher expenses for imported foodstuffs,
which are passed on to guests, also probably makes a hefty profit
at the expenses of its staff and customers, and shows, most of
all, an unpleasant amount of insensitivity in times of crisis.

Upon checking out, the surprises continued when we were
presented with a bill that only showed rupiah amounts, although
all the bills we signed during our stay were in dollars. When
asked what rate this bill was based on, which now was not
transparent to us anymore, I learned that, as a matter fact,
various rates were applied for room rates and taxes compared to
food and beverage bills, and not exactly to the customer's
advantage.

Finally, paying cash in dollars, the change due to me could
not be given in dollars, with the excuse that the hotel did not
have any, and so was given at a much lower exchange rate, in
rupiah.

All in all, this time, the amount of annoyance clearly
outweighed the positive experience we always had in the past. And
it can only be hoped that the hotel and tourism industry will
come to its senses soon and be a bit more customer oriented again
instead of complaining about reduced occupancy rates, for which
they seem to be begging the way they act.

ROLAND WOEHRLE

Jakarta