Public relations: Exciting jobs but quite challenging

T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta

The phone kept ringing. Dozens of different people called her, asking the same questions. The woman was stressed, tired and weary, but she tried her best to keep calm and answer the questions patiently.

"That's the consequence of my job," Mellani Solagratia, the public relations manager of the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, said as she recalled the frantic moments surrounding the Aug. 5, 2003, bombing at the hotel.

The bombing, which took place during lunchtime and killed several people, including a security guard and a taxi driver, forced the hotel to close for more than a month.

Mellani, who was assigned to handle the press, had to answer the endlessly ringing phone and talk to both local and foreign journalists from around the world, who asked the same things. Despite being stressed and exhausted, she picked up the phone and answered every question without complaint.

"We tried to please them, even though we were also victims," she said.

Public relations or communications officers indeed play an important role in shaping the image of a hotel. They are the ones who speak for the management to explain any problems or incidents, in a way should also serve to market a hotel and put it in the best possible light.

"Public relations helps establish and reinforce corporate and brand values and image, and to a certain extent influences customer choices, trust and loyalty," said Mellani, a graduate of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology who majored in professional communication.

The PR manager from Sari Pan Pacific, Els Ramadhinta, the marketing and communications manager of the Gran Mahakam, Lira Dachlan, and Sari Priskila, a PR officer from the Hotel Borobudur, agreed, saying their jobs required them to be able to communicate well with both the public and the management in good times and bad.

"This is a hard job, but I enjoy it very much," said Els, who has enjoyed meeting new people and talking to them since she was young.

"Since I was a child, I dreamed of working in the hospitality industry ... I always dreamed of working in a hotel, in an environment which, in my opinion, is always positive, friendly, clean and in order ... which encourages us to think positively," she said.

As for Lira, she enjoys her job due to its challenges and the variety of the work she does, which requires much creativity.

"The job is dynamic, it takes a lot of energy and mobility. It is a combination of administrative and operational work that allows us to meet many people with different backgrounds, from journalists to diplomats," said Lira.

Like office employees, PR officers basically start working from the morning until late in the afternoon. But there are times when they must stay until late at night, such as when they have to attend a gathering or a meeting at the hotel. And while most civil servants and private employees are on holiday, they often must work.

"It's difficult to get a vacation on a national holiday because there are always events that we have to handle. On Christmas, New Year's, Easter and Idul Fitri we are really busy," Sari said.

Hotels enjoy robust business at different times, depending on their nature. As business hotels, the JW Marriott and Sari Pan Pacific, for example, have more guests on weekdays than weekends.

A boutique business hotel, the Gran Mahakam usually has many guests from February until ahead of Ramadhan, while during Ramadhan and in the first week of December business is rather slow.

But business can be sluggish at unexpected times as the occupancy rate is very much affected by certain conditions, especially security.

Last year, when news about SARS spread around the world, many industries, including the tourist and hotel industry, suffered greatly. Hotels in Jakarta experienced bad times as many people were afraid to travel for fear of the disease.

SARS is no longer a major issue here, but security remains a major concern for hoteliers in the country. During the recent political campaign, hotels' occupancy rates dropped slightly, apparently because people were concerned that the campaign could turn violent.

In 1995, the hotel industry was thriving. But that changed following the 1998 May riots and the economic crisis. The problems became worse due to the poor security situation, marked by a series of bombings that rocked Jakarta.

"As time goes by, the hotel business has started to recover even though it is not as good as the past .... Fortunately, the market for hotels is still there even though supply is higher than demand," Lira said.

During the gloomy days, the hotels made the best of every chance to attract guests by organizing events or offering special packages. They also tried to turn threats into opportunities.

"Because of the security situation, which is not that good now, we make security a key of our sales, as we always try to make the guests feel safe in our hotel," Els said.

She said that she sometimes worried when facing a crisis, but she regarded it as a challenge to prove that she could do the best for her company in solving problems.

"Sometimes I make mistakes, but I learn from my mistakes and that becomes my reference to perform better," Els said.