Sheraton hotel opens in Surabaya
Sheraton hotel opens in Surabaya
JAKARTA (JP): One more international hotel chain has begun operation in Surabaya, East Java, as the city shows significant growth in the economy, including the tourism industry.
The most recent international hotel management firm to open in Surabaya is the American ITT Sheraton with its 24-story hotel, called Sheraton Surabaya Hotel and Towers.
The new hotel was officially opened by Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave on Friday evening.
"The development of international-class hotels in Surabaya correlates with the rapid growth of the city, especially in its trade and tourism sectors," Joop said.
The minister also said international hotels in Surabaya will be the pride of the city's residents as "the facilities can accommodate more tourists and international events and conferences".
The new hotel is prepared for several major activities of the ASEAN Tourism Forum, which was officially opened yesterday. The annual tourism event of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will end on Friday.
Besides the new Sheraton, Surabaya already has at least six international hotel chains in operation, namely Radisson Mandarin, Novotel, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Westin and Hilton. Official data show that there are currently 3,638 hotel-rooms available in the city.
A number of other international chains, including the United States-based Clarion and Australia's Southern Pacific, have expressed an interest to run hotels in the city.
Owner
Sheraton Surabaya is owned by PT Pakuwon Jati, a publicly- listed property development company. Pakuwon, the operator of the popular retail center Tunjungan Plaza in the East Java capital, invested at least US$85.6 million in the new hotel.
The 316-room hotel, equipped with 54 apartments, is located on Jl. Embong Malang in the center of Surabaya.
In addition to the new hotel in Surabaya, Sheraton is currently managing seven properties in the country, located in Lampung, Bandung in West Java, Nusa Dua in Bali, Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara and Timika in Irian Jaya.
The Boston-based Sheraton also plans to manage at least eight new hotels in Jakarta, Surakarta in Central Java, Medan in North Sumatra, Manado in North Sulawesi and Bogor in West Java. (icn)