Special holiday packages for hotel guests

T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta

If you open an old English dictionary and take a look at the meaning of the word "hotel", you will see that it more or less means a building where travelers get meals and lodging.

But along with the development of the hotel industry, a newer edition may explain that hotels also provide entertainment and various personal services for the public.

In order to make guests feel at home, hotels offer delicious food and comfortable rooms with various facilities, from a mini- bars to direct-line telephones that can be connected to the Internet. Star-rated hotels may have several restaurants, cafes, bars, meeting rooms and a ballroom, as well as a gymnasium or even a spa center.

Hotels are more that just a place to serve travelers. Seminars, conferences, birthday parties, wedding receptions, fashion shows and musical concerts often take place in hotels. Many people come to a hotel to have lunch or dinner in the restaurant, to exercise in the sports center, to have a drink and enjoy the music in the cafe, or just to hang around.

During holiday seasons, as in the upcoming year-end holiday, hotels will usually arrange special packages for their guests.

"In general, the year-end holiday will see more locals, especially those from Jakarta," said Hana Hoed, public relations manager of Gran Melia, the majority of whose guests are expatriates from Asia-based multi-national companies.

She said that there is a change in the occupancy trend during the year-end because most of their frequent guests go home to celebrate the Christmas and New Year in their own country.

At Hotel Nikko Jakarta, the majority of guests are Japanese, but it is expecting more domestic guests during the holiday, especially on New Year's Eve.

"There is a high demand from domestic guests to spend New Year's Eve at our hotel, as seen from the room reservations that we receive every day," said Sugeng Purnomo, the hotel's Assistant Public Relations Manager.

Many Jakartans stay in the city's hotels during the holiday to experience a different atmosphere, to get relaxed and entertained.

Special room packages in rupiah, instead of dollars, are offered by hotels to attract guests. Most of offers are valid only for Indonesians and expatriates who hold temporary stay cards (KITAS). Lavish dinners at Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve are available at the hotels' restaurants with special menus and live entertainment.

JW Marriot Hotel offers a special Christmas room package from Dec. 24 through Dec. 26. The rate starts from Rp 780,000 (plus tax and service) per night for a deluxe room.

Shangri-La hotels offer a room rate of between Rp 898,000 and Rp 1.5 million per night from Dec. 15 through Jan. 2.

For Christmas, the hotel offers its exclusive presidential suite Christmas package for Rp 11.65 million, including Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner for four persons in either the Margaux or Nadaman restaurant.

The room package for Christmas celebration from Dec. 24 through Dec. 26 for Hotel Borobudur's Superior Room is Rp 588,000 for two persons. The rate for the Junior Suite is Rp 999,999, the Deluxe Room is Rp 1.24 million and the Club Suite Rp 1.74 million.

As for New Year, a package that is inclusive of dinner at Bruschetta Italian Restaurant for two persons and breakfast at Bogor Cafe costs Rp 2.19 million for the Deluxe Room, and Rp 2.79 million for the Club Suite.

Hotel Nikko Jakarta offers room packages starting from Rp 700,000 per night with a minimum stay of three nights with a bonus free fourth night. New Year's Eve room rate at Sari Pacific is between Rp 850,000 and Rp 1.45 million.

Top singers - locals and foreign - are ready to entertain guests during New Year's Eve parties at many hotels.

Internationally acclaimed singer Peabo Bryson will mesmerize the audience with his golden voice at Hotel Mulia during the New Year's Eve.

Guests will enjoy a show following a special dinner in the Grand Ballroom. Kuh Ledesma from the Philippines and Aminoto Kosin are also scheduled to perform during the night.

Tickets for the gala dinner cost Rp 3.3 million each, and anyone who books two tickets will receive a 10 percent discount on one New Year room package.

The New Year room package is offered from Dec. 29 through Jan. 4 with minimum two-night stay with two nights going for around Rp 3 million.

Big fans of Indonesian pop diva Krisdayanti should not miss her show at the Mutiara Ballroom of Gran Melia at the gala dinner during New Year's Eve. She is expected to make the night a special one giving the audience an unforgettable memory to welcome the New Year. The exclusive dinner for VIPs is Rp 1.5 million per person, and for VVIP cost is Rp 2 million per person.

The hotel offers a room and dinner package for Rp 3.8 million for two persons, while the room-only package starts from Rp 950,000++ for two persons.

Heidi Yunus and Rita Effendy will perform at the New Year's Eve dinner at Le Gran Cafe of Gran Mahakam. Tickets for the dinner are available for Rp 848,000. From Dec. 30 through Jan. 2, 2005, the hotel offers a special package for deluxe rooms of Rp 898,000 per room per night, or Rp 798,000 per night with minimum stay of two nights.

Based on their experience, all hotels expect to enjoy a robust business during the year-end festivities with occupancy rates reaching 100 percent.

"Usually, December sees an increase (in the number of guests), especially on New Year's Eve when rooms are fully booked. We hope that we will reach our target of a 100 percent occupancy rate," said Lira Dachlan, marketing communications manager of Gran Mahakam.

"On New Year's Eve, guests are mostly locals, especially families," she added.

The Crowne Plaza Jakarta hotel will also offer a special holiday package for its guests celebrating Christmas and welcoming the coming of the new year.

"Our chef and his team will, for example, be preparing traditional roast Turkey with all the trimmings on Christmas Eve in our Branda Cafe," said Tati Haryo of Crowne Plaza's Marketing Department.

Tati said that for New Year's Eve, the hotel would use Latin Carnaval as the theme of the celebration featuring El-Caballo, the best Latin band in the capital that will perform in the hotel's lobby.