State-owned hotels get new GMs

JAKARTA (JP): PT Hotel Indonesia International Corporation and Natour (HIIN), a state-owned hotel chain, restructured its organization yesterday by appointing new general managers for seven of its 17 hotels.

The company's president, Widjaja Sugarda, swore in Ismojo Martokusumo as general manager of Hotel Indonesia, a five-star hotel in the capital, to replace I Made Gita, who has been promoted as operation director of the company.

Together with 25 other executives, Putu Darma Suta was sworn in as general manager of Hotel Wisata International, a three-star hotel located behind Hotel Indonesia.

I Gede Arianta was appointed to lead Hotel Ambarukmo in Yogyakarta, Thalib Rizal to lead the Samudra Beach Hotel in Pelabuhan Ratu, West Java, A.J. Soegianto to lead the Manado Beach Hotel in Manado, North Sulawesi, M. Abbas Yoenoes to lead the Natour Garuda Hotel in Yogyakarta and AA. Mas Widyawati to lead the Natour Kuta Beach Hotel in Bali.

Widjaja also swore in Iskandar Zulkarnain as general manager for the company's catering division, Natour Catering.

HIIN is a merger of two state-owned hotel companies, PT Hotel Indonesia International and PT Natour.

HIIN's chief commissioner, Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, said yesterday that the company is now facing various problems -- particularly the old age of its hotels -- in competing with other hotels in the country.

The company, therefore, plans to improve its management and to renovate its aging hotels to increase it's level of competitiveness.

According to Widjaja, the company will need about Rp 300 billion (US$138.8 million) for the refurbishment of 15 of its hotels.

He said HIIN also plans to construct six 50-room hotels in Kupang and Flores in East Nusa Tenggara, Biak and Jayapura in Irian Jaya, Tarakan in East Kalimantan and Ambon in Maluku.(icn)