Two new Sheraton hotels to open their doors soon

JAKARTA (JP): ITT Sheraton, a leading five-star international hotel chain in the country, will open two more hotels in Yogyakarta, Central Java, and Bogor, West Java this year as part of its massive expansion program.

The Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta is scheduled for soft opening next month, while the Sheraton Bukit Pelangi in Bogor will be opened by the end of the year.

Bruce McKenzie, the vice president of ITT Sheraton Asia Pacific and the manager of ITT Sheraton Indonesia, said his company targeted to have a network of 15 five-star hotels in the country by the year 2000.

ITT Sheraton now operates hotels in Surabaya (East Java), Bandung (West Java), Timika (Irian Jaya), Lampung (South Sumatra), Solo (Central Java), Lombok island, as well as two hotels in both Jakarta and Bali.

The chain also manages the Bali International Convention Center.

"Indonesia has a tremendous potential as one of the main focus areas for development of hotels and resorts," McKenzie said.

The corporation is also currently undergoing refurbishment programs at hotels in Bandung, Senggigi Beach and Nusa Dua (Bali), and Lombok island, he said.

The refurbishment program is aimed at improving the quality standard of the hotels' guest service, he said.

The program focuses on improving the skills of the hotels' staff through intensive training such as management diploma courses through Australia's Bond University, and other specialized training, he said.

The training programs extend to all personnel from those who look after the customers to those who support the front line employees, he said.

"We have a long-standing commitment to the importance of professional training of our employees," he said.

ITT Sheraton corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of ITT Corporation now owns, leases, manages and franchises nearly 420 upscale and midscale hotels and resorts in 62 countries.

Thirty-six of the properties are located in 12 Asian countries, with 14 properties in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, totaling 16,000 rooms in the Asia-Pacific region. (02)