Year-end fun, festivities at Jakarta hotels

JAKARTA (JP): Star-rated hotels in the capital are again busy offering special room, food and entertainment packages to woo Jakartans and holidaymakers observing the upcoming Christmas, Idul Fitri and New Year's Eve festivities.

Some hotels, such as Hotel Mulia Senayan, Gran Melia, Grand Mahakam, and Shangri-La, are focusing their activities more on New Year's Eve, offering shows performed by local and foreign entertainers.

Many others are concentrating on selling specially designed celebration meal packages for Christmas and Idul Fitri at their cafes or restaurants, which have been decorated in the respective themes.

Contacted separately by The Jakarta Post on Sunday, some of the hotels' staff said some of the packages have been booked since last week.

Three major holidays fall very close to each other this year. After Christmas, on Monday, Dec. 25, Muslims in the country observe the post-Ramadhan fasting month holiday of Idul Fitri two days later, on Dec. 26 and Dec. 27. And four days later, the city -- like all people around the world -- will celebrate New Year's Eve on Dec. 31.

Five-star Hotel Mulia Senayan is offering a special New Year's Eve gala dinner that includes a show by legendary U.S. pop group The Temptation.

A reservation staffer at the hotel said, "We are offering a special dinner buffet priced at Rp 1.2 million (US$127) plus-plus (++ for government tax and service) per person. The dinner will start at 7:30 p.m. and will last until 2 a.m. on New Year's Day."

For a reservation, the staffer said, people should come straight to the hotel and pay in full to obtain seats.

"We have 750 seats for the venue but most of them have been booked," she said.

For Christmas and Idul Fitri, the hotel is offering buffet- meal packages at its seven outlets serving Italian, Japanese or Chinese food, with prices varying between Rp 78,000++ and Rp 248,000++ per person.

Gran Melia Hotel, Jl. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta, is offering a special New Year's Eve dinner buffet with the Amigos band, famous artist Tata Dado and emceed by Ferdy Hasan for Rp 650,000++ per person at the Cafe Gran Via.

Gran Melia's reservation staffer, Lia, said, "For Christmas we have dinner at Rp 150,000++ per person on Dec. 24 and Christmas brunch at Rp 120,000++ on Dec. 25, also at the cafe.

"At our Chinese restaurant, Tien Chao, we have a Christmas set menu for Rp 180,000++ per person."

To make a reservation, people must pay a 50 percent deposit.

The hotel offers no packages for Idul Fitri.

A children's choir and Santa Claus are expected to enliven Christmas Day brunch at Grand Mahakam Hotel, Jl. Mahakam I, South Jakarta. The brunch has been set at Rp 98,000++ for adults and Rp 52,000++ for children.

Grand Mahakam marketing staffer, Widi, said, "For Christmas dinner we have a special package for Rp 108,000++ per person, and Rp 62,000++ per person for the 24th. The dinner starts at 7 p.m. until 11 p.m."

For Idul Fitri, the hotel is offering a buffet lunch and dinner priced at Rp 98,000++ for adults and Rp 52,000++ for children. A New Year's Day brunch is also offered at the same price.

"For New Year's Eve we are serving a special buffet with wine for Rp 228,000++ for adults and Rp 118,000++ for children," she added.

Anyone willing to dress Arabian style for New Year's Eve can book a seat at the Shangri-La Hotel, as the hotel is holding a special event dubbed "1001 Nights with 2001 style" with MTV's VJ Shanty, at the hotel's lobby lounge.

The buffet dinner is priced at Rp 750,000++ per person.(dja)