Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott ready to reopen soon: Association

Less than a week after deadly twin bombings rocked the capital, international hotels are taking measures to salvage their business.

The Jakarta International Hotels Association (JIHA) said Wednesday the two bombed hotels, the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott in Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, were ready to reopen soon.

JIHA chairman Poul Bitsch said at the media center at the Bellagio Mega Kuningan that the decision to stay in operation in Jakarta was a rational one.

He was quoted as saying by vivanews.com that business must go on and business players should not be afraid when faced with a tragedy like the bombings.

Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik added the government had agreed to allocate Rp 94 billion (US$9.3 million) for the ministry's tourism recovery program.

Friday's bombings of the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott have spooked many tourists and business travelers from visiting Indonesia.

As of Sunday, the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association said 2,000 foreign tourists had cancelled their plans to visit Indonesia in August, due to security concerns.

The JIHA reported all five- and four-star hotels in Jakarta had seen an average 10 percent decline in occupancy rates since the bombings.

Hanny Wahyuni, the PR director at the Hotel Indonesia Kempinski in Central Jakarta, confirmed there had been a drop, saying the newly opened hotel had seen its occupancy rate fall from 35 to 25 percent.

"Some of our guests have postponed their visits to Jakarta since Friday's bombings," she told The Jakarta Post.

Adeza Hamzah, communications manager at the Hotel Mulia in Senayan, Central Jakarta, said that although it was doing business as usual, it was now running more careful security checks to ensure the safety of guests.

Ratna Idris, communications director at the Shangri-La Hotel, concurred, adding she hoped all guests would cooperate with the hotel's security services during checks.

"They have to understand that the security check is actually aimed at guaranteeing their safety and that of the entire hotel," she said.