Having a son in kindergarten, a toddler and with a third child on the way, 33-year-old employee Maria Yulita and husband Tito Dipokusumo had to rack their brains to ensure all their daily needs were well-fulfilled given that, like most people in Greater Jakarta, their maid had temporarily left the metropolitan city to celebrate the biggest Islam's holiday in her hometown.

Both Maria and Tito agreed that it would be best to spend the holiday at some hotels after celebrating Idul Fitri, which fell on Sunday, at their parents' house.

"As our maid went back to her hometown and I am pregnant, we feel overwhelmed having to take care of our house, while at the same time looking after the children and preparing for Idul Fitri," said Maria, who lives in Ciputat, South Tangerang. "Hence, we decided to stay at hotels after the second day of Idul Fitri [on Monday]."

Maria has booked a room for her family at a hotel in Ancol, North Jakarta, for two days and at another hotel in Bogor, West Java, for another two days.

"Whenever I book a hotel, I not only choose the well-rated ones, but I also check whether it has a swimming pool and if its rooms are big enough for four of us," she explained.

The stay, she further said, will also be a good family experience, in which she and Tito can spend most of their time with their children, while also pampering themselves with the hotels' facilities. They are spending Rp 2.8 million (US$210) for the hotel costs alone.

Meanwhile, Marisi Dameria Hutajulu annually books a hotel for her and her family during Idul Fitri in hopes that they can enjoy their holiday together in a convenient environment.

"During Idul Fitri eve, it is always noisy at my neighborhood — not because of takbir [chanting to praise to Allah], but because children light up firecrackers all night long," said the 53-year old mother of four living in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta.

However, considering that such an event only happens once a year to ring in the religious day, Dameria and her family, who do not celebrate Idul Fitri, choose not to be bothered by the issue.

Instead, every year they prefer to stay in a hotel for three days with their extended family from Idul Fitri eve onward.

This year, she said, she actually planned to stay with 14 family members at a hotel in Gunung Sahari, Central Jakarta, but it was canceled due to a family issue.

Mudik, the phenomenon in which Muslims, including housemaids, go back to their hometowns has apparently benefitted hotels in Greater Jakarta, including The Dharmawangsa Jakarta, South Jakarta.

"Usually, during Idul Fitri, our guests are from Jakarta. [...] The maids' homebound exodus brings [financial] blessing [to the hotel]," conceded the hotel's spokeswoman Lira Dachlan. 

The hotel even provides special offers to lure prospective families, such as a special room program in which guests get a 15 percent discount on laundry services, spa facilities and food and beverages.

Room rates start from Rp 2.5 million.

The hotel also provides shuttle buses from and to the hotel and nearby shopping malls.

Similarly, Jayakarta Hotels and Resorts — particularly those in Jakarta — welcome more personal guests than groups during Idul Fitri, said its president director, Aswin Dhanu.

"Forty-five percent of guests coming to our hotels [in Jakarta] are those temporarily left by their maids," he said, adding that in the same period, occupancy rate of the company's chains in Yogyakarta, Bali and Bandung in West Java reach 90 percent.

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