Jakarta hotels, such as JW Marriott Jakarta and Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Mega Kuningan, in South Jakarta and The Sultan Hotel & Residence Jakarta in Central Jakarta, are now offering special room rates for the upcoming holiday.

JW Marriott Jakarta, for instance, has come up with a special room rate starting from Rp 925,000 (US$63) for a stay period between Oct. 28 to 31.

Meanwhile, Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Mega Kuningan, is offering special rates starting from Rp 1.13 million for a similar stay period.

As for The Sultan Hotel & Residence Jakarta, the property is also offering a special room rate with a starting price of Rp 900,000.

The Sultan Hotel & Residence Jakarta marketing communications manager Indira Puliraja told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that they did not expect to see a significant increase in guests for the upcoming long weekend, saying that the hotel occupancy rate had been slowly picking up since the reintroduction of the transitional large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) last week.

“Between Oct. 15 and 25, the occupancy rate has reached 30 percent. However, the occupancy rate for the upcoming long weekend is still below that number,” she added, saying that the special room rates were among the efforts to increase the number of guests staying in the hotel. 

Read also: Jokowi calls for caution amid concerns over COVID-19 case spike during long weekend

Health and safety protocols are among the main concern for hotel guests.

Discussing the measures to curb the potential spike in COVID-19 cases during the long weekend, Indira said that the hotel had been following the recommended protocols, such as conducting body temperature screening tests for both guests and staff members, practicing social distancing in all areas and more.

“The swimming pool is currently closed and we have turned our buffet breakfast to bento boxes,” she said, explaining some of the changes made in the hotel following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Adeza Hamzah, the cluster director for The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Mega Kuningan and JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta, also shared that they had been implementing the health and safety protocols since the hotels reopened in July and limiting occupancy to 60 percent. 

“With or without a spike in hotel occupancy, we will always maximize the health and safety protocols,” he said.

Amithya Hotels and Resorts CEO Rucita Permatasari said in a virtual talk show hosted by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) on Tuesday, that all the properties managed by the group practiced similar measures.

However, for the upcoming long weekend, the hotels have arranged the lobby areas and provided spaces between chairs, allowing guests to practice social distancing while checking in.

The government has been anticipating a possible spike in COVID-19 cases across the country throughout the long stretch of national holidays later this month.

Home Minister Tito Karnavian has encouraged the public to spend the next long weekend at home amid concerns over a potential spike in COVID-19 cases during the holidays. He advised against traveling to other regions and visiting popular tourist destinations to prevent further transmission of the deadly coronavirus throughout the long weekend. (jes)

Editor’s note: This article is part of a public campaign by the COVID-19 task force to raise people’s awareness about the pandemic.

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