ACCOR has launched a Bahasa Indonesia version of its ibis.com portal, following the success of the Indonesian-language version of Accor.com a couple of years ago.
Accor Malaysia-Indonesia-Singapore regional director of sales, marketing and distribution, Adi Satria, said with more than 100 million Internet users and 37 per cent Internet penetration in Indonesia, the country was important for the digitial potential it offered.
“(An Accor) survey conducted in 2012 also showed that more than half of Indonesian travellers like to book hotels online, be it through the hotel website (27 per cent) or through OTAs (28 per cent). Therefore, web portals have a significant role in distribution and customer loyalty,” he said.
Asked what percentage of ibis hotel rooms were booked through ibis’ Internet and other web-based channels, Adi said the rates differed between destinations.
“In Bali, it is 30-40 per cent; in Bandung, 25-30 per cent; and in Jakarta, about 20 per cent. With the Bahasa Indonesia portal, we expect an increase of 40-50 per cent (in online bookings) for the overall (ibis) network,” he shared.
In the meantime, Adi said the repositioning of the ibis family brand in Indonesia was on track. Following the brand conversion of Accor’s economy chains in Indonesia ibis properties, the hotel group is now upgrading its infrastructure to reflect its new stance.
Separately, Angkasa Pura Hotels yesterday announced the opening of the 144-room ibis budget Surabaya Airport, the first ibis budget brand property in the country and the first airport hotel under Angkasa Pura Hotels.
Angkasa Pura Hotels is a subsidiary of Indonesia’s airport authority, Angkasa Pura Airports, which is venturing into the hospitality industry by opening airport hotels (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 21, 2013).
The next Angkasa Pura Hotels property to be managed by Accor as well is the ibis budget Makassar Airport, which will open in 2014 with 121 rooms.
