BEST Western International has soft launched its 129-room Best Western OJ Hotel Malang, marking the first of more openings to come in East Java.
A two-hour’s drive from Surabaya, the hotel is expecting to grab a slice of the growing corporate and leisure pie Malang is enjoying, thanks to the expansion of the regional and national economy.
Best Western OJ Hotel Malang general manager, Agus Anom Suroto, said: “Malang is a tourist destination (part of Java overland tours and as a weekend getaway from Surabaya) and education city (due to the number of prominent universities) with a growing (corporate) MICE scene.
“These are the markets we are after, balancing the leisure and corporate segments, and we are expecting to reach 60 per cent occupancy in the next six months.”
The hotel is located in Malang city centre, 25 minutes from the airport, and has four room categories, five meeting rooms seating between 50 and 320 seats theatre-style, an indoor swimming pool, restaurant, lounge and free Wi-Fi throughout the entire hotel’s premises.
A roof top café with indoor and outdoor spaces is under construction and expected to be ready next month, offering views of Malang city and the surrounding volcanoes of Semeru, Arjuna and Panderman.
The hotel’s introductory rate starts from Rp360,000 (US$37) per room per night, including breakfast for two.
Hotel owner Mintarjo said some Rp100 billion had been invested into the hotel, including the cost of land.
In the meantime, Best Western International’s area development office Indonesia corporate general manager-new property, Adrianus Pangarso, said another hotel was under construction in Surabaya for completion by end-2014.
The area development office was also looking at Madium, Bojonegoro and Tulung Agung for expansion in East Java.
