With an expanding hotel portfolio and strong domestic bookings for its properties in Indonesia, RedDoorz is claiming victory against the Covid-19 pandemic and remains upbeat about tourism prospects.
The budget accommodation group’s general manager – Indonesia, Mohit Gandas, told TTG Asia in an interview that there has been more than 100 hotels joining the network every month.
There are presently more than 1,400 RedDoorz properties across at least 120 Indonesian cities.
“We are pleased to see the growing supply and footprint our team is able to acquire and retain in Indonesia, especially amidst the global pandemic,” Mohit said.
Room demand has also picked up following the Indonesian government’s decision to ease movement restrictions and facilitate economic recovery, although it has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.
However, with the domestic market being RedDoorz’s traditional leading source of business, Mohit is optimistic that local bookings will pave a firm path to recovery.
“We foresee the post-Covid-19 budget accommodation business to be dominated by domestic travel – especially in Indonesia, which has always been the biggest market for us,” he said. “Before Covid-19, close to 90 per cent of our demand came from the domestic market. As such, we anticipate an enormous potential for the budget stays in Indonesia once all travels resume.”
Mohit observes that Indonesians are eager and willing to travel, and are open to alternative accommodation as long as “they are reassured on the health and safety protocols”.
“Since we launched our HygienePass initiative, we have been seeing a rise in demand for our properties that are HygienePass-certified. The 400-plus HygienePass-certified properties that we have currently are the first to see more than 100 per cent increase in occupancy rates, as compared to the non-certified properties,” he shared.
Despite being a budget accommodation specialist, Mohit asserted that RedDoorz abides by a strict health and safety standards not unlike that of higher categories of hotels.
RedDoorz HygienePass certification programme is done in collaboration with Ikatan Ahli Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia (IAKMI), the Indonesian public health association.
Properties participating in the programme must go through two separate, comprehensive audits by RedDoorz and IAKMI in order to obtain certification. The first audit uses RedDoorz’s proprietary digital technology solution developed specifically for HygienePass, enabling key elements of the audit and certification process to be implemented digitally. IAKMI then independently assesses each establishment before awarding the HygienePass certifications.
Mohit said that the programme was inspired by the Singapore government’s SG Clean certification, which rallied stakeholders, businesses, and the public to adopt good sanitation standards and hygiene practices.
“As Singapore is known for its industry-leading practices, we wanted to bring the same standards of hotel sanitation and hygiene measures to our other markets to help boost consumer confidence,” he said.
