Jiranku Indonesia III

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I was in Jakarta from 4-6 November 2008 with my wife and Maryam. This is my second trip to Jakarta. My wife wanted to shopping at the big Tanah Abang biggest textile market in Southeast Asia) together with her mom and her sister, so I thought that it would be better if there is a man to accompany the trip. We stayed at Millennium Hotel, which is within walking distance to Tanah Abang.

When we arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, we saw a travel agent kiosk selling hotel rooms at discounted rate. Since we didn't check the rate online, we have no idea what is the actual rate for Millennium Hotel. We decided to purchase one night accommodation only for Rp500,000, and later we'll compare the rate at the hotel itself.

The security at the hotel was strict. The security personnel firstly checked our taxi's boot before allowing us to enter the hotel's area. We had to line up and enter the lobby through a security gate.

The actual rate offered by the hotel was Rp 780,000, a lot higher than the rate offered at the airport. Since we'll be staying for two nights, we need to extend our accommodation for one more night. However, going back to the airport to purchase another extra night accommodation seems to be unwise. While we were still discussing whether to go back to the airport or just pay the extra price, the receptionist himself gave us the agent's phone number and told us to call the agent if we still want to pay the discounted rate. We were very surprised! I don't think this thing will happen in Malaysia. No way, this is your opportunity to make easy money.

We called the travel agency, and they agreed to pay for our extra accommodation at the same rate they offered at the airport, and their agent will come tomorrow morning to collect the money from us. Even until now I still have no idea why the receptionist offered this help to us in the first place. The hotel could still make profit if they charged us a bit higher than the travel agent.

We enjoyed our stay at Millennium Hotel. The breakfast was marvellous. Once Maryam vomitted at 6:00 a.m., and we had no choice but to ask for housekeeping service soonest. Immediately the person in charge came and tidy up our room. One more thing, after 7:00 p.m., everything at the bakery are sold at 50% discount.