Bali Millis Preview and Information: Re: [bali-bali] Re: St. Regis Slammed Over Butlersâ€™ Western Names

Rabu, 03 Februari 2010

Re: [bali-bali] Re: St. Regis Slammed Over Butlersâ€™ Western Names

investors (both foreign and local) are destroying bali, its culture (I
mean traditional heritage) and its people. land prices have gone crazy
and the island's environment is suffering terribly (read the last Bali
Update article). soon local people will not be able to afford to buy
land on their own island and will have to move to other parts of
indonesia.

there needs to be some sort of active protest about misguided
development that does not consider what is good for the environment
and future.

setuju?

On 2/3/10, Agung Pindha <agungpindha@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> Let's see....
> At USD $5500 /night , that's around USD $ 35000 /week (discounted).
> Let just say there were minimum 20 rooms in it , if it's booked out ,that
> would be USD $ 700000 ( around 700 millions rupiahs/week).
> Hmmmmm... that's a lots of money isn't it?
> Out of those big amount , how many percent would it stay in Bali , and how
> much going back to England?
>
> Ohya.. the name ... that's what we talking about isn't it ?
> Why won't they ( the management )make it easier for themselves , and called
> the buttlers as Buttler 1, Buttler 2 , Buttler 3 and so on.
> Or better still , named them B1 , B2 ,... B6,..B12,, or B complex.
>
> Ahh... Bali , you have to put up sooo much..
>
> Shanti is hurting , but still looking at the funny side of life.
>
>
>
>
> --- In bali-bali@yahoogroups.com, Putu Kesuma <putukesuma@...> wrote:
>>
>> Teman-teman semua,
>>
>> Adakah yang masih tersisa ketika hal ini kita biarkan? Bagi saya ini sudah
>> keterlaluan! Mohon masukan teman-teman tindakan apa yang seharusnya kita
>> lakukan?
>>
>> Salam,
>> Putu
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: Putu Kesuma <putukesuma@...>
>> To: Bali-Bali <bali-bali@yahoogroups.com>
>> Sent: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 19:38:48
>> Subject: [bali-bali] St. Regis Slammed Over Butlersâ€™ Western Names
>>
>>
>> St. Regis Slammed Over Butlersâ€™ Western Names
>> January 29, 2010
>> By I Gusti Made Putra
>> DENPASAR ~ A luxury hotel in the tourist enclave of Nusa Dua urging
>> its Balinese butlers to adopt Western names so that their well-heeled
>> guests will feel more at home has enraged one of the countryâ€™s top
>> spiritual leaders.
>>
>> The St. Regis Resort and Spa, which opened to fanfare in March 2009,
>> requests that its team of butlers uses names that are plucked from
>> British literature, such as Edgar, in an apparent strategy to confer on
>> the service staff an inference of the traditional British servant.
>>
>> Anand Krishna, who runs spiritual centres and workshops in Bali and
>> writes a weekly column in this newspaper, said he was outraged that the
>> butlers were told to use Western names.
>> â€œI think the management of St. Regis is totally ignorant of the very
>> purpose of tourism,â€ he told The Bali Times on Thursday.
>>
>> â€œIt is not only saddening but disheartening that a hotel of their
>> repute could make such a blunder. A totally wrong understanding of the
>> concept of tourism,â€ he said.
>> Whatâ€™s in a Name: The entrance to the plush St. Regis at
>> Nusa Dua where butlers provided for high-paying guests
>> take Western names to help the wealthy cope with Bali.
>> The marketing and communications director at the St. Regis, Geetha
>> Warrier, confirmed that the resort, located along the white-sand Geger
>> Beach, employed butlers among its 30-strong, mostly Balinese team who
>> used Western names.
>>
>> â€œThey are given a stage name derived from the most famous butlers in
>> the world. It is a gimmick, a talking point, which is received very
>> positively by the team and guests alike,â€ she told The Bali Times.
>> â€œThese English names are chosen by the butlers themselves and are
>> not forced upon them. We have butlers who use their own names.â€
>>
>> However, some of the butlers at the St. Regis, who cater to guests
>> who shell out up to US$5,500 per night, according to rates on the
>> hotelâ€™s website, have reportedly said they are uncomfortable using an
>> adopted Western name and would rather use their own.
>> Krishna said foreign tourists should be open to the experience of enjoying
>> the delights of a different country.
>>
>> â€œThe original idea of tourism was to visit new places, and learn new
>> things. A Peter coming to Bali must get to know Putu here, and taste
>> some pasar (market) delicacies,â€ he said.
>> â€œWhen I visit my daughter in Spain, I do not look for Indonesian
>> satay or Indian curry there. I prefer tapas and Sangria. I do not want
>> nasi goreng in Los Angeles; I would rather have bacon and sausages for
>> my breakfast. I eat fish and chips in London; I would not look for ikan
>> bakar. I go all the way to Raffles in Spore to have a Singapore Sling.â€
>>
>> The spiritual guru, who has worked with the Dalai Lama, called for action
>> against the St. Regis.
>> â€œI suggest that Bali Tourism Board and other government institutions
>> reprimand the management of St. Regis, and ensure that this situation
>> is changed immediately,â€ he said.
>> Meanwhile, Desiderius Rian Karismaputra of the National Commission
>> on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in Jakarta told The Bali Times that the
>> top-end hotelâ€™s policy violated the intrinsic rights of their employees.
>> â€œUnder the law, Indonesians have the right to use their own name, and
>> cannot be forced to change it to something else,â€ he said.
>>
>> â€œAccording to the Law on Antidiscrimination of Race and Ethnicity,
>> Article 4, there is a term of one year in jail or a fine of Rp100,000
>> (US$10,600) for violations,â€ he said.
>>
>> The St. Regis joins a growing number of high-end hotels in Bali.
>> Part of the US-based Starwood group, its sister properties in Bali
>> include the Westin, Le MÃ©ridien and Laguna, while a W hotel is under
>> construction.
>> Suarno of conflict-resolution section of the Department of Manpower
>> in Badung regency, where most of the islandâ€™s tourism is located, said,
>> however, that if there was an agreement between the hotel and its
>> employees that was approved by the All Indonesia Workers Union (KSPSI),
>> there would be no problem.
>> â€œBut if the company is not a member of the KSPSI, the workers of the
>> hotel can complain directly to the management of the hotel, that they
>> donâ€™t like using a Western name,â€ Suarno told The Bali Times.
>> The St. Regis said that because it was a new hotel, its employees were not
>> yet members of the KSPSI.
>>
>> ________________________________
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