JAKARTA— Accor reported that the guests and staff at its two Bali hotels were uninjured in the series of bomb blasts that occurred on the resort island Oct. 12. All guests and staff at the 186-room Novotel Coralia Benoa Bali were accounted for and the hotel is operating as usual. In response to the bombings, the hotel has added four additional security guards, posted 24 hours a day, at its entrance and parking areas as an extra precaution. The 130-room Mercure Kuta Bali has been closed since October 7 and was scheduled to re-open later this week. All staff members at Mercure Kuta Bali have been accounted for and the explosions did not damage the hotel, Accor reported. Local government officials and security forces, in co-operation with the hotel industry, have been putting all their efforts into improving safety for foreign visitors. Police roadblocks in Benoa and Nusa Dua are checking vehicles entering the area. Accor expects there will be a short-term effect on business in Bali following the bombings. However, past evidence suggests that as long as there are no similar incidents, Bali will quickly recover as a major tourist destination. In October 2001, disturbances in Indonesia led to travel advisories discouraging travel to the country, but within a year inbound figures were back to full capacity, Accor said.
