Flower shops, hotels gear up for Valentine’s Day

SEMARANG. Flower shops in Semarang, Central Java, have become overwhelmed with orders from both individuals and businesses as people prepare for Valentine’s Day, which will fall on Friday.

Sri Ningsih, a flower trader at Kalisari flower market, for instance, said that orders started coming in weeks ahead of Feb. 14. “People are mostly interested in buying fresh, bright red and white roses,” Sri said in Semarang on Tuesday.

She said that approaching Valentine’s Day, the price of fresh roses had increased by as much as twice the normal price.

If a rose is normally priced at Rp 5,000 (40 US cents) per stem, it is currently being sold at Rp 10,000 per stem. “We are thankful. Profits have been good,” she said.

Priyambodo, another trader, said that there had been a significant increase in orders from hotels, which have been mushrooming in the city.

“They normally use flowers for decorations and souvenirs,” Priyambodo said.

Since a week prior to Valentine’s Day, he said, he had prepared 2,000 stems of fresh red roses, which he ordered directly from farmers in Malang, East Java; Bandungan in Semarang regency and Semarang city.

However, he expressed disappointment over the quality of roses this year due to heavy rains.

In Surakarta and Yogyakarta, hotels have been preparing for Valentine’s Day by offering special packages for couples. The validity of packages vary from just one day on Feb. 14 up until one month.

The Sunan Hotel in Surakarta, for example, is offering a “Valentine secret room package”, valid for the whole month of February, which offers four-star rated services and discounts in various outlets.

The hotel’s PR manager, Retno Wulandari, said that a mini concert would also be held during a candlelit dinner at the hotel’s Narendra restaurant on Friday evening.

Similar preparations are being carried out by Novotel and Ibis Hotels in Surakarta. The hotels’ MICE and PR officer, Ruli Sawitri, said that a scrumptious array of dishes would be prepared by their chefs for its gala dinner on Friday evening.

A slightly different program is being offered by Novotel Yogyakarta hotel, which is holding a Best Couple photo competition. To take part in the competition, a couple merely needs to upload their romantic photos and tag them with the hotel’s Facebook account or mention the hotel’s Twitter handle, @NovotelYogya.

“The lucky couple will be awarded with a Valentine’s dinner at Novotel,” the hotel’s PR officer, Virgio Rizky, said, adding that there would also be a live music performance and photo corner on Friday evening. (Ainur Rohmah and Kusumasari Ayuingtyas)