Ascott has secured a contract to manage its first Citadines-branded serviced residence in Indonesia.

Jakarta is the 14th city in Asia Pacific to have a Citadines property as part of Ascott's plans to continue to expand its Citadines brand in the region.

The 120-unit Citadines Jakarta is located in the Central Business District of Menteng and is scheduled to open by the second half of 2010. There are plans to add another 100 units to Citadines Jakarta in the future.

Mr Gerald Lee, CEO of Ascott Hospitality, the hospitality management arm of The Ascott Group, said: "Our Ascott and Somerset branded properties are performing favourably in Indonesia with year-to-date average occupancy of about 80%. The introduction of the Citadines brand will enable us to capture a broader customer segment of business travellers. Citadines Jakarta offers good value, great location and flexible services. The property is in a vibrant and trendy area, and will be popular with the young independent travellers because of the easy access to various exciting amenities."

Citadines Jakarta is centrally located in the heart of town on KH Wahid Hasyim. The serviced residence is near the National Monument, museums, historic buildings, government offices and shopping malls. Cafes, restaurants and supermarkets are conveniently located within a few minutes' walk.

Citadines Jakarta will have a restaurant, an outdoor swimming pool, a gymnasium and meeting rooms. The serviced residence will be part of an integrated development that comprises small office/home office, shopping and dining outlets.

The addition of Citadines Jakarta further strengthens Ascott's presence in Indonesia, bringing its Indonesia portfolio to 1,462 units in seven properties.

Ascott currently has four properties in Jakarta, including Somerset Kuningan which is due to open in 2012, and one property in Surabaya. The new Citadines in Jakarta is Ascott's 21st Citadines property in Asia Pacific. The first Citadines in Asia Pacific was in China, Citadines Shanghai Jinqiao, which was opened in 2006. Since then, another four Citadines opened in China and four in Thailand. In addition, 11 more Citadines are expected to open in Australia, China, India, Japan and Singapore. In Europe, the Group has 45 Citadines properties.