Swiss-Belinn SKA Pekanbaru

Pekanbaru is located on the Siak River, which flows into the Strait of Malacca. Pekanbaru has direct access to the busy strait and has long been known as a trading port (the city name is derived from the Indonesian words for 'new market' or 'new town', "pekan" meaning 'market' or 'town', and "baru" meaning 'new'). A settlement has existed on the city site since the 17th century. In the late 19th century, the city was developed to serve the coffee and coal industries, and the Dutch built roads to transport goods for shipping to Singapore and Malacca.
 
Under the reign of the fourth Sultan of Siak, Sultan Abdul Jalil Alamuddin Syah (1766-1780), Senapelan was made the central seat of Siak kingdom. During this period, trade developed prosperously, and the idea emerged to establish a 'pekan', a kind of market of which the activities were performed on certain days of the week. After the Sultan passed away, his son, Sultan Muhammad Ali Abdul Jalil Muazzam Syah (1780-1782), further pursued the idea. From 1784, the name Senapelan started to be no longer used, and the city was referred to as Pekanbaru (new trading place) instead.

After the Siak Sultanate era, Pekanbaru then became a Dutch colony, followed by the Japanese occupation. In 1959, Pekanbaru was established as the capital of Riau, a province on the island of Sumatra, which was formerly known as Tanjung Pinang.

Pekanbaru is the third most populous city on Sumatera Island, after Medan and Palembang, with a population of 903,902 recorded in the 2010 census. In addition to Riau Malays, the city also has other ethnic groups. The Minangkabau are the largest ethnic group, forming 37.7% of the population. Javanese, Batak, and Chinese are the other main ethnic groups. After oil was discovered in the region in the 1930s, Pekanbaru’s economy has depended heavily on oil revenues.

The city is awarded as one of the cleanest cities in Indonesia and in 2011 received the "Adi-pura" award ('clean city') in the category of large city, for the seventh consecutive year.

Pekanbaru is becoming known as a centre of Malay culture; a Malay culture festival was held there in 2004. The city has the only still existing 10 foot and 300 pound dragon. The city is also considered the home of the Rafflesia, an unpleasant smelling flower which is also  the biggest flower in the world.

Pekanbaru has a tropical rainforest climate that features relatively constant temperatures throughout the year, with average high temperatures of around 31 degrees Celsius and av-erage lows of around 23 degrees Celsius.
 

Swiss-Belinn SKA Pekanbaru features 108 well-appointed guestrooms comprising 104 Deluxe Rooms and 4 Suites in contemporary design, including non-smoking and handicapped rooms, and are ready to welcome both business and leisure travellers.

Each room is equipped with :

• Individually controlled air-conditioning
• IDD telephone
• High-speed Internet access
• Minibar
• 15” laptop size in-room safety deposit box
• Tea and coffee making facilities
• 32” LCD TV with satellite and cable programmes

Typical of Pekanbaru culinary arts are the traditional Melayu and Minang Melayu tastes, along with a variety of alternative culinary options. For the convenience of guests, Swiss-Belinn SKA Pekanbaru provides an all-in-one combined restaurant, lounge and bar for you to enjoy a selection from our local and international menu in a warm and friendly ambience.
 

• Barelo (Bar, Restaurant and Lounge)
• Meeting Rooms
• Roof top swimming pool
• Fitness Centre
• Spa and Massage
• 24 hour in-room dining
• WI-FI Internet access in public areas
• Laundry and Dry Cleaning