Marked by ribbon cutting by the Minister of Trade, Dr. Mari Elka Pangestu, the hotel that has been around since 1978 is finally reopened, after a total renovation project which started December 2007. The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, located in Bundaran HI, is a five star hotel and has reached 31 years of old since it was build. It was build during Ali Sadikin’s tenure as the Governor of Jakarta, and it has become important part of Jakarta as well as the witness to numerous historical events that has happened in and around of that strategic district since.
Located in the main road in center of Jakarta, with access to various location in Jakarta, has make this 26-floor hotel an ideal place for business meeting, events, and a comfortable place to spend the night.
The decision to renovate was not an easy thing for the hotel with a fan logo. According to the Head of Communication of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Melany Joan Matakupan, “Renovation was conducted comprehensively. It was not just replacing furniture or decoration, but even reconfiguring rooms layouts until all that was left was the foundation columns and the floor part.
Renovation took quite some time, 24 months,” she explained. It was done to reach a certain standard of satisfaction and comfort for the guests of Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Jakarta. This hotel is part of the Mandarin Oriental Group; with over 41 hotels in 25 countries the group has set a common standard of comfort and service for its guests.
In addition to that, the re-presenting of this five star hotel with its new fresh look, is also to show the commitment of the Mandarin Oriental Group to support the formation and development of tourism sector in Indonesia, especially in Jakarta. Considering it as part of an international hotel chain, maintaining guests’ loyalty is a precious thing that can only
be gained by giving them the best service.
Mandarin Oriental Group was established with the construction of The Mandarin Hotel in Hongkong at 1963. From its founding the hotel chain – each hotel has its own uniqueness compared to the others – has used the fan as its logo. “Fan symbolizes luxury and comfort, and also something elegant and oriental,” said Melany.
The changes of Mandarin Oriental Jakarta after the total renovation can be seen from the design theme it uses. Before the renovation it used the traditional-ethnic theme, where as now it uses a classic-contemporary theme. Its interior style combines modern facilities, using advance technology, with oriental characteristics and Indonesian cultural heritage.
“For the Mandarin Oriental Jakarta, the design concept is classic-contemporary, not modern-minimalist with simple lines. The hotel, as a whole, uses the theme. If the previous ethnic theme design can be seen in some parts of the hotel and rooms, the current theme of classic-contemporary can be seen by the use of colors and the materials of the furniture,” said Melany.
The widening of rooms’ size has cause the lesser number of rooms available. This is done to raise the comfort level of the guests, who are primary from the business community on business trips. With 272 spacious guests rooms, including 6 suites, there is also a ballroom that can hold up to 700 people and some comfortable meeting rooms.
Currently, Mandarin Oriental Jakarta is implementing advance technological systems and energy management. Among them is Inncomm System, which can reduce energy usage up to 30%. This is to support the eco-friendly and energy saving movements.
The hotel, where Prince Charles and Princess Ann of the British royal family had once spend the night, has facilities as five-stars hotel normally would. In addition to that, there are some dining places with considerable reputation amongst Indonesian and foreign politicians and business communities.
Xin Hwa, for example, has the reputation as the best Szechuan food restaurant. Lyon with its brasserie concept offers traditional French cuisine with classy and relaxing atmosphere. Cinnamon, with the concept of Asian food, lets the guests to see the cooks in action as they prepare the food. Mandarin Oriental Bar, or much better known as the MO Bar, is a great place for relaxing and enjoying the night with live music.
The hotel is also well known for its employees friendliness who always greet the guests. Their slogan is The Legendary Experience. It is so that the guests won’t feel as stranger and can feel truly comfortable. The hotel offers the view towards Menteng, Bundaran HI, and the Sudirman Main Road. During the 1998 May riots, this hotel was the gathering place of
foreign journalists in Jakarta.
“One of the historical landmarks of this nation is the 1998 riots, around the time of the fall of Suharto. The suite in the 26th floor was turned into media center and it became the meeting place of foreign journalist. They conducted live report coverage from the rooftop of Mandarin Oriental Hotel,” said Melany.
Now, in addition of the new concept, Mandarin Oriental also introduce their new brand ambassador, the celebrity Susan Bachtiar. According to Susan, it is an honor for her to become the figure to represent the Mandarin Oriental Jakarta, especially because the hotel is a well known international brand. A famous designer also becomes ‘part’ of the hotel.
Obin presented her design, a red fan, to be used as the Mandarin Oriental Jakarta symbol.
No comments:
Post a Comment