Situated in a cool mountainous area of East Java, Batu has become a favourite holiday destination even since the colonial era. Now that tourism facilities have been springing up in the city, it offers more than a natural and scenic getaway place, especially with Golden Tulip Holland Resort that just opened its doors in the heart of the leisure place in Batu.
When Indonesians think of Dutch architecture, often they associate it with old colonial buildings. But it is different with Golden Tulip Holland Resort condotel. The architecture adopts a contemporary Dutch style. “We wanted a unique design, but not too weird,” says Sonny Njonoriswondo, owner of the resort and founder of architecture consultant Sonny & Sons. Some of the references are the NEMO Science Museum and EYE Film Institute in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; hence, the inclined plane that is applied on the façade, the roof and a few other parts. The resort consists of two main buildings that are divided into towers.
The building concept was decided after a series of discussions with 5G Studio, an architecture consultant based in Dallas, Texas. Meanwhile, the interior was designed by Kezia Karin Studio. Her design fits well with the building and the exterior, which is minimalist yet playful and oozes luxury. The application of vertical lines is consistently used, from the lobby exterior to the corridors, to the guest room’s desks. Some bright colours are applied to balance the predominantly muted nuance, like some orange for the lounge sofa and bright coloured abstract paintings in the corridors. The daring colour combination is an embodiment of the contemporary Dutch style and a way to make it lively. Following the contour of the land, some of the towers are built on different levels. This adds a playful feel to the whole resort.
Not too many artworks are installed, just enough to embellish each area. At the lobby, artworks made out of teak wood are placed; the wall decoration that backdrops the reception desks, stools for the guests, and a few statues carved in animal shapes. On the mezzanine, a brass artwork is hung from the ceiling to the lobby floor. To match it, red onyx is used for the lobby floor. Aditya K.N., CEO of PT Sunrise International Persada as the developer, adds, “Anything that we had to change, we replaced it with something better. We were going to use marble for the lobby floor, but finally decided to change it to onyx. And red onyx is rare to find.”
Golden Tulip Holland Resort is the first resort accommodation in Batu. With wedding venues and ample facilities including kids playground, swimming pools and water slides, it easily attracts families at the weekends and holiday seasons. Meanwhile, the meeting rooms, ballroom and spacious multifunctional areas can accommodate various events with large groups of guests. By far, the resort has held numerous corporate and government events, as well as hobby-based communities.
The construction took only 22 months, not a long duration for a 30,000 sqm building on two-hectare land. Other challenges that came with it was to make sure all the materials arrived at the location on time, in spite of the rather challenging uphill location.
Golden Tulip Holland Resort received its first guests in April 2017. And the graphic of number of guests has gone up ever since. Early in August this year, the resort held its big launch. There are a few developments in plan, including a karaoke hall and a sky bar. Every element and facility of the resort is built for nothing but to make the most pleasant experience that the guests can have.