A coalition of Japanese design, modern touches, and Fairmont's Royal Service makes staying at the luxury hotel a pleasure.
Photos by Bagus Tri Laksono & Fairmont Jakarta Doc.
Japanese architecture is often associated with a minimal design that enhances the space within. Combined with technology and some western influences, it culminates into sophisticated modern architecture. Staying in a hotel designed to these principles like Fairmont Jakarta is more than a pleasure. Especially with Fairmont’s unparalleled service, staying at the luxury establishment already has guests “turning moments into memories”.
The hotel is adjacent to Jakarta’s main business boulevard, Jenderal Sudirman, and is connected to the Sentral Senayan office towers and Plaza Senayan via a tunnel. On top of its strategic location, the hotel is also gifted with extensive green belts as it stands in between the Senayan National Golf Club and Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex.
Fairmont Jakarta was developed by Kajima Corporation, the Japanese company behind the Senayan Square superblock development consisting of the Sentral Senayan office towers, Senayan Arcadia, Plaza Senayan Apartments and one of the most prominent shopping malls in the city, Plaza Senayan. With Fairmont Jakarta as the latest edition, Kajima completed the complex with a luxury hotel that meets their hallmark standard of excellence.
The 32-storey tower sits in the centre of a contemporary four-storey podium. The unassuming building and its symmetry is a reminder of Japanese architecture that is minimal yet thoughtful. The grey façade is covered with square windows, with nuances of rectangles at the middle of the building. Three entrances in the north, south and west sides welcome guests into the hotel, with the latter directly connected to the main lobby and the other two to the grand ballroom foyer.
Also designed in symmetry, Fairmont’s lobby is one of the largest hotel lobbies in Jakarta with the walls, covered with ivory-toned marble tiles, and the dark brown sills of the high windows skillfully complementing one another. Likewise, the earthy-coloured furniture matches well with the bluish upholsteries and glass artworks. A tranquil and luxurious ambience is palpable, especially with the pampering of the olfactory senses by a fine fragrance.
When staying at Fairmont Jakarta, guests have a choice of rooms that include the 49 sqm Fairmont Room, the 69 sqm Deluxe Room and the 113 sqm Fairmont Suite, all with the city skyline or the golf course view from the window. The rooms are decorated in a blend of brown and monochromatic colours that echo the overall design.
Guests can opt for rooms in Gold category, which provide them with exclusive Fairmont Gold privileges, from private check-in, complimentary afternoon tea and evening cocktails, to the use of the private meeting room in the Gold Lounge.
The Presidential Suite is particularly opulent - dressed in a sultry purple accent, a unique painting adorns each of the overhead bed panels, adding a touch of boldness to the contemporary design of the rooms. A Japanese-inspired spa bathroom invites guests to a relaxing bath time, pampering the skin with intoxicating “Rose 31” toiletries from Le Labo.
The hotel offers several kinds of dining experience. Spectrum starts the day with a breakfast buffet and is open for all-day dining serving both international and local cuisines (traditional Indonesian cakes and cookies included). The restaurant is sleek and elegant, relishing in beige colours and dainty lighting fixtures.
Meanwhile, Sapori Deli on the third floor offers a selection of sandwiches, freshly cooked pasta and delicious seafood to go along with a cup of coffee or tea. It has a bakery for those who delight in freshly baked breads. Unlike its counterpart, Sapori Deli has a more casual ambiance with traditional-painted tiles and wooden furniture.
The Peacock Lounge and Barong Bar are chic venues for guests to unwind. The former is gracefully painted in peacock colours. It serves pastries, chocolates and cookies for the sweet tooth during the daytime. The Barong Bar, in contrast, is dark, rustic and masculine, serving premium whisky and classic cocktails throughout the evening.
When night falls, head all the way up to the 22nd floor to either Fairmont’s View Gastro Bar or K22 Bar. View offers an extensive choice of wines displayed in their floor-to-ceiling cellar and an innovative dining menu. The city view is spectacular from this lounge and the nearby K22 as well. Adopting a terrace bar concept, K22 invites guests to chill in an alfresco space while enjoying the glimmering city lights.
Fairmont Jakarta has a swimming pool, a kiddie pool and an outdoor Jacuzzi on the fourth level where you will also find the fitness centre and the Willow Stream Spa. For business activities, Fairmont offers private meeting rooms and a ballroom for occasions with a large guest list.
Aesthetics and facilities aside, it’s worth mentioning too that Fairmont is not run by an ordinary group of concierge, front desk, room service and other staff; rather they call the team ‘Royal Service’ based on how they treat guests. There isn’t an ordinary moment spent at Fairmont Jakarta, but instead remarkable memories worth keeping.
This story was originally published in Indonesia Design's 71st edition themed "New Hotels" published in 2015.