Carlos Monterde's profile highlights his career in luxury hospitality, most notably as the General Manager of Fairmont Jakarta. He is known for his leadership, including overseeing Fairmont Jakarta's opening and 10th-anniversary celebrations. Carlos's professional philosophy centres on respect, integrity, and professionalism, and his personal interests include training for triathlons, such as the Full Ironman Western Australia. Indonesia Design sat with him to talk about the new excitement he brought to Fairmont Jakarta.
First of all, congratulations on your 10th anniversary. It takes ten years to have The Crown by Kirk Westaway here today.
All the hours that we're having are wonderful, and we had a fantastic first ten years of operation. But we wondered how we could improve our market position. What else can we do that would bring the best possible dining experience to the market in Jakarta? And that was how The Crown came up with a partnership with Chef Kirk Westaway. We began collaborating to create a menu that would offer an unparalleled level of food quality in the city. It was the best, better than the best in Jakarta.
So that was the idea. We said, "We've been a very successful hotel, but we can't stay the same." And we thought, that it's a worthwhile time to do something new. This is how we developed the concept for The Crown, emphasizing that it was the right time to do so.
To find a chef of Chef Kirk Westaway’s calibre, one must go through a process.
We discussed various ideas and concepts about what would work well and be interesting for the hotel. It was clear that we aimed to establish a Michelin-level cuisine and gastronomy, which is considered the most sophisticated and elevated form of culinary art. Nowadays, it's really related to the Michelin star. So we wanted to have the best of the best. I believe we needed to find something that matched that level of gastronomy.
Then we began our search and considered several other partners and individuals to collaborate with. However, we quickly decided to work with Kirk because we were already familiar with each other. We had worked together in the past in Singapore. And he's an absolutely excellent chef. He has a massive energy and willingness to do something here in Indonesia. I think, for me, that is what convinced me the most, his willingness to open up an outlet here in Indonesia.
How will the menu fit Jakarta society, which sometimes can be picky?
I think the menu will work well because people always appreciate quality.
Whenever you give them a quality product, something that is really refined, something that is special, something that is good, whenever you put—I would say it goes down to what you put in your mouth. When you have it in your mouth, for a second you savour it, you taste it. And that second sense—that is what makes the difference.
And this sensation is something that not everything or everybody can produce. I believe it is fantastic to have this type of gastronomy available here in the hotel for guests to experience. In Jakarta, like everywhere else, people appreciate quality and what is good. And that's why we're convinced The Crown is going to work well.
Talking about the design. Do you have any say with the design as a general manager?
We have some say, but not the main one.
We work with the HBA as a design team, and we have incorporated a lot of the views of the chef. The chef was the main driver, frankly speaking, together with our designers, for what was going to be the look and feel of the place.
We always had some say, particularly with the operations team, to make sure that the design and the organisation, the setup that we were creating, was operationally viable. So yes, of course, we had our say. However, as I mentioned earlier, the chef was the primary decision-maker.
We wanted to create a place where the chef would feel comfortable, and in order for him to feel that way, he aimed to design an environment that was also comfortable. As we were saying before, we wanted to have an outlet that is very refined gastronomically and very exquisite in the product that we produce. You don't need to be as stiff as in the form of the old-fashioned fine dining restaurants in the past. The goal is to promote relaxation, comfort, and the enjoyment of this exquisite cuisine. The Crown offers a more relaxing atmosphere and ambience.