INDONESIA welcomed the first Raffles Hotels & Resorts property with the launch of Raffles Jakarta earlier this week.
The 173-key property is part of the Ciputra World super block development, which includes offices, shopping mall, and residences, and linked to art centre Ciputra Artpreneur Centre that opened last year.
It pays homage to the iconic Indonesian artist Hendra Gunawan, and guests will find his works incorporated into hotel décor in both guestrooms and public areas.
The entry of the brand in Indonesia is part of the Raffles Hotels & Resorts and Fairmont Raffles Hotels International’s (FRHI) expansion programme, bringing Raffles’ portfolio to 12 strong.
Richard Schestak, general manager of the hotel, said the hotel is opening at a time when the luxury market is growing for Jakarta, despite the unstable current exchange rate. “Indonesia has good potential, it has strong growth of trade within the country.
“We believe the fluctuation of the rupiah will not impact international travel as we quote in the US dollar, while for Indonesian weekenders, we are offering special weekend rates,” he said.
Artadinata Djangkar, president director of Ciputra Adigraha, the owning company, said some Rp1.2 trillion (US$91.6 million) had been invested in the hotel and he expects an ROI within 12 years.
Jakarta has become an international business city like Singapore and Hong Kong, and Artadinata predicts that 90 per cent of Raffles Jakarta hotel guests will be international travellers.
FRHI also has plans to double its Fairmont Hotels & Resorts portfolio from its current strength of 114 properties within the next five years – with the spotlight largely on Asia-Pacific and particularly China.
