Changing Room

By Mary Scoviak, Design Editor -- Hotels, 4/1/2006

Excess is thoroughly obsolete. We are no longer interested in excessive ornament and carvings,” says Budiman Holan Hendropurnomo, Indonesian director for the Melbourne-based design firm, Denton Corker Marshall Pty Ltd. Applying this streamlined philosophy to chic hotels such as the 175-room ALiLa Jakarta is changing not only the 5-star design paradigm, but also the upmarket business model. Luxury design used to be about changelessness. Guests expected to find the table where they dined on their honeymoon and their favorite chair in the lounge just as they remembered them. Now, the cool, young urbanites and executives who frequent the ALiLa Jakarta demand design that continuously evolves to deliver new experiences that match the quicksilver changes in their taste and way of life. “As a lifestyle hotel, we have to keep improving to satisfy our demanding guests. We need to keep pace with the emergent energy of Jakarta,” says Murlidhar Rao, general manager.

Denton Corker Marshall’s design team plays up clean-lined, geometric forms and elegant, elemental furnishings to create a flexible framework for ongoing operational re-invention. This abstract minimalism creates unlimited possibilities for market-driven design responses, such as last year’s launch of 19 new Executive Ladies’ rooms to broaden the mix of female travelers. With their angular wood casegoods and bolster-accented seating, these 15th floor rooms integrate seamlessly with the dramatic public spaces.

Like the standard rooms and suites, the ALiLa Jakarta’s newest room option resonates with hard- driving travelers seeking privacy and peace. The flow of space between sleeping, sitting and bath areas is transparent and uncluttered. “Guests need calm zones where they are free to think and enjoy a quiet rest after a chaotic day in Jakarta. They should feel as if they are staying in a spa bedroom of a tropical resort,” Hendropurnomo says. The appeal of this made-for-market design has pushed premium room occupancy to 75%, according to Rao.

True to Singapore-based ALiLa Hotels & Resorts’ corporate promise of being “surprisingly different,” the ALiLa Jakarta makes room for evolutionary changes in its public spaces as well. With its base of neutrals and sleek furnishings, the Space Lounge can undergo a complete change of mood depending on the event. The hotel’s management has expanded its capture of local and guest business with special promotions ranging from cutting-edge modern art exhibitions to clubby food, wine and cigar evenings. Unencumbered by the glowing bar and computer-cycled lighting that say “night spot,” Space Lounge opens up new revenue streams from daytime business meetings to social gatherings centered around its reputation for some of the coolest music in town.

“Jakarta is hectic. There are so many activities. We felt we had to come up with a new business concept like the Space Lounge,” Rao says. “Concepts like this, combined with our modern, minimalist style, excite our guests. That is what will make us the most in-demand hotel in the city.”