Apartments the place for fast -- pace city living

Debbie A. Lubis, Contributor, The Jakarta Post

The apartment business is still a lucrative venture today as living in an apartment has become an integral part of the fast- paced modern life of urbanites in this country.

Also, the freedom of not have to worry about security along with stable political climate has given a direct impact to the growth of the business. As more and more local executives, business travelers and expatriates consider apartments as their choice of accommodation, major apartments in Jakarta reported an increasing occupancy rate this year.

Garden Wing Apartment's occupancy rate has increased 13.11 percent compared to the figure of June 2004. "It is because the situation is much safer now and business development is getting better lately," said Fransiska Kansil, Public Relations Manager at the Hotel Borobudur in Central Jakarta.

The 110 units of fully serviced apartments are located in the garden environment and attached to the hotel. Most of the tenants at Garden Wing Apartment are business travelers from various countries and government officers from embassies, and they stay for a long time.

"The trend is not so much different from last year, the last semester of 2005 should hold in the business sector and will hopefully bring more expatriates to Jakarta," said Rina Hartati, Director of Sales of the Hilton Residence. Expatriates are the major tenants of the Hilton Residence, although there are a number of locals who reside there too.

The Hilton Residence has two 30-story towers comprised of 132 units and 122 units, respectively. "They feel that they get more space in the apartment than at the hotel. Besides, staying in a hotel is usually more costly than in an apartment", Rina said.

The Four Seasons Residences, with the total of 234 units for tower 1 and 2, also shares an increasing demand. "We are fully booked and there are more and more inquiries about our apartments," said Indradjit Sardjono, the apartment's Marketing Director. Most of its tenants are execs with multinational companies and Indonesian business owners. "They prefer to stay in our apartment mainly for the comfort and the location that we offer."

"Major apartments usually are located in the heart of the city and at the proximity of central business district so the tenants can have a better access, avoid traffic congestion, and save time. Garden Wing Apartment, which is situated on Jl. Lapangan Banteng Selatan is near the Embassy of the United States of America and close to major shopping malls. The Hilton Residence, which is located on Gatot Subroto, is adjacent to the Hilton Executive Club and within the landscaped gardens of the Jakarta Hilton International complex. It is at the proximity of the Senayan Sports complex, the Sudirman Business District and the Plaza Senayan shopping center. The Four Seasons Residences are strategically located on Jl. Setiabudi Tengah. It is at the center of Jakarta's Golden Triangle, a 500-meter stroll from Jl Jendral Sudirman and 400 meters from Jl. H.R Rasuna Said. It is within minutes of most embassies, some international schools, hospitals and malls.

To keep the residents feeling and secure, all apartments provide 24-hour security service. They use metal detectors to check cars, motorcycles, bags, staff, tenants, and guests. The security staff regularly check around the apartment on a 24-hour basis. Some cameras and other equipment are installed to monitor activities at the entry and other strategic points of the building. Some emergency doors are also provided. Several apartments even limit the access to the basement car parking areas to tenants with valid car stickers only. Some others also provide access cards to the residents to limit strangers from coming in and out of the building.

Those apartments provide amenities with home-like atmospheres, and pamper residents. For those who stay at serviced apartments, they do not have to worry about kitchen appliances, paintings, lamps or other interior needs. They also do not have to think about the repair and maintenance.

The Hilton Residence provides fully furnished and serviced apartments that include daily cleaning. The package includes full electricity and water supply, repair and maintenance on all electrical appliances. It is also equipped with a full set of kitchen utensils and dinnerware as well as microwave ovens, toasters, blenders, coffee makers and dishwashers. Washing machines, dryers, irons and ironing boards are also available.

"Apartment provides more privacy and comfort to the tenants. They can treat it as their own home and put their own decorations," Rina said, adding that there was a number of discounts on all meals in all F&B outlets, the shops and the florist at the Hilton Hotel.

The tenants of Garden Wing Apartment enjoy an all-in package that gives access to facilities at Borobudur Hotel, such as the Health Club, Kids Club, tennis courts, restaurants and parking areas. The apartments are fully furnished and vary from one to three bedroom apartments. The monthly rental rate starts from US$ 1,395++ per month. "The fees do not really matter since most of our tenants prioritize safety, comfort and a home-like atmosphere," Fransiska explained.

The Four Seasons Residences provides full hotel services to the tenants. The rental fee is $3,900 for furnished, 3-bedroom apartments and $3,400 for unfurnished, 3-bedroom apartments. The tenants can enjoy some recreational facilities such as the fitness center, sauna, steam room, whirlpool and spa. The apartment also provides concierge services, an access card, visitor car park, maintenance, emergency backup systems, fire safety and sprinkler, as well as a smoke detector.