Former Hotel Sultan Daily Workers Anxious About Their Fate
The Gelora Bung Karno Complex Management Centre (PPKGBK) will begin vacating Hotel Sultan tomorrow, Saturday (20/6/2026). Movable goods throughout the former Hotel Sultan building have been handed over and will be stored by the execution applicant, namely the Ministry of State Secretariat and PPKGBK.
The government has also assured that the fate of employees affected by the vacation of Hotel Sultan, Jakarta, will not be neglected after the asset, previously managed by PT Indobuildco, was officially taken over by the state. Amid the execution process, which was briefly marred by commotion, the government’s attention is now being directed towards the continuity of the workers’ livelihoods.
One of Hotel Sultan’s daily housekeeping workers, Joko, admitted he is anxious about his future. He said there has been no clarity regarding his salary or employment status to date. “My hope is maybe not to work here anymore, to look for another job,” Joko told CNBC Indonesia near GBK on Friday (19/6/2026).
Joko had planned to collect his uniform from Hotel Sultan today but was not permitted to enter by officers and management. As a result, he resigned himself to the situation and sought a solution to secure his future, including seeking clarity on his employment status from the relevant vendor or management. Joko stated that as a breadwinner, he will not give up looking for more decent work, especially considering the rising prices of basic necessities.
Another former Hotel Sultan worker also expressed concern about his fate, citing a lack of certainty from the vendor regarding his employment status and the salary he should receive for June 2026. “I was still working yesterday, but until now there has been no certainty from the vendor. I actually just wanted to pick up my uniform. But it’s rather difficult to get in,” explained the worker, who declined to be named. The worker, who is responsible for water management daily, hopes that after Hotel Sultan is taken over by the state, there will be a clear path for his future, as he needs a steady livelihood to meet his needs. “I left Bogor in the morning, and until noon now there is still no clarity. I’ve spent Rp30,000 on round-trip transport, not including food,” he said.
Meanwhile, an ice cream supplier to the employee canteen claimed he had not received any information about the Hotel Sultan vacation from the vendor. He struggled to gain access to retrieve his freezer, which he needs for future sales. “I found out about the Hotel Sultan takeover from TikTok. I called the vendor but they didn’t pick up, so I came here early in the morning but still wasn’t allowed in,” he explained. Despite this, he claimed the payment process from the vendor to the ice cream supplier had been relatively smooth. However, he is currently still waiting for coordination between the vendor and the building management to be able to remove his ice cream freezer.
It was not only the ice cream supplier affected. The Los Intanos music group also claimed they did not receive information about the Hotel Sultan vacation, even though the group’s musical instruments were still in the Hotel Sultan Lobby Lounge as of Friday. One Los Intanos member, Bimo, said he has been playing music there since 2001, when the hotel was still named Hilton. The songs typically performed by the group are usually regional or oldies. “We were actually quite shocked. When we heard yesterday there was an execution, we thought, ‘Oh dear, what about our guitars?’ So yesterday we came here. We spoke with the GBK management yesterday. We couldn’t take the items out then, and today I came back with my friends. Alhamdulillah, we were able to take our things,” he concluded.