Hotel Sultan Building to Be Demolished, Prabowo to Transform It Into This

The CEO of the Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara) Investment Management Agency, Rosan Roeslani, has revealed plans for the management of Hotel Sultan, located in Block 15 of the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) complex in Jakarta. The area was previously the subject of a dispute over management rights between the government and Pontjo Sutowo’s company, PT Indobuildco. Rosan explained that the plan is for the management of Hotel Sultan and the Block 15 area to be handled by state-owned enterprises, including Injourney and The Meru, once the dispute is resolved at the Ministry of State Secretariat. “Of course, the management can be handled by Injourney, Meru. Meru is very good. That is probably the plan,” Rosan told reporters at the Presidential Palace complex on Monday, as quoted on Saturday. Rosan explained that the GBK area, including Hotel Sultan, will become a new icon for Indonesia, necessitating a complete design overhaul. He also mentioned that the golf course and the entire GBK area, which totals 200 hectares, will be developed. Therefore, the possibility of demolishing the hotel, which was built in the 1970s, is not ruled out. “At this moment, I may not be able to say for certain, but the plan is to turn it into a new area. Eventually, yes (it will be demolished),” Rosan said. A grand concept has been prepared by the government for the area. Rosan stated that President Prabowo wants the GBK complex to become a new icon for Indonesia that provides a tangible impact on the economy and the Indonesian people. “Among other things, there will certainly be hotels, and not just one. But the President’s message is to make this a new icon for Indonesia, so the planning must be done comprehensively and provide a tangible impact on the economy and, most importantly, on the Indonesian people,” he revealed. He mentioned that the concept to be adopted is likely sports tourism, given the established sporting activities in the GBK complex, but everything will be enhanced. “GBK will remain GBK, but we will upgrade and perfect everything to an international or world-class standard, so that it can also provide a new economic centre in Jakarta,” he said. On that occasion, the man who also serves as Minister of Investment and Downstreaming/Head of BKPM stressed that Indonesia’s tourism potential is very large. However, it needs to be developed in terms of comfort, logistics, transportation, accessibility, cleanliness, and other aspects. For this reason, Danantara will play an active role in identifying new tourism destinations, especially as the number of tourist visits to Indonesia still lags behind neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. The government also aims to increase the average spending of tourists in Indonesia. “So we can capture all layers of tourism, from the more mass market to the high-end or experience-focused,” he concluded.