Majapahit Mandarin, the boutique hotel of Surabaya

By Sirikit Syah

SURABAYA, East Java (JP): If it is the Raffles in Singapore, then it is the Majapahit in Indonesia. That's what people say about the glamorous boutique hotel in Surabaya. Indeed, the founders of both hotels were father and son, according to a hotel officer.

During the Dutch colonial period, the Sarkies family from Armenia was famous for its businesses across Southeast Asia. They were called "The Sarkies Empire". Among their interests were the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, the Strand Hotel in Burma, the Eastern & Oriental in Penang, Malaysia, and the Sarkies and Oranje hotels in Surabaya, Yudy Rizard, public relations and marketing services manager of the Surabaya hotel said.

The Sarkies Hotel on Jl. Embong Malang, which was demolished last year, has been replaced by the Surabaya Sheraton in the Plaza Tunjungan UV complex, while the Oranje Hotel, or L.M.S. (from Lucas Martin Sarkies, the founder), has been bought and renovated by the Sekar Group, which appointed the Mandarin Oriental Group to manage the property.

It is not only the Majapahit Hotel building which is historical. The Oranje Hotel was built in 1910 in the heart of Surabaya, known as Tunjungan. In 1936, the hotel's facade was extended in the art deco style. In 1942, in the middle of World War II, the hotel was occupied by the Japanese. They used it as a military barracks and temporary prison camp for Dutch women and children who were to be relocated to other camps in Central Java. During the Japanese occupation, the hotel was named Yamato Hoteru or Hotel Yamato.

Indonesia declared its independence on Aug. 17, 1945. But on Sept. 19 of the same year, a Dutch red, white and blue flag was raised at Hotel Yamato after being recaptured by the Dutch.

The flag-raising angered many Surabayans. By 6:30 a.m. the following day, a hostile crowd had gathered in front of the hotel. The people considered the raising of the Dutch flag an insult to Indonesia after the proclamation of independence. Eventually, they tore the blue stripe from the bottom of the flag, turning it into Indonesia's red and white flag, and then sang the national anthem Indonesia Raya.

The incident was the start of a revolution in Surabaya, which ended heroically on Nov. 10, when Britain's General Malaby was killed near Jembatan Merah. The young people of Surabaya, armed only with sharpened bamboo sticks, managed to drive the Dutch troops and their allies from Surabaya.

For the next few months, the hotel was called Hotel Merdeka or Liberty Hotel.

After the chaos subsided in 1946, the hotel was again managed by its original owners, the Sarkies family, and its name was changed to L.M.S. In 1969, the hotel was bought by Mantrust Holding Company, which renamed it the Majapahit Hotel.

On account of strong competition in the following years, and perhaps because of a lack of commitment, the hotel was not well- managed and became notorious for being a "short-time" hotel. In 1993, the Sekar Group, an Indonesian conglomerate specializing in food production, bought the hotel and invested US$34 million in its restoration.

The hotel is now 75 percent owned by the Sekar Group and 25 percent by Mandarin Oriental.

The most interesting story about the history of the hotel is how the facts about it were collected.

Yudy Rizard, who spent five years in the Netherlands before joining the Majapahit Hotel, said: "I collected the historical data from 1994 backwards. I first met the person from Mantrust, who previously owned the hotel. From him, I traced the whereabouts of the Sarkies family. I investigated the hotel's history and found out that it was built in 1910 by Lucas Martin Sarkies."

Yudy then went to the Netherlands, this time as a historian. There, he visited a library, logged onto the Net and entered the name "Sarkies".

"It was hard to believe. Everything about the family and the hotel was there," Yudy said excitedly.

He found out that the founder of the hotel had died and was buried in Kembang Kuning Graveyard in Surabaya. When he visited the graveyard, he felt sorry for the man because his grave was uncared for and seemed to have been forgotten.

Yudy also traced the other Sarkies brother who founded the demolished Sarkies Hotel in Surabaya. The man had died, but his son was still alive. He was invited to the grand opening of the Majapahit Mandarin Oriental last January.

Another son of the Sarkies lived with his family in Teheran. "I visited them. Unfortunately, they couldn't come to Surabaya," Yudy said.

Yudy said he also found out that Kartika Wijaya, now a fine hotel in Batu, a resort area in Malang, East Java, was a recreation home owned by the Sarkies family.

Besides tracing the history, Yudy also succeeded in collecting memorabilia related to the Majapahit. It has now become a very valuable collection. "I want to write a book about this. The book will be a history of the hotel business in Surabaya and about the Sarkies family." said Yudy, aged 30, who recently won the Most Outstanding Mandarin Oriental Group PR executive award of 1996.

Oasis

Don't be deceived by the look of the hotel's facade. It is not very attractive. "We can't do much here. We want to preserve it as it is," Yudy explained.

But once inside, you will take a deep breath. The hotel is only two stories, with every room facing the large garden in the center. No room faces another room or bare walls. It is very refreshing and relaxing. The colonial architecture makes you feel that you are not in Surabaya. It is as if you are somewhere in Europe.

According to Yudy, from the hotel's total restoration cost of US$34 million, $400,000 went to Sarkies, a seafood restaurant designed as a 1920s Shanghai teahouse.

The hotel is a classic from top to bottom. It even has colonial-style toilets. Most of the floors, and the colorful glass in the windows, doors, partitions, ceiling and wood panels have been preserved or restored to their original state. The famous ballroom, with a majestic staircase in the center of the room, remains as it always was, only more beautiful. "We can't expand the room, since that would destroy its originality. It can only accommodate 200 guests," explained Yudy.

The most breathtaking aspect of the hotel is the presidential suite. It is the biggest suite in Asia (perhaps the world), at about 800 square meters, with three big bedrooms, an office, a large dining room, a meeting room with a 100-guest capacity, a maid's corner, a kitchen, three bathrooms and triple-balconied verandahs facing the greenery of the vast garden.

Among the guests who have already enjoyed the luxury are the president of Singapore, Ong Teng Cheong, and businesswoman Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, better-known as Mbak Tutut.

Besides the antiques, the hotel also offers modernity. It has a nice swimming pool, a fitness center complete with a whirlpool, sauna and massage rooms. It has three fine restaurants -- Indigo, Shima and Sarkies. A business center is now under construction.

"The most difficult thing for us is to gain back the hotel's reputation after a short period of being a second-class hotel," said Yudy.

But the management should be happy because Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave wrote in a guest book about the hotel: "A star is born. Excellent for details."