Presidential suites illuminate lifestyles of rich and famous
Presidential suites illuminate lifestyles of rich and famous
By John Aglionby
JAKARTA (JP): Lionel Ritchie has a claim to fame probably no
other visitor to Jakarta can match. He was kicked out of one of
the city's five-star hotel's presidential suites. Not on account
of his singing but because Gen. John Shalikashvili, the chairman
of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, and his entourage wanted the
Sahid Jaya's most luxurious accommodation at the same time.
"It was a bit embarrassing," Guido Gyde, the hotel's general
manager said. "But after we introduced the singer to the general
and explained the situation, everything was honey and milk."
The Shangri-La nearly had the same problem when Chinese
Premier Li Peng and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad
both wanted the hotel's best room. "Luckily we had enough warning
and we were able to build a second presidential suite," Carmen
Lam, the hotel's sales and marketing director, said.
Both guests were apparently satisfied, but then they were
paying enough. One night in the Shangri-La's 370-square-meter
(sqm) presidential suite costs US$1,900 (before the 21 percent
tax and service charge).
That, however, is chicken feed compared to some of the
alternatives on offer. The Hilton's suite is 800 sqm and costs
$2,000, the Grand Hyatt's is 290 sqm and costs $2,700 (no
corporate discounts offered), the Sahid Jaya's is 800 sqm and
costs $4,000 and the Regent charges (as will the Sheraton Media
for its 1,900 sqm suite when it is complete) $5,000 for its 600
sqm suite. People not wanting to splash out this much for a night
of luxury should head for the Sheraton Bandara ($1,800 for a 168
sqm suite) or Le Meridien (a mere $750 for a 190 sqm suite).
But what does one get for one's, or in most cases someone
else's, money?
Space, security, VIP service, privacy and recognition is the
answer, although all the hotels stress slightly different
aspects. The Regent is the only hotel whose top suite has direct
access from the car park. "There's no price for security and the
people who stay here really need that, they always like to feel
secure," said the hotel's public relations manager Hana Hoed.
Ria Leimena, the Hilton's public relations manager, stresses
privacy. "You have the whole floor of the Garden Tower and no one
can enter the suite without your permission," while Lam focuses
on prestige: "When you stay in a presidential suite, you are
looking for space but also recognition; you are paying for the
presidential suite at the Shangri-La and that's where you get
your money's worth."
It is also recognition for the hotel, says Alison Styles of
the Sheraton Bandara: "You'd be surprised at the number of people
who ask if we have a presidential suite. You can relate it to if
you have a swimming pool. If you don't have one, it's seen as a
negative thing even though the vast majority of people will never
use it."
Practical terms
Richard Allen, Le Meridien's sales and marketing director,
sees the value in more practical terms. "As far as taking up
space in a commercial building is concerned, it's probably a
better return on your investment than buying six rooms, you have
better fixtures and fittings and while all the guests are equal
some are more equal than others."
The seemingly exorbitant prices -- even Le Meridien's bargain
basement deal is 30 percent more than the minimum monthly wage in
Jakarta -- should be put in their proper context, all the hotels
agreed.
Bart Buiring, executive assistant manager at the Grand Hyatt,
said: "It is very hard to reconcile the cost with the average
wage in Indonesia. It should rather be linked to the price of top
quality accommodation anywhere in the world and in that sense our
price is not out of line with what you would pay elsewhere."
But which is the best? Where should you go when your long-lost
Uncle Albert leaves you billions of dollars in his will?
If sleeping in the same bed as particular celebrities is
important, here are the hotels' presidential suites' guest lists.
Shangri-La: Mahathir, Li Peng, Singaporean Prime Minister Goh
Chok Tong and the King of Tonga. Sahid Jaya: Philippine President
Fidel Ramos, supermodels Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista and
singer Richard Clayderman. Hilton: Japanese Prime Minister
Ryutaro Hashimoto, illusionist David Copperfield and former
British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Le Meridien: Miss
World, Miss Universe, Indonesian tennis queen Yayuk Basuki and
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien. Grand Hyatt: German
Chancellor Helmut Kohl, film star Bruce Willis, former Australian
prime minister Paul Keating and family members of the Sultan of
Brunei. The Regent: various government ministers including Ali
Alatas.
Most of these guests stayed only a couple of nights. The
longest continuous occupancy was a month, at the Regent and the
Grand Hyatt. In both cases they were CEOs of blue-chip companies.
Only the Hilton and Le Meridien's suites have occupancy rates
above 50 percent, although in the latter's case it is partly
because regular corporate guests are upgraded if the hotel is
full.
All the suites have kitchens with service entrances, all the
master bedroom baths are Jacuzzis, all the hotels said they would
rearrange the suites and provide personal touches to suit guests'
individual needs and all the hotels said the occupants could do
pretty much what they wanted providing it did not disturb the
hotel's other guests.
As to which suite is the best; the Shangri-La takes the honors
for its business environment but royals and celebrities would
probably prefer the Grand Hyatt or the Hilton for their undiluted
luxury.
Features
The following are the different suites' standard features.
Shangri-La: One bedroom. Best view as it is on the 29th floor,
also the quietest. Two balconies rather small. Service very good
until 1 a.m., when butler suddenly disappeared. Private sauna.
Largest private office/meeting room. Only suite with a really
private sitting room. Decor: a tasteful mixture of Western with
very subtle Indonesian touches.
Grand Hyatt: On the 26th floor. Two bedrooms. Most
ostentatiously decorated, every corner crammed with Indonesian
artifacts. Fax machine provided. Huge balcony with fountain.
Three-person bath but took so long to fill the water was cold.
Can watch TV in bath but not in bed. Only suite with a karaoke
machine. The service was fantastic and could not be faulted at
all.
Sahid Jaya: On the 22nd floor. Seven bedrooms but no
balconies. Longest bed. Internal bathroom with three-person bath.
Very well designed reception room, can be different sizes
depending on size of party. An excess of wood paneling made it
feel rather dark. Licensed helipad.
Le Meridien: On the 12th floor. Two bedrooms. Aimed at clients
from smaller corporations -- office almost as large as reception
room. Low ceilings made it feel a little cramped. No free bar or
free meals. No balcony. No automatic butler but service
satisfactory.
The Regent: Only on 6th floor so rather noisy -- woken by
traffic. Two large balconies with gardens. Two bedrooms. Very
tastefully decorated in light green with $50,000 spent on artwork
alone. Best reception room, very light and airy with 10-meter-
high ceiling. Can watch TV in bath. Sauna. Butler good but rest
of the hotel's service extremely variable, particularly famed
security.
Sheraton Bandara: On fourth floor. One bedroom. Very quiet
despite being at airport. Only hotel to provide complementary
limousine. No private office, sitting room and balcony a little
cramped. Fax machine provided. No butler but a wide selection of
drinks provided. Pleasant and relaxed atmosphere due to being out
of the city.
Hilton: On 17th floor. Two bedrooms. Private 10-meter swimming
pool on balcony. Office part of reception room. Best designed
bathroom. Sauna. Service good but there was a different butler
every couple of hours. Licensed helipad. Lighting in main
reception room very poor. Traffic noise was a distraction. Decor
a congenial combination of traditional and Western designs. Only
hotel to allow band on the balcony.
Table: Presidential Suite Features
Hotel Area Price/US$ Floor Best features
(sqm) (before++)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Grand Hyatt 290 2,700 26 Atmosphere of luxury,
covered balcony
Hilton 800 2,000 17 Pool on balcony,
view from bath
Le Meridien 190 750 12 Value for money,
no wasted space
Sahid Jaya 800 4,000 23 Seven bedrooms, design
of reception rooms
Shangri-La 370 1,900 29 Large office, very
private sitting room
Sheraton B. 168 1,800 4 Relaxed atmosphere,
out of town location
Sheraton M. 1,900 5,000 19 Size, pool on balcony
The Regent 600 5,000 6 Size of reception
room, direct access
from car park
The other five-star hotels in Jakarta either do not have
presidential suites or declined to take part in the survey.