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.