Saturday, January 30, 2010

hotel or castle?

Bandung is a city about three hours drive from Jakarta, and the hills are a popular weekend retreat for Jakartans to escape the hustle and bustle, the pollution or the humidity that is Jakarta. Bandung is also known for shopping, thanks to its multitude of factory outlets offering (mostly) almost perfect pieces of (mostly) genuine designer labels.

So where to stay? Several international chains do have properties in Bandung but there are many independent hotels as well. Of course, lots of things are best when they are open...hearts, minds, arms (legs?)...and of course hotels. The G H Universal first opened its doors in May 2008 and is gradually slowly opening bit by bit, with the 'full, grand opening' scheduled for some time in 2009. When I stayed there much of the hotel was functional, but there were some gaps. Overall, though, it has promise.




The G.H. Universal is up a hill in central Bandung with a view over much of the city. G.H. stands for Green Hills, apparently, so it rather appropriate.

I arrived by road and, after the final battle against traffic, turned into the gate. To the left, on the wall, was a notice partly obscured by low hanging branches of a tree, announcing 'Soft Opening in May 2008'. To the right was the hotel, four stories high, with a design that was an eclectic mix of faux-colonial stlyes - Georgian windows, Victorian domes and almost Romanesque layout, finished in a rather odd shade of grey. The actual entrance was incongruously floor to ceiling window the length of the lobby.

Inside, the lobby lounge was again a mix of styles, with large, brown, stuffed armchairs reminiscent of Victorian libraries contrasting with modern, straight-lined sofas and the black marble steps and blackcurrant walls of the reception area. The windows opposite the entrance look out onto the pool, which is in a central courtyard with accommodation on all four sides.

2 comments:

Jessie said...

Many hotels are look like a castle, you are a prince/princess if you stay that kind of hotel.

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Jessie said...

Extended-stay hotels share common operational characteristics compared with traditional hotels, including higher occupancy, lower daily rates, longer average stay, lower expenses and higher operating margins.

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