Beautiful moments captured from Adam and Kelly’s wedding ceremony at Alila Villas Uluwatu.

Photographer : www.why-imaging.com

www.alilahotels.com/uluwatu

Alila Soori is no ordinary beach resort. For starters, it fronts a pretty extra-ordinary beach. Part of the island’s southwest-facing gulf of the Indian Ocean, the long, foamy breakers in this area of Bali crash onto pitch black sand.

There’s something delightfully Harry Potter-esque, I discovered, about a volcanic beach. Bury your toes in the charcoal-hued grains and watch the ebony specks brush cleanly off your skin like magic. The beach seems to dance, as particles of gemstone thrown up by the nearby volcano glitter in the sunlight. And all the while the contrast of thrashing white surf and inky sand is completely hypnotising.

The resort takes its design cues from the monochromatic beachfront. Low rise and linear, the architecture uses local grey and black volcanic stone for its box-like buildings and quadrangles, interspersed with polished teak and dark reflection ponds. Turquoise swimming pools and lush green lawns add splashes of colour against a clear blue backdrop of ocean and sky, washing into each other across the horizon.

The best vantage is from the Ocean Pool Villas. That’s right – you don’t just get a room at Alila Villas Soori, but a 275sqm villa residence. The uber luxe villas delight on all levels – from the large landscaped private courtyard and sexy outdoor rainforest shower, to a generous array of ‘His and Her’ bath products (the lip gloss is divine) and on-demand Apple TV. Open the glass sliding door in your living room and you can splash right into your own seafront infinity pool.

My favourite spot though was the poolside pavilion, where you can drape on a massive cushioned daybed looking out to the ocean. A tray offering tanning oil, sun block, iced water, candles and cool towels is kindly placed in easy rolling distance.

Noticing our penchant for the pavilion, our Villa Host asked us if we’d like to have breakfast there the following morning. We awoke to French toast, fresh OJ and pots of brewed coffee laid out on the alfresco dining table. Later, she brought around ice, fresh limes and tonic and we made sunset G&Ts as the sun sank in a glorious display that felt like it was orchestrated especially for us.

While it’s tempting to spend your day sunbathing like a model in a Wallpaper* shoot, it’s well worth rallying to explore the surrounding villages. The Kerambitan area was once the seat of Balinese royalty and its fertile countryside is still home to some of the country’s finest royal blacksmiths, potters and Wayang painters. You can join a Segway tour or guided visit to their workshops – or simply go for a wander outside Alila’s gates into the picture-perfect Balinese village of Kelating.

A world away from the sleek resort, this one-street village explodes with colour and culture. Each peak-roofed home has a large family altar and bright bougainvillea, frangipani and palm trees in the front garden. Chickens peck by the grassy curbside. If you’re lucky enough to visit during one of the many traditional festivals, towering palm fronds adorned with woven decorations arch over the street and families sets up colourful offerings and handmade effigies outside their homes.

Another nice stroll is up to the rocky outcrop overlooking Alila Villas Soori. Topped by a tiny temple, it offers magnificent views along the coastline. If you go at sundown, you’ll not only get some spectacular photo ops but might catch the evening exodus of fruit bats from the bat cave at the base of the hill. As soon as the sun sets, hundreds of bats sweep out en masse in a thrilling display of flapping and shrieking over the black sands.

For something truly romantic, have the folks at Alila Villas Soori arrange a private sunset cocktail on the peak, complete with big beanbags and fire torches. Then, filled with the majesty of this place, proceed down to dinner at alfresco seafront restaurant, Coast. The perfect finale to another day in paradise.

www.alilahotels.com
www.alilavillassoori.com

We first met in Bombay in a rickshaw (we were faint acquaintances from before) and ended up tying the knot after 5 years of dating. Both of us complement each other in that we are both very like-minded individuals, yoga fans, animal lovers, appreciate the simple pleasures in life, love exploring different cities and are both strictly work-oriented. Work and family are priorities for us. But saying that, we look forward to our life together as husband and wife and hope to nurture this relationship to the extent it deserves.

Hiten and I were looking for a venue that would be warm, intimate and hospitable for our entire family and this is why we held our wedding at Alila Diwa Goa. The rooms were in perfect proximity, beautifully designed and the team is very amicable and respectful, making the entire experience special. We wanted the wedding to be a very close, personal affair with family and few close friends attending from around the world.

Our wedding was very much a traditional Sindhi one, with all the necessary “Poojas” that were required as per both our families’ traditions. About the wedding celebrations, we had “Ganesh Sthapana” (religious pre-wedding ceremony) and a Welcome Dinner on the first day, “Mehendi” (bride’s henna decoration party) and “Sangeet” (pre-wedding joyous celebration) on second day, and “Ghadi Pooja Pheras” (wedding ceremony) and Reception on the third day. I still remember on first day, when we had so many arrivals at one time and we were personally welcoming most of the guests ourselves, Hiten and I ended up being late for one of our very own functions. So it was these small little things that make us laugh now because without these little “hiccups”, it wouldn’t have felt like a complete wedding!

Having engaged our own event management agency in Dubai, most of the preparations were organized by us and the wedding planner, Achint Nag (Krayonz Entertainment) from Mumbai. But we were particular about the photography and video, which is why we hired Doodle Studio from Malaysia and Photo Tantra from Bangalore. Since we were working with them for the first time, we were a bit nervous about the outcome, but we couldn’t have had a better team. Everyone understood us and our traditions and captured beautiful moments, that get us teary every time we see the photos or watch the videos.

It ended up being the way we imagined it to be and we couldn’t thank our family and friends enough who travelled all the way from various different countries and cities – Mumbai, Dubai, Kuwait, US, Korea and London – to be with us and shower us with their blessings.

For more information about wedding at Alila Diwa Goa please visit http://www.alilahotels.com/diwagoa

Tanya Fishkina & Alex Vernitsky Wedding
Alila Villas Soori . Bali . Indonesia

Tanya and Alek wanted an intimate celebration on the beach. Enter Alila Villas Soori on the west coast of Bali. ‘The lawn at Alila offered a spectacular setting for the ceremony and really dramatic views of the sunset. The fact that so many of our friends and family travelled for well over 20 hours to be with us meant a great deal’, says Tanya.

It was an international affair when Tanya and Alek, together for 12 years, said ‘I do’ in a Jewish ceremony on a Balinese beach. ‘We didn’t have a theme in mind, but we had an idea of a feeling that we wanted to have – sophisticated and understated, yet light, breezy, uninhibited and fun!” says Tanya.

The couple wrote their own vows. A good friend of the couple, Konstantin Kraz, officiated the Jewish ceremony and let the guests in singing the nigunim (humming of tunes). The guest book contained childhood photos of Tanya and Alek, organised by Tanya’s sister.

“Things we do as a couple tend to complement each other – I like to cook, and Alek likes to eat my food; Alek likes to go sailing, and I love to sunbathe on the deck of the boat. Maybe all couples fall into roles but ours seem to be unmistakable and defining,” says Tanya.

“Instead of a traditional cake, we asked Ashton, the Executive Chef at Alila Villas Soori to come up with a dessert that would combine two flavours from our mums’ favourite dessert: meringue from my mum’s Kiev cake and lemon from Alex’s Mum’s anke cake,” explains Tanya. The result was the perfect offering for the couple’s event – a delicious hazelnut mousse with lemon core. They also got creative with their table settings and used fruit – apples and pears among them – as bomboniere with a place setting card that had guests names attached.

Gorgeous photos were high on the priority list for the couple, who searched the world for the perfect photographer. “We decided on Marcus Bell of Studio Impressions, and flew him over from Australia,” says Tanya. Needless to say, they were thrilled with their choice. “We loved how Marcus documented the pre-ceremony interactions of the bridal party, the emotion of the groom with his parents, and the vibe of the day. There’s a wonderful feeling of lightness and playfulness,” she adds.

For more information about weddings at Alila Villas Soori please visit http://www.alilahotels.com/soori/weddings
or email : soori@alilahotels.com

Amy & TQ
Alila Ubud . Bali . Indonesia

“My life’s gonna be beautiful…
Tell me quick, ain’t love a kick in the head…”

Amy Long met TQ Shang at Stanford University in the windowless basement classroom of their 9 am. Southeast Asian politics course (They say the only perk of the early-morning winter class was that they met). Many years later, they found themselves around the world — in Singapore — working as management consultants and traveling out of the country about five days a week. Taking a cue from their jet-setting lives, they dreamed up a travel-themed wedding — after all, they’d had many dates in airport lounges, and TQ proposed after Amy landed from a 16-hour flight; it just made sense. On July 3, 2010, they said “I do” in Bali, with 120 guests, a weekend of festivities, and not an airplane in sight.

Each table was named after a city of significance for the couple. Centerpieces of white and lilac snapdragons, lisianthus, spray roses, hydrangeas, green cymbidium orchids, phalaenopsis orchids, mauve ‘Cool Water’ roses, and green bamboo water added color to the reception. Guests enjoyed a family-style dinner which fused Indonesian, Balinese, and Western classics. A chocolate cake covered in white fondant was piped with black icing and decorated with fresh orchids and a base of limes. A dessert buffet provided Indonesian and Western treats, as well as a coffee bar that served espresso martinis and joe from all over Indonesia. Following the traditional Chinese “yam seng” toast, the couple enjoyed a fireworks display from a platform in the middle of the infinity pool.

For more information about weddings at Alila Ubud, please visit : http://www.alilahotels.com/ubud/weddings
or email : ubud@alilahotels.com

The Green Bank 2012 Resolutions :
To complete the Collection Point, Sorting Station and playground for kids in the village which will in turn assure us of extended participation. To appoint a working committee from amongst the team at the hotel. To work at setting up the ‘home gardens’ in interested homes. To train clusters of families in different crafts such as candle making and re‐cycling paper to make cards and note lets, etc, so that as a home industry, our promise would be to buy back from them and sell them through our Alila Living boutique. To set up a better organised composting area. To continue to reduce the issue of non-biodegradable products in the hotel operation.

Happy reading and best wishes for a “Surprisingly Different” 2012. Thank you very much for listening …. It is your support that motivates us to keep going.

Best regards,
Sanjiva

Sanjiva Gautamadasa
General Manager – Alila Manggis
sanjiva@alilahotels.com

DECEMBER 2011
WE ARE A YEAR OLD … AND WE DID MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Twelve months into the programme and we are still moving forward. It is time to take note of the strengths and work at rectifying weaknesses from the past in 2012. Our aim is to spread the concept from our little neighbouring village of Buitan in Manggis to a few more little villages within the vicinity. As usual, we ended the year with a customary collection of garbage, and completed thegreenbank banner painting, banners that would be used by us at their different events and sessions. A slideshow of the past year and their participation intrigued the children when they saw themselves on the TV set‐up to remind them of the year that had passed. A cake was cut and the birthday song was sung in both Bahasa Indonesia and in English, with a genuine promise to keep going in 2012 and take the initiative to the next level.

NOVEMBER 2011
WASTE COLLECTION CONTINUES
The routine collection of garbage continues with emphasis on encouraging members to sort the garbage so that they realise the differences. In our second year, it is our intention to take them to visit some Recycling Centres in Bali.

OCTOBER 2011
OUR SHORT TERM GOAL – A GARBAGE COLLECTION POINT & SORTING STATION IN THE VILLAGE AMIDST A PLAYGROUND FOR THE KIDS
To continue with consistency, we need to ensure that we gain the support of the extended community and enjoy the confidence of the multiple villages in what we are trying to do. We aim not to make them suspect that it is we who earn the laurels for doing things through them and thus gaining recognition, both locally and internationally. We wish to engage them, and through theoretical methods and through activities, to introduce them to and teach them the importance of looking after and conserving our environment. Keeping this in mind, it is our intention to:
- Set up a Garbage Collection Point and Sorting Station in the village with the support of the village council to encourage everyone to dispose of their garbage sensibly while we continue to as promised manage it and collect it.
- Since having fun encourages learning, we will combine this with a playground for the children. At one corner of this playground will be a Learning Board for the display of notices, educative tutorials and information.

SEPTEMBER 2011
BUITAN VILLAGE CLEAN‐UP CAMPAIGN
We walked through the village and beach with our neighbours on a clean‐up mission. With time we believe that they will decide it easier not to throw things there in first place.

AUGUST 2011
LET’S GROW SOME VEGGIES
On 5th August, we handed all participants a fruit or vegetable plant and showed them how to plant it in a bed laid out for the purpose. They would be allowed to come in any time to tend this plant which would be marked with their name. The intention behind this was to encourage them to do the same in their small garden plots back home. The small amount of produce they may generate will be bought back from them for use in our menus, once the broader goal is achieved.

UNICEF “SPIRIT OF CHAMPION” EVENING
We sponsored 12 older members (children) along with three of our Co‐ordinators to attend this event at the Bali Art Centre in Denpasar in support of the UNICEF Check Out for Children Programme where all the money collected goes towards inoculating children in the underdeveloped world against 9 deadly early childhood diseases. It included a demonstration for all on the martial art of ‘Wushu’, an art that promotes wellness of mind, body and soul. The evening ended for the kids at Dunkin Donuts and KFC – the good mixed with the not so good.

JULY 2011
RECOGNITION OF THE EFFORTS MADE
Six months into our programme, still going strong and evolving continuously, we now saw it as the opportune time to recognise our members for the efforts they had put into making this initiative a success. Every one of the members who contributed in any small way through the collection and contribution of litter was rewarded based on the number of kilos they brought to thegreenbank on their fortnightly visits. We also announced the winners of the “Say No To Plastic”– Recycled Bag Painting Competition that was held among the members.

MAY & JUNE 2011
THE COLLECTION OF LITTER CONTINUES
Our members continue to bring in litter from their homes and the vicinity around them more diligently. The amounts continue to be recorded. Now being six months into the commencement of the initiative, we decided to total the quantities brought by each member and reward them based on their contribution. Each member was to be recognised, however big or small their contribution had been, as a means of keeping them motivated to continue.

“SAY NO TO PLASTIC”– RECYCLED BAG PAINTING COMPETITION
We used our discarded bed sheets to make bags that the members could use next time they go to a shop. We encouraged them to paint a message and a picture on them using some natural colours made of chocolate, beetroot and carrot as well as some regular paints. Of course, the paints were more popular among the kids – they had fun and so did we. We selected the top ten which were displayed on the hotel grounds during afternoon tea time, inviting guests to judge which one was the best in their opinion.

APRIL 2011
THE EARTH DAY ACTIVITY
Earth Day was on the 22nd of the month. It also coincided with the Saraswathi Festival and ceremony in Bali – where the Hindus worship books and education. In order to ensure that we did not disrupt or get limited attendance for our Earth Day activity, we held it earlier on 20th April 2011. All of our registered members, 60 in all, along with some guests converged on the village our members come from. Upto now, they had been collecting and depositing with us the waste from their individual homes and not the waste that is strewn around the lanes and roads and land spaces. In the past, the hotel staff would do a Gotong Royong (a Balinese concept meaning ‘Together, we can do it’ ) every Earth Day to clean the village for the villagers resulting in the villagers themselves not really owning the issue. This time they had to join in, and join in they did! It all ended with lunch and dessert at the hotel compound, and oh dear, we served drinking water in disposable plastic cups. We too are evolving. Till then, we will make mistakes too.

MARCH 2011
We lost our way for a couple of days here and stalled on some of the activities we had planned. We promised ourselves that for this programme to be consistently sustainable and productive, we as a team would have to ensure continuity by being more diligent.

FEBRUARY 2011
RECYCLING PAPER
We have now started recycling the paper we dispose of in the hotel and offer it as an activity for our guests through our experiences booklet. We asked the participants (mostly children) if they would like to learn. The enthusiasm was overwhelming. We registered and enrolled all the children over Grade 3 who were interested.

JANUARY 2011
CONTINUITY AND CONSISTENCY
It is never easy to stay motivated when it comes to change and introducing it to a group of people who live very differently. That is what we believed anyway. We sent out an invitation reminding everyone that 14th January 2011 would be the first day of collection for 2011. Did we expect a huge participation, especially considering that in the invitation we had purposely left out the aspect of a tea party afterwards? Would they still be keen to attend was the question on our minds. This time we had even more participants, 34 in all, and again many with bags of litter all standing in line to be weighed. A few had even taken the trouble to pre‐sort them into the different categories before bringing them to the hotel. Members of our team, Arnaya, our F&B Manager, Suastika, our Security Manager, Sudiasa, our Engineer, and once again Rantun, took the chance to share some information. We decided that from the next time onwards, we would pre‐program (??do you mean pre-record?) what is said in order to ensure that the participants gain focused information and in small doses. The afternoon ended with a glass of water for each participant. They left us with smiles on their faces, feeling refreshed that they had done something very good and positive.

THE WASTE COLLECTION CONTINUED
In pouring rain, while we at the hotel had decided that the community would not show, we were pleasantly surprised when 31 people appeared, eagerly pulling their bags of rubbish for us to record and segregate, keeping us on our toes, so to speak. We did as we were expected. We were also planning to teach them how to recycle paper but this proved difficult given the weather so we re‐scheduled it. The afternoon ended with some Balinese sweets and water for each participant. They left disappointed that they could not recycle paper as they had hoped to, but with the knowledge that they would be back next week to learn the art.

27 December 2010
THE LAUNCH
The staff and their families came marching into the hotel with an average of two sacks each of litter. The pillow cases were just too little for what they had in mind. Our staff registered every person who brought a bag in and weighed their contribution, making a note of each contribution next to their name. There was a welcome address and a thank you from Rantun, our Housekeeper, who took the opportunity to explain a bit about what negative effects can be caused, sooner or later, if we don’t start doing things differently. A tea party followed thereafter with some snacks, sweets and ice creams, juices and ice tea. A thank you note in Bahasa and English was handed to each participant. We promised to maintain a minimum of two collection dates every month commencing 2011 – a promise I am proud to say we kept save for on two occasions.

21 December 2010
THE INTRODUCTION
Twenty of our staff live in Buitan. We met with them and asked them what they thought of our proposition. Their usually callous outlook to disposing of waste made me expect a frightfully negative response, but instead, they wanted to know when they could start. We gave them an old pillow case each and asked them to fill them up with litter that they throw out on a daily basis from within their homes. We asked them to bring these ‘recycling bags’ back to the hotel on the 27th with as much litter as they could for systematic sorting.

Our success in the last TEN years came about because of our friends in the travel trade, media and our guests who believed in the Alila promise and told our stories to the world… Here are Alila’s achievements in 2011…

November 2011
Alila Villas Soori achieved the Villa Ultimate Award by Island Destinations’ debut 2012 Travelers Collection

October 2011
Alila Ubud listed in the 20 Best Hotels in Asia and The Indian Subcontinent by Condé Nast Traveler UK “2011 Readers’ Travel Awards”

October 2011
Spa Alila at Alila Villas Soori nominated for Eco Spa of the Year and Spa Design of the Year by ASIA SPA AWARD

October 2011
Alila Villas Uluwatu listed in the “100 Best Hotels in the World” by The Sunday Times Travel 2011
“The setting – a craggy limestone perch battered by surf – may be awesome, but Alila’s design is more than a match. Sculptural cubes above the pool and the ocean hide sumptuous chill-out zones. Villas combine maximum privacy with enviable amounts of outdoor space.”

July 2011
Alila Villas Uluwatu awarded International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies

June 2011
Alila Villas Uluwatu a finalist in the Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence by Urban Land Institute 2011

May 2011
Alila Diwa Goa awarded as one of India’s Best Managed Hospitality Groups in 2nd Annual India Leadership Conclave 2011

May 2011
Alila Villas Uluwatu awarded a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) international award for architectural excellence

May 2011
Alila Villas Uluwatu achieved EarthCheck Silver certification for its compliance with environmental practices.
The EarthCheck Program is widely regarded as the world’s most scientifically rigorous, and is focused on maximising operational efficiencies to minimise CO2e emissions, while supporting host communities. It looks at key environmental indicators such as energy and water consumption, total waste production as well as community commitment, to determine the level of performance.

May 2011
Alila Villas Uluwatu picked as one of the World Coolest Hotels by Ottawa Sun
“It’s no wonder the beautiful people flock to Alila Villas Uluwatu, a jaw-dropping cliffhanger of a retreat on Bali’s dramatic southern Bukit Peninsula, boasting panoramic views over the Indian Ocean.”

May 2011
Alila Villas Uluwatu, Alila Ubud and Kemang Icon listed in the World’s 20 Coolest Hotel Pools by FORBES USA

April 2011
Alila Diwa Goa took home the Critic’s Award for the “Best New Hotel in the Luxury and Upscale Segment” at the 2011 Hotel & Investor Conference South-Asia (HICSA). HICSA Hotels of the Year Awards are recognised as a global benchmark for excellence in the travel and hospitality sector and honour the most outstanding hotel developments of the previous year in South Asia.

February 2011
Alila Villas Uluwatu listed in “Top 10 Hotel Pools: Dive Into Decadence” in The National Online

From http://www.starproperty.my/PropertyGuide/Living/17179/0/0

Indonesian architect Sardjono Sani is regarded as a modernist and has taken his concept of architecture and interior design to a whole new level with his Kemang Icon hotel project. Located in the affluent enclave of Kemang in the south of Jakarta, the 12-room boutique hotel is well-sited in an established part of the sprawling city.

Jakarta is touted as the most populous city in South-East Asia and the 10th largest in the world. It spans 661sq km and teems with 9.6 million people, at last official count. Jam-packed, sophisticated and trendy, Kemang is the preferred neighbourhood for any upscale business venture aimed at Jakarta’s affluent class. “In a matured urban society, there is a real need for personalised and unique services,” pointed out Sardjono, when explaining his hotel concept. “There is a segment in such a society that craves for fulfillment. This is where Kemang Icon comes into play.”

The building that houses Kemang Icon is located in the centre of Kemang, among hip cafés and trendy boutiques. But the hotel itself is rather hidden from the hustle and bustle of Kemang’s narrow streets. It is tucked away, behind art galleries and above office space that occupy the first two floors of the building. The hotel’s entrance is on the first floor. Here, impressive artwork decorates the wall and the tables. Take, for instance, a magnificent oil painting behind the concierge desk.

Maestro
Entitled, Nature in Meditation, and depicting the iconic image of the Borobudur temple complex, this painting is the work of Indonesian maestro, Srihadi Soedarsono, completed in 2000. There’s also a 1,000-year-old statue of Lord Ganesha in the corner of the lobby. And as you walk into the lobby, you will be greeted by an ancient Balinese topeng or mask, believed to have been made for the legendary royal servant-cum-clown, known as Panasar. Just when you thought that the interior of this boutique hotel is all about adding a contemporary edge juxtaposed against traditional Indonesian aesthetics, a pair of 17th Century French mirrors are hung on the wall. It is believed that the mirrors once belonged to the Sultan of Surakarta. “The emphasis on serious artwork hopefully conveys our commitment in providing one-of-a-kind services to guests,” explained Sardjono.

Affandi
A guest at Kemang Icon is treated as king, and Sardjono ensures that this was the way his guests were to be treated. “If the Srihardi painting isn’t your cup of tea, and you prefer an Affandi (Indonesian master) instead, I will make sure that you’re happy. You can request pretty much everything,” he said, with pride. “If you are to pay a premium price for a night in a hotel room, then why do you have to be given an architectural and design experience similar to 500 other guests in the same building? “I want to make Kemang Icon a place for people to indulge their ego, without feeling guilty. My guests shouldn’t feel guilty for wanting a ‘Me’ time,” said the veteran architect, adding that the desire to build a world-class boutique hotel has always been a dream for him and his wife.

Rave reviews
The dream finally came true in 2005, when the couple launched Kemang Icon. Rave reviews from Conde Nast Traveler’s, which named it among ‘Scene Stealing Hotels in Indonesia’. Los Angeles-based lifestyle website, Gayot, also included Kemang Icon in Top 10 Boutique Hotels in the world, making it on par with New York’s Gramercy Hotel and Paris’ Hotel Franklin D. Roosevelt. “It was about time that Jakarta has an establishment that forges energetic edge – one that symbolises a contemporary architectural icon. This was the main idea behind all the design decisions in this hotel,” said Sardjono, who obtained his degree in architecture from Parahyangan and a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Colorado, Denver. Indeed, the hotel immediately stands out architecturally. From the distinctive blue-glass façade to the mezzanine floor on the third level, there is a perfect interplay of space and intimacy.

Art Deco
In terms of materials, there’s also a harmonious combination of granite, marble, onyx, glass, metal and wood. Adding to the richness of the materials are interior accessories featuring Art Deco paintings and artifacts. Meanwhile, the wall colour scheme is awashed with a subtle palette. “I took into consideration the style, creativity, function and well-being when designing the layout. The emphasis is on open, visually connected space that enhance the interaction of work, living and play. Transparent yet preserving privacy in a stylishly modern way,” pointed out Sardjono.

A dozen design themes
To facilitate ‘Me’ time for his guests, Sardjono carefully selected design themes for each of the 12 bedrooms available at Kemang Icon. “Each room caters to an individual’s needs and taste. For example, there’s a room with an Oriental theme popular among culture buffs. Here, we placed Wayang Potehi puppet collectibles – with real human hair, no less,” said Sardjono. In contrast, there’s a room that offers a minimal interior design scheme, with monochromatic wallpaper and clean-cut furniture. “This minimalist room usually hosts the same kind of guests: tech-savvy, urbane and fuss-free business travellers,” he said. An oval room on the third floor, which has an asymmetrical layout and an expansive view of Jakarta, caters to travellers who demand a luxe lifestyle with an edgier design taste. But the one that takes the cake, is the room that highlights Balinese aesthetics, evident in the mini padi field right outside the window. Those who keep coming back to this room, Sardjono explained, are travellers who appreciate the romantic, tropical living concept while holding on to their urban sensibilities. With such a deep commitment to understanding the urban market segment, Sardjono has advanced the Indonesian boutique hotel concept further. And in the process, defied stereotypical ideas about tropical resorts that have dominated the hospitality industry for more than two decades.