After reading the reviews here & the fact that the Alila Group have well received resorts in Bali, we decided to give this place a shot.

We got a good deal through Asiarooms. For the price we paid, it was fine, but our room certainly wasn't luxurious. Room size was adequate & it was clean, but the room & bathroom looked rather tired. The bed sort of sagged in the middle, making it rather uncomfortable. Grouting between the bathroom tiles had mildew.

Breakfast spread was alright, though the prawns in the Chinese dimsum weren't fresh.

Service was good. Attentive & friendly. Both checking in & out were a breeze.

If you need to get supplies, there's a Carrefour (hypermarket) about 10-15 mins walk away or you could take a taxi. Given the one way streets & traffic, it's probably faster to walk.

There are plenty of small restaurants along the street & in the surrounding area.

The Alila is in the 'old town' of Jakarta, but the taxi driver had no problem finding it from the airport. The little details make Alila such a great stay: the fact that the staff, even the bell boy, remembers your name, the fact that when you take a taxi, they give you a card with their address and phone number - and a few sentences in Indonesian, and they go literally out of their way to give you tips and advice on what to see and visit.

In all, the hotel is small enough to make you feel welcome, but has all the facilities of a big hotel. The spa is great, and the room decoration is wonderful as well. I didn't have any problems with hearing mosques or other travelers, but perhaps I was lucky.

On the security: no matter where you stay in Jakarta, hardly any hotel will recommend strolling along, because a) the air is really dirty, b) often there are no sidewalks, c) you might be harassed by people or police. Just take a cab and practice your Indonesian with the handy taxi card the Alila gives you!

I have stayed at this hotel a couple of times as really it is really pretty okay for the price... (550,000 rp) But compared to other hotels I have stayed in Jakarta it doesn't feel as luxurious, the minimalism doesn't quite work here... just feels cold and hard.... and you notice all the flaws - I tried to upgrade to a suite last time we were here but they were all full....
The area isn't the best - it is in a street that specializes in car repairs / parts etc is very oily and gungy looking and is a bit dodgy at night...
The breakfast was pretty okay but nothing like the Mulia - (I would probably choose the Mulia over this hotel but Alila is half the price!)
I had a massage while we were here, it was good and the spa is nicely designed.
We spent a couple of hours at the pool on our last day and what was a bit gross - was it seems somebody was sick quite recently near one of the loungers and nobody had cleaned it up (yuk!)
Also a bunch of (management?) staff decided to lay down on a group of loungers across from us fully clothed complete with formal shoes on which seemed a bit off too...

Hotel was splendid. From the outside, the hotel looked great.

Lobby wasn't as big as other hotels, but the design is unique. This uniqueness goes on to the rest of the hotel facilities. Check in was ok.

The rooms are simply great! Great mattress, pillows, and the bathroom are also nice. Even the toiletries are nice.

Breakfast although not superb, was above average. What made it more exciting was the atmosphere. Simply splendid.

Overall, truly a great hotel to stay, worthy of a 5-stars standard.