I stayed at the RitzCarlton over the new year weekend to celebrate New Year and also a weekend getaway. It has been a enjoyable stay. The Ritz Carlton Jakarta is the newest 5-star hotel in Jakarta, having opened for a little more than 2 years and is located centrally in Kuningan area of downtown Jakarta.

I booked the MayFair Club Suite since the rate between their standard room ( Grand Room ) and the Club suite isn't a lot of difference as the Ritz Carlton is having promotion for new year. The hotel has a grand and huge lobby that is decorated in a contemporary style and makes a good first impression. Upon arrival, I was escorted by the Guest Relationship Manager to the club-floor where I was checkin. Checkin was swift and in no time, I was relaxing in my room.

The Suite consist of a living area and a bedroom in total about 110m2. The bedroom is actually similar in design to their standard room and I am dissapointed to note that the bathroom is also identical to their standard room. I always feel that hotels should provide better room facilities for their suites besides just having a bigger space and not made them the same as their standard rooms in order to convey added value. There are 2 plasma TVs in the suite, one in the living room and one in the bedroom and they are of higher quality (Fujitsu). DVD player is also included. There is a writing desk and a sofa in the bedroom also. One drawback is that the writing desk lacks adequate power plugs. Overall, I find the suite is well appointedl but comes across as being too sparingly decorated. Still, the room is luxurious and comfortable and is the best hotel room I have seen in Jakarta so far.

The shower cubicle lacks overhead rainforest shower but is adequate enough to provide a comfortable bath. There is also a deep soaking tub though I am not so sure about the window next to it since there is not much of a view outside my room and you can't see clearly anyway when lying down in the tub. The hotel provides complimentary Bvlgari toiletries in the bathroom.

Next, the bed which is a large king size 2 poster bed. The mattress is quite comfortable but the duvet cover is too thin and feels "waxy". There are also 4 extra-large big long pillows and as if to demonstrate to their guest they got "value for money", it is stuffed so full and heavy that you can use them for weight lifting. I spend some time struggling with the duvet and pillows before I fall asleep.

Next the Executive Club lounge, which is called the Ritz Carlton Club Lounge offers discerning club level guests a exclusive and private sanctury to relax and enjoy their stay. This is one of the better hotel lounges I have seen so far. The lounge occupies nearly the entire 26th floor of the hotel and is very nicely appointed and spacious with comfortable sofas for reading and enjoying some drinks/food amid the tranquil and beautiful setting. And in the Ritz Carlton Club lounge, they really made your money worth by having five food presentations a day, starting with morning buffet breakfast, light lunch, afternoon tea, cocktail and a late night snack. And the food served is uniformly good, and of course free flowing drinks ( including beer ) througout the day. The breakfast is quite sumptuous and you can order more food to be brought up from the cafe. Most executive lounges of other hotels only offer 2 or 3 meals max a day. The lounge also come equipped with internet stations, a billard room and meeting rooms among other facilities. In fact, the lounge is so relaxing that I spent much more time in the lounge than in my room. This is also the best aspect / feature of this hotel.

Also visited the gym which is equipped with state-of-the-art equipments. You can actually watch TV on a screen on your trackmill machine. The hotel also have a spa and swimming pool and it is house in the 5th floor. The hotel selection of restaurants however is lacking, which consists of a Italian restaurant, a steakhouse and a cafe. There are no Chinese and Japanese restaurants avaliable.

Service is uniformly good as expected of a Ritz Carlton. Every hotel staff greets me when they meet me. Though to nitpick, it does often take longer than usual to get a response for service calls. For example. it took them nearly 20 mins for the hotel staff to come to my room to clear the dishes after room service and to repair a faulty lighting, which is longer than usual. Other than that, everything is fine.

Overall, it has been a pleasant stay and I highly recommend the Ritz Carlton either for locals/expats who want to spend a relaxing weekend or for business people on trip to Jakarta.

Stayed at the R-C in Aug 05 and Sept 06. I was hugely impressed on my first visit and spent the next year looking forward to returning. Rooms are huge and luxuriously appointed. Bathrooms are truly vast, with acres of marble and a spa bath next to the full size windows affording sweeping views across the metropolis.

Beds are extremely comfortable and everything works effortlessly. Hotel spa is a destination in its own right. Being brand new, the spa incorporates all of the most sought after spa features in luxurious, purpose built internal villas, spas, saunas and public areas. I just loved it. Hotel seemed to have about twice as many staff members as guests, but this is hardly an imposition as the standard of service is extremely high.

Minor complaints: Pool was either closed, half full, or both for the two days of my visit. Disappointing, especially as the pool is a real highlight of the hotel (it's huge and impressively designed). A few spots and stains have appeared on the furniture. I'm never quite sure why hotels don't do more to remove these -it can really spoil the rest of the presentaion. Not sure if the club level (incl breakfast) is worth the extra $$ - the main buffet is extremely hard to beat for the huge selection on offer and rooms are the same as on non-club floors.

Decor-wise, and on closer examination, the heavy reliance on marble (of various colours) and somewhat garish carpets can be a bit over the top for those of us who subscribe to the "less is more" approach to interior design. But whatever your taste in furniture and fittings, you are never left in any doubt that you are staying in what must be the best (or close to best) luxury hotel in town.

Love this hotels.. for US $ 153 and even cheaper on weekends..it's absolutely worth it.. the pool , the spa, the buffet , the rrom size and color.. i even let go my regulars at Mulia ..

I recently paid a visit to the newly opened Ritz Carlton Jakarta and it had a lasting impression, particularly the outstanding service it delivered, which are among the world’s best.

LOCATION
The twin towered Ritz is located at the heart of Jakarta’s Golden Triangle, inside the Mega Kuningan complex: a fast developing areas with major embassies, hotels, offices and residential towers amidst vast landscaped gardens and boulevards connecting to Jakarta’s main arteries of Jalan Casablanca (off Sudirman Road) and Jalan Rasuna Said (Jakarta’s embassy district). Its sister property, the notorious JW Marriott is just across the road.

The Ritz is uniquely located at a small plot of land that collectively forms a giant roundabout, designed to be the focal point of the Mega Kuningan complex. Once completed, the roundabout will contain apartment towers, the Ritz Carlton and a shopping complex. The area is constantly jammed with traffic as with most of Jakarta, but is an ideal spot to venture the rest of the city.

DÉCOR & EXTERIOR
The exterior is ‘East meets West’ and ‘Classical meets Contemporary’. The podium is graced with soaring gigantic columns rising 3 stories high and houses most of the public facilities: dining, meeting, reception, spa and rooftop pool. At a glance, this podium resembles the old world charm of the Fullerton Singapore.

Standing tall above this is the contemporary twin towers clad entirely in dark blue glass that houses the residential apartments and guest rooms. This is not your typical ‘classic’ Ritz Carlton: it embodies the contemporariness of the Ritz Carlton Battery Park New York and has room layout that is inspired by the the Ritz Carlton Millennia Singapore.

LOBBY & PUBLIC SPACES
The interior design is conceptualized by world renowned firm, Hirsch Bedner & Associates. The lobby is grand with an imposing 3 storey atrium clad in brown, black and beige hues. Nonetheless, the overall impression is that of blandness due to the lack of landscape elements e.g. the bamboo trees at the atrium of the Fullerton Singapore. From this atrium, grand corridors lead you to the main dining venue at Airlangga with its fabulous buffet spreads. A grand staircase then lead you one level down to a plethora of dining outlets; an ambitious art exhibitions; and the Grand Ballroom. At the time of visit, the hotel is very quiet and obviously this jewel has yet to be discovered.

SECURITY
Heighten security has been the case for Jakarta’s top hotels post the JW Marriott bombing. The Ritz building is totally sealed with solid fences (albeit nicely decorated to correspond with the classical podium) where all guests will be thoroughly checked by a barricade of military guards, who check all vehicles. It somehow makes you feel VIP and security is paramount.

SERVICE
Having experience outstanding services from Jakarta’s top hotels, it is pleasantly surprising to find out a hotel that sets a new benchmark of excellence. The staffs will run the extra mile to attend to your requests and to make sure you get more than what you asked. It is exemplary, discreet and gracious. They want you to feel truly at home –away from home. When I arrived at the hotel’s Lower Lobby and asked for a direction, Lia -a random staff at the Italian restaurant- quickly responded and even lead the way to make sure we arrived at our destination – she even joined us on the lift!. When I requested a tour throughout the hotel, Priscillia (a Front Office staff) gladly showed me around with such professionalism and friendliness. She patiently described each rooms by rooms and explaining what makes them difference from the others – you are really being spoilt here. The staff at Airlangga was very accommodating and friendly as well.

ROOMS
Standard room is the largest of any city hotels in Indonesia, or quite possible the world!. At 63m2, it surpasses Grand Hyatt Jakarta’s 50m2 room; Four Seasons Jakarta’s 55m2 balconied room; and on par with the Dharmawangsa ultra luxury’s 66m2 standard rooms.
Guests will arrive at a small but central vestibule with high ceiling, leading to the guest room on the left, or the walk in wardrobe on the right. Upon entering the room, you’ll find a comfortable two seater sofa arrangement and one-seater with ottoman clad in royal blue. Adjacent to it is the beautiful four poster bed facing directly to the plasma TV on the wall and a double door leading to the main bathroom. Finally, fronting the floor-to-ceiling window is the study area.

BATHROOM
The bathroom is modeled after the much talk-about bathroom at the Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore where each has a full height window overlooking Jakarta’s skyline. There is an electronic curtain that provides privacy at night. The tub is magnificently placed against the window, providing a rejuvenating bath by the day. The bathroom is connected directly to the spacious walk in wardrobe, which finally brings you to the main vestibule. A truly unrivaled Jakarta hotel experience.

FOOD
There are several dining venue at the Ritz Carlton, i.e. Portovenere Italian Restaurant; a steak house, a night club, a lobby lounge and the main dining restaurant at Airlangga. The food at Airlangga is quite exceptional offering Japanese, Chinese and South East Asian cuisine spread over what is proclaimed as Jakarta’s largest island buffet with open kitchen. Although in my opinion the Grand Hyatt’s Grand Café; Shangri-La’s SATOO; and JW Marriott’s Sailendra will constitute Jakarta’s best buffet venues, I’ll gladly add Airlangga to the trilogy.

RECREATION
The Ritz Carlton probably has one of the best dedicated spa facility with a massive 8000m2 spa area comprising 20 treatment rooms, relaxation lounges and an outdoor swimming pool. Nonetheless, I still find Grand Hyatt’s 4ha rooftop lagoon pool and recreational facility the very best Jakarta has to offer.

OVERALL, an outstanding new hotel worth mentioniong. Service is exemplary; there were no hiccups for this new hotel; and with such ultra luxury of its rooms, it’s surely hard to beat. Room rates are among the highest in Jakarta (but in US dollar terms, it is as low as 160), however is only a fragment of rates at the top hotels you’ll paying in the US!