June 2006
A Lagoon Tower room in the Sultan Hotel
This hotel has supposedly been remodeled since I last stayed there, shortly after it ceased to be managed by Hilton International.
The former Hilton must be one of Jakarta's premier business hotels. It is adjacent to the Convention Center, connected to it by a tunnel in fact, making the hotel the preferred place to stay if attending an event. There are also many office building in the area as well.
The hotel itself is huge, comprising three guest room towers plus two residential towers. The hotel is so big it has two lobbies, one for the two older towers comprising the North and Garden Towers, and another for the newer Lagoon Tower. The north lobby is an extremely ornate traditional Javanese building with delicate wooden screens.
Rooms in all three wings are very comfortable, although the standard rooms in the Lagoon Wing are a bit larger and nicer than the North and Garden wings. The Lagoon Wing rooms had a much larger bathroom with separate tub and shower. Lagoon Wing rooms also have internet access available.
Hotel Facilities include around a dozen food outlets, a large fitness center, swimming pools, tennis and squash courts. Internet is available in the business center.
Rooms feature air conditioning, mini-bar, color television with most major international channels, combination safe and hair dryer. Lagoon Tower rooms also have in-room internet access.
Pluses: Perfect location if attending an event at the Convention Center. Very good fitness and sports facilities for those that like to stay in shape when traveling.
Minuses: So big it might seem a little impersonal. Location is good for business but getting anywhere involves a taxi ride.
Rooms at the Sultan Hotel may be booked through Hotels Combined, which searches dozens of sites at once to find the best deals.