One of the best in Jakarta
In short, these are what we thought about the hotel.
Pros:
- Smooth check-in
- Room was as expected
- Staffs are friendly and anticipatively helpful
- Room service and spa were excellent
- The food served at the Airlangga was a variety of deliciousness
Cons:
- Bellboy didn't show us the room's funcionalities
- Check-out was queued
- Seems they can't handle high occupancy period
Our full-length experience was as below:
Me, my wife, and our 3 month-daughter went on a local weekend getaway at Ritz Carlton. We stayed in the Grand Room. Upon arrival, we were "greeted" with a thorough security inspection. Which was understandable. The check-in process was smooth. I thought the room didn't look as big as it was described. But it was quite big enough for the three of us. My wife was pleased with the room and its' amenities. I was happy to see the 40-something inch plasma TV. But I spotted some stains on one of the curtains. And I saw a shoe mark on the bathroom toilet marbel. I think it was neglected to be cleaned after a maintenance (there's a maintenance shaft on the ceiling). But it was a surprise to me when the bellboy excuses himself right after he put our luggage in the dressing room! I was expecting that he would show us the room and the how-to for the room's functionalities. So, we had to figure it out all by ourselves. In the evening, we went to the 5th floor for a stroll with the baby. Sightseeing the spa, gym, and the pool. My wife asked for an in-house spa massage in our room, later after dinner. I was overwhelmed with staff's ability to anticipate our needs. There was one spa staff that opened the door for us when we were still some 15 meters away, waited for us to come in, and greet us! Then we went upstairs again to freshen up. It was time for dinner and we decided to dine-in. We went down to check out the restaurants. The steakhouse was too pricey, even if it was worth it. The Italian didn't quite met our taste. Next, we went to the Airlangga. Just to encounter another surprise: it was used for a wedding reception! So, the place was full. I still went in to see what the menu was. But then I heard one of the wedding guest reception asking the hotel staff, are they still serving the "outside guests". Having heard that, we finally decided to really dine-in, in our room that is. But it turned out that we find it more convenient. The room service was quick, served exactly what we ordered, classy, and even better, cheaper than the steakhouse. An hour later, came the masseuse. She brought a foldable massage bed. The massage was for about an hour. My wife said it was the best she ever had! She already tried some of Jakarta's spa resorts. But she said that you can feel the difference if the masseuse is doing the job "with heart". She felt relaxed and then went for a dip in the tub. The bathroom served a glassful of perfume-scented bath crystals that is used for the tub. There's also a glycerine soap that is used to wash hands. I still don't know what's the difference with ordinary soap. Came morning, we went down for breakfast. The buffet at the Airlangga was delicious and had a lot of variety. After a full stomach, we went for another stroll on the 5th floor to take some pictures. Then, it was time to pack our bags and leave. This time the check-out process was slow. They said it was a 75% occupancy weekend. But it shouldn't be an excuse. They had a four receptionist table, but only two were attended! No wonder they aren't capable of running the hotel on a peak time. But all in all, we would love to comeback to this hotel in the future.