This highly anticipated property boasts superb facilities and effortlessly sophisticated interiors by Singapore-based Smallwood Reynolds Stewart Stewart.
This impressive 65-storey, 223-key hotel in Indonesia’s capital marks The Langham brand‘s first property in South-east Asia. Well positioned in the new and highly prestigious District 8 at Sudirman Central Business District (SCBD), the hotel is set amidst the complex’s mix of residences and amenities – all within close proximity to the city’s most important financial, cultural and entertainment centres.
In partnership with premier Indonesian developer Agung Sedayu Group, Langham Hospitality Group has worked to deliver an ultra-luxurious hotel that delivers the exceptional facilities, services and aesthetic for which the brand is known, while establishing a unique and characterful new addition to the portfolio.
Smallwood Reynolds Stewart Stewart (SRSS) has created an interior design to match this premier location and status, fusing classical design elements with urban sophistication.
“We were recommended by the operator, Langham Hospitality Group, to the owner, due to the successful design we did for The Langham Haikou, China,” explains Charlotte James, formerly of SRSS. “Being a Langham hotel, there was no brief as such, as the design philosophy stems from the operator itself, so we used the historic elements of the brand as our starting point.”
The hotel offers an exceptional arrival experience, with a towering 10m-high dome and oculus adorned with intricate plaster detailing. As guests enter the arrival lobby on the hotel’s ground floor, their eyes will likely be drawn to the spectacular chandelier created by acclaimed Czech lighting manufacturer and designer, Lasvit. Entitled Haven, the piece incorporates 3000 fluttering crystal butterflies, some of which are suspended by intricate wire work. The piece draws inspiration from the remarkable butterflies within Indonesia’s rainforests, incorporating an elaborate champagne-coloured lattice reminiscent of a monarch butterfly’s wings.
Undeniably opulent in both scale and grandeur, SRSS has ensured that the property nevertheless exudes a residential feel. Inviting, walnut-trimmed banquettes and leather roll-top chairs flank marble fireplaces dressed with homely combinations of artwork, lamps and objets d’art. These atmospheric vignettes have been consciously and meaningfully created throughout the property to maintain a warm, personalised air.
F&B offering
Guests are spoilt for choice when it comes to The Langham, Jakarta’s F&B offering. One of the hotel’s exceptional restaurant partnerships is with celebrated UK chef, Tom Aikens. Named Tom’s, the restaurant provides an elevated dining space for guests to enjoy the chef’s breakfast, lunch and dinner menus.
“The flagship destination bar and restaurant is one of our favourite spaces,” comments Gareth James, formerly of SRSS. “The whole space is panelled in dark blue and mirror, and at the heart of the restaurant is a residential-style kitchen complete with cheese, wine and charcuterie rooms. These are detailed as if they were small shops within the restaurant itself – a reference to walking through Burlington Arcade in London.
“The buffet concept has been removed here entirely, with all food being served a la carte, elevating the guest experience once again.
Using the grand ceiling heights, we were able to add an additional mezzanine level above the bar, giving the whole space various experiences and ambiances.
“For breakfast the two spaces combine with the bar area, allowing a more relaxed, easy breakfast. As the day progresses, they divide to create two destinations in one, provoking an incredibly rich atmosphere.”
Opening this year, T’ang Court will be inspired by its 3 Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant namesake at The Langham, Hong Kong. The restaurant is situated on the 61st floor and, naturally, features floor-to-ceiling windows for a spectacular perspective on Jakarta’s skyline.
Elsewhere, world-renowned chef Masaharu Morimoto from New York City will present haute Japanese cuisine at Morimoto.
Concluding the restaurants, Alice is housed within a grand dining emporium and, in addition to its breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, honours the legacy of afternoon tea at The Langham’s hotels. Alice draws inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s famous novel, offering a playful yet elegant space within which guests can enjoy modern French fare.
“Alice is a statement in simplicity of detail and form,” explains Charlotte. “Beautifully detailed plaster ceilings, and painted in pure, brilliant white, so it remains fresh and current. This ceiling hangs alone from the walls, becoming an artwork in its own right.
“The marble mosaic flooring used throughout holds the fine, black metal arched mirrors and pinstripe white-panelled walls in place. Along with the cocktail bar and the patisserie, Alice really is an all-day experience. White is the perfect colour to maximise and use the changing nature of light as the day passes to night.”
Last but by no means least, those familiar with the Artesian at The Langham, London will welcome its latest outpost on The Langham, Jakarta’s impressive rooftop.
Wellness
Located on the sixth floor, The Langham, Jakarta’s Chuan Spa offers treatments inspired by traditional Chinese medicine philosophies within a serene, meditative setting. Spanning 670m2, the spa offers private treatment rooms, sauna and steam rooms, and a 20m outdoor swimming pool with lush greenery and a striking cityscape backdrop.
“One of the highlights of the project was our design for the landscape at the outdoor pool,” says Gareth. “Here we created a formal garden that could be used for events, complete with kitchen, herb garden and bar, all surrounded by a Bali-meets-English formal garden. Topiary-style box hedging combines with tall palm trees to provide a subtle divide between our lawns and the infinity pool overlooking Jakarta below.”
On the 63rd floor, a fully equipped fitness centre, complete with Technogym equipment, adds to the hotel’s wellness offering, alongside a 16m indoor infinity pool with a phenomenal vantage point over Jakarta.
Guest accommodation
The Langham’s 223 guest rooms are graced with floor-to-ceiling windows which flood the rooms with light as well as providing impressive panoramic views of the city. State-of-the-art in-room entertainment, smart technology and opulent marble bathrooms complete the space.
In terms of the interiors, high-quality materials and craftsmanship were integral. “Knowing the fresh, pure, brilliant-white-painted panels were going to be the mainstay of the design, the first materials we selected for the guest rooms to accompany it were a classic, honey-toned European oak, a Calacatta Oro marble and a soft, creamy cotton velvet,” explains Gareth.
“The warm timber and the rich veining of the marble, set off by the white panels, is an effortlessly elegant look, and the velvet headboards simply layer back.
“The Calacatta marble is a repeated element in the rest of the property, with the type becoming more luxurious in key areas of the hotel. For example, the client wished to use an even richer Calacatta Vagli in the sky lobby, which juxtaposes with contemporary black marble and antiqued mirror panels.”
Meeting rooms and event spaces
With more than 2100m2 of flexible space – including a 688m2 ballroom and 11 meeting rooms – The Langham, Jakarta is a suitable venue for all manner of events.
The ballroom, in particular, provided a key design challenge for SRSS, but a late decision ultimately worked to the team’s advantage. “The escalators to the ballroom level had to be placed above the centre of Alice halfway through the design development, which meant our ceiling heights would go from around 10m to just above three underneath in this space,” explains Charlotte.
“It was decided to utilise this area and create an intimate, dedicated gin and champagne bar, adorned with ribbed bronze metal, rippled mirror ceilings, glossy, curly, walnut timber panels, and dramatic cosmic black granite.”
