SUNDAY VIBES
WITH stunning illustrations etched in black and purple on its exterior, Artotel Thamrin certainly stands out under the blazing sun as we arrive mid-morning. It’s only fitting that we, a motley crowd of journalists from all over Asia, are hosted in this eclectic boutique hotel teeming with edgy art, while covering Art Jakarta, Indonesia’s longest running art fair held for the 11th year at Indonesia’s capital city.
The obvious play of words — “Art” and “Hotel” — hence Artotel, paints (pun intended) a clear picture that this little enclave is serious about showcasing art within (and outside) its walls. Colours run a riot on walls, celebrating graffiti culture as you step in.
The eclectic mix of sculptures and brightly coloured doodles captures our attention, as we walk in. There’s no standard hotel lobby with a bland, characterless, imposing hotel front desk waiting for you, never mind its long and honourable, even cinematic, tradition of service.
I mean, who doesn’t remember Forgetting Sarah Marshall where the morose Jason Segel fell in love at the front desk of Hawaii’s Turtle Bay Resort? Or Eddie Murphy’s reception desk rant in Beverly Hills Cop, which saw him talk his way into getting a room by pretending to be a journalist?
Don’t we all expect loud sirens and a computerised listing of our lodging indiscretions whenever we approach the front desk at a swanky little hotel? For all of its utility and celluloid fame however, the traditional hotel front desk seems to be no longer the mainstay of many avantgarde hotels.
Artotel did away with the big, imposing central desk in favour of discreet “welcome desks”. Small areas where lobby personnel can handle the check-in and checkout formalities, the less ostentatious desks are designed to allow the hotel employee to step forward and assist guests with other needs too. Replacing the space is a bar and restaurant that serve as the epicentre of the hotel.
It’s nice to live in an environment where everything is a bit more casual, Erastus Radjimin, the chief executive officer of the Artotel group of companies, shares when I meet the youthful 34-year-old the next day for breakfast. “We moved things around and placed a bar in the middle ... this changes the way people engage quite significantly!”