Cempaka Culture and Tourism: Blok M Inn Offers Cozy Efficiency

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Friday, March 26, 2010

Blok M Inn Offers Cozy Efficiency

Jakarta Globe, Sylviana Hamdani, March 26, 2010

The Griyadi Blue Pacific forgoes extras like hot tubs and swimming pools to focus on the essentials: comfortable rooms and facilities at a reasonable price. (Photo courtesy of Sahid Hotels)

A lot of business travelers do not really need luxurious rooms, a spa or even a swimming pool,” said Nugroho Sukamdani, chairman of the Sahid Jaya Foundation. “All they need is a nice comfortable room, Internet connection and strategic location from which they can easily access the office, restaurants and shopping area.

“Griyadi Blue Pacific, with its prime location in the Blok M area, is an answer to all these needs,” he said.

Opened this month, the establishment owned by Nugroho and managed by the Sahid Hotels group operates on the concept of a “smart” hotel that provides the essential bed and breakfast for a reasonable price: Rp 350,000 to Rp 1 million ($33 to $110).

“We conducted three years of research before we developed this hotel,” Nugroho said. “Smart hotels like these, with value-for-money services and facilities, are now needed by business travelers in Indonesia.”

It is the third smart hotel operated by the Sahid group, with others in Solo and Malang. Unfortunately, the new lodgings, on busy Jalan Sultan Hasanuddin and a stone’s throw away from the Blok M bus terminal, is not easy to find. Coming from the Sudirman area, our driver twice missed the five-story building, which is sandwiched between office buildings. The third time around, however, we spotted its shimmering golden facade, which was quite a contrast from the dull grayish blocks in the neighborhood.

Instead of the usual glass exterior, the front of the hotel is embellished with intricately woven golden steel plates in the pattern of parang rusak (broken knives), a regal symbol of batik.

“Sahid is an Indonesian hotel chain,” said Warso Irianto, corporate architect of the Sahid group. “Thus we used batik, which symbolizes Indonesian culture, for the hotel’s facade.”

For Warso, redesigning the 600-square-meter lot between tall office buildings was a challenge. It was not easy for his team to convert the five-story building, which once housed offices and apartments, into a decent hotel. With Griyadi, however, they appear to have done a good job.

Everything about the hotel exudes practicality and functionality. The main driveway leads to underground parking. The main entrance, at the left of the driveway, leads straight to the reception area.

“It’s designed with a contemporary minimalist concept,” Warso said, speaking of how the hotel maximizes the use of a limited spatial area with a creative interior design that allows maximum comfort for its guests.

The reception area is spacious and elegant. The floor is covered with granite tiles in soft creamy hues. Indirect lighting from drop ceilings generates a warm and welcoming ambience about the lobby. Floor-to-ceiling windows also allow soft natural light to seep into the area. The reception desk slants slightly and is designed to look as if it is hanging a few centimeters above the floor. “The design makes it look lighter and more dynamic,” Warso said.

Uniformed receptionists bade us welcome to the hotel. Fresh magenta-hued orchids in a china vase that adorned the reception area swayed slightly as we made our way inside.

Adjacent to the lobby is the Solo Lounge, which also functions as a 24-hour coffee shop, serves light meals and snacks, such as nasi goreng, mie goreng and sandwiches. Although a bit spartan, the lounge is warm and friendly, with polished wooden tables and soft-padded chairs. A narrow strip of garden in front of the lounge with palms and ferns in earthen pots is also a refreshing addition.

Across the lounge is a small bar, highlighted in electric blue, at which guests may enjoy a nightcap before retiring for the night.

“What makes us so different from the other smart hotels is the meeting room,” Warso said. The meeting room, across from the reception desk, can accommodate as many as 40 people in boardroom or classroom settings. Most smart hotels, Warso said, would not even think to offer a such a conference area.

There are 55 guest rooms, divided into three types: deluxe, deluxe superior and deluxe corner.

Deluxe rooms, which are a petite 18 square meters, appear larger thanks to a floor-to-ceiling mirror at one corner and an oversized sliding window. Each room is nicely appointed with a plush double or twin bed, a work desk, a 26-inch television and a comfortable armchair.

The bathroom is simple yet convenient, consisting of a shower, a toilet and a wash basin. Clean white towels tied in red ribbons and bathroom amenities such as soap and shampoo are also provided.

“Efficiency doesn’t mean we have to forgo comfort, right?” Warso said.

All rooms are also equipped with international-direct-dial phones and broadband Internet for business travelers.

The largest room, the 28-square-meter deluxe corner on the fifth floor, boasts an unobstructed view of the Blok M area.

“We imagine our guests will love to walk around, go shopping, dine out or go to the cinema after work,” Warso said. “It’s all within walking distance from our hotel.”