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Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta is a living, breathing monument and Hanny Wahyuni gets to walk its halls, straighten its paintings and greet its guests every day.
Today, Hanny, the hotel’s director of marketing and communications, talks about her love-hate relationship with Jakarta, tries to describe the city in five words and explains why she prefers to take out-of-towners right to the spa.

What exactly does your job here entail?

My designated job now is director of marketing and communications. I’m in charge of overseeing public relations, marketing services and Web site management. I’ve been here at Hotel Indonesia Kempinksi for two years now. I have had other jobs outside the industry in the past, but I felt like coming back to the hotel industry. I just felt like this is me.

What is it that makes the hospitality industry so appealing?

It has its own charm, you meet a lot of people from different backgrounds, nationalities and professions, and all in a nice environment.

But working for a hotel must be hectic. What are your work hours like ?

Officially my hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but unofficially it’s hard to say. Officially, I work 40 to 50 hours a week, but it’s sometimes more. That’s not counting weekends or social networking events.

All Kempinski hotels are historic monuments and Hotel Indonesia Kempinski is no different. Can you give us a quick history?

Hotel Indonesia was the first hotel in the country to be built with international standards in mind. Officially inaugurated by Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, on August 5, 1962, the hotel has become a historic landmark and a source of national pride. Right in front of the hotel stands the “Welcome Statue,” erected to greet guests who were visiting Jakarta for the fourth edition of the Asian Games in 1962.

In his inauguration speech, President Sukarno said that Hotel Indonesia was opening its doors to tourism and that this door would also show the face of Indonesia. It’s clear that since the beginning, Hotel Indonesia was positioned to promote Indonesia’s tourism.

Everyone in Jakarta knows the ‘Welcome Statue’ and the fountain. Have you ever thought about running and jumping into the water?

[Laughs] No.

If you could have any job besides director of marketing and communications, what would it be?

I would be a travel consultant. I like to travel a lot; exploring different countries and unique regions. And I organize all my trips myself. So my friends are always asking me for my opinion when they’re about to travel. Where to go? When to go? What to do? How to go there? So I think it would be very interesting to do it professionally. My last trip was at the beginning of January. I visited Rome, Firenze [Florence], Siena and Athens, and returned via Istanbul. I love Istanbul so much, it’s such a magnificent city. I organized everything by myself, thanks to Google.

What do you think Jakarta would be like if the city had snow?

Everybody would stop in the middle of a traffic jam and throw snowballs at each other.

If you were going to write a book about Jakarta, what would the title be?

“Jakarta: The Love-Hate Relationship.”

What’s the best thing about working at one of the city’s most popular hotels?

Y ou meet everyone here, from taxi and bus drivers to presidents of companies, as well as people of different nationalities.

When you’re not working, what do you like to do?

Doing nothing [laughs]. I love reading, going to the movies, going out to discover new food and restaurants with friends or just curling up on the couch and watching DVDs at home.

The hotel has some great restaurants, but do you have a favorite outside of the hotel?

Yeah, me and some of the people I work with here like to eat at Bakmi Bloon [just outside Grand Indonesia], and I really like Satay House Senayan . It’s not a fancy place, but sometimes it’s really nice to loosen up a little bit.

If you had friends coming in from out of town, where would you take them first?

The spa. There are so many good spas scattered throughout the city. I prefer Puri Ayu or Totok Aura Dian Kenanga .

Can you describe the city in a handful of words?

Hmm, metropolitan, melting pot, unique, love-hate relationship.

Why love-hate?

When you go out and see the city and get stuck in traffic, you just can’t stand it, but then after rush hour ends and everything is quiet, you start to feel like there’s something missing and sometimes you realize that the city itself is awesome.

What is the one flaw Jakarta has that you have learned to live with?

Pollution. When you go out, you have to inhale it. That’s why I like to go to the spa on the weekend to balance it out.

 

Hanny Wahyuni was talking to Zack Petersen.