On my recent trip to attend Jimmy's Press Conference/Party in Surabaya, I was hosted at JW Marriott Surabaya. I would perhaps dismiss the hotel as just another 5 star business hotel, but after spending an evening there, I found out that there's a lot more about the property that is worth sharing, for your own reference in case you wonder where you should stay at next time you visit Indonesia's second largest city ;)
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| Newly renovated Executive Lounge on 21st Floor of JW Marriott Surabaya |
JW Marriott Surabaya is conveniently located in the central business district area and is about 40 minutes drive from the airport on good (traffic jam free) days. It is only minutes from the city’s largest shopping mall, Tunjungan Plaza, and very close to Pasar Genteng, an area filled with specialty shops where you can buy all sorts of traditional snacks and gifts from Surabaya.
When it comes to location, JW Marriott Surabaya already won hands down. So what are the other things that make this hotel an obvious choice for business travellers? Let's take a tour around the hotel!
Lobby
I feel quite small at the massive lobby, and you might want to be discreet when taking photos here, because the security guard will inquire your intention...for safety sake. It is hard to take a decent photo of the lobby anyway because of the odd angle.
I noticed 2 shiny mica-encased trophies, displayed on the check in counter. The titles engraved on each trophies: The Best Tourism Information and Best of The Best Hotel, pretty impressive right?
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| View of the Lobby from the Mezzanine floor |
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| Award winning 5 star business hotel in the heart of Surabaya |
The Restaurants
Then I was shown around the various F&B venues that JW Marriott Surabaya has. Although rather unfortunately, I had all of my meals at The Pavilion all day dining outlet for this trip. Hence I can't comment on the other restaurants other than The Pavilion (which I will share in a separate post, next), nonetheless this is what each of the restaurants look like:
Vis à Vis (French Restaurant)
This is the one and only French fine dining restaurant in the whole city! As it opens only for dinner, reservation is highly recommended.
Tang Palace (Chinese Restaurant)
Specializes in Cantonese Cuisine and Dim Sum.
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| The vibrant decor at the entrance to Tang Palace Restaurant |
Imari (Japanese Restaurant)
Apparently Imari is one of Surabaya's most popular Japanese restaurants, by popular in Surabaya's standard, it will be packed with lovely nonik (Javanese term for pretty ladies) and men having gatherings or reunions and they will dress up to the nines, although it was only for dinner!
I like the tatami room and the teppanyaki counters, where guests can sit at and watch their teppans being cooked before their eyes.
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| Left: One of the Tatami rooms Right: Teppanyaki tables |
The Pavilion (All Day Dining)
Every guests who stay at JW Marriott Surabaya are treated to complimentary breakfast at The Pavilion. I had dinner and breakfast here, so I have shared my experience in details here.
Lobby Lounge & Bar
Brightly lit and high ceiling lounge, with live music in the evening. Sometimes when The Pavilion is fully packed, guests will be directed to have their breakfast at the Lobby Lounge.
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| Lobby Lounge & Bar |
Jimmy's
Jimmy's is not actually a property of JW Marriott Surabaya, it is actually part of Hasmoro Group's ventures. The first super premium lounge in Surabaya recently opened end of August and it is determined to change the partying scene in the city. Jimmy's can be accessed from inside the hotel or from the direct entrance located at the drop off lobby.
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| The Living Room at Jimmy's |
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| Cielo VIP tables and Shisha lounge |
Swimming Pool
Located on the 4th floor of the property, the swimming pool is located adjacent to an outdoor garden, which is often used as an outdoor party venue, BBQ party, corporate outings or function. The pool itself is a cooling respite against the sweltering heat of Surabaya.
The Room
Even the most standard room (Deluxe Premium) comes at a spacious area of minimum 42 sqm, each of which are elegantly furnished and spacious with separate marble bath and shower. When staying at JW Marriott Surabaya, guests are entitled to:
• Free shuttle service to shopping mall
• High speed internet access in all rooms
• Free Wi-Fi internet access in public areas
• Laundry & dry cleaning service
I stayed in the Deluxe Premium, twin sharing room. What I like about hotels in Indonesia, unlike hotels in Singapore, is that even the twin sharing beds are spacious enough to fit 2 persons! And the room rates are definitely much more reasonable, for a standard 5 star business hotels in Singapore, expect to pay at least $200/night, whereas in Surabaya, we can afford the same luxury at half the price.
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| Twin sharing Deluxe Premium room |
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| The view from our room, facing the West and view of seemingly sleepy downtown Surabaya |
Executive Lounge
The Executive Lounge is located on the 21st floor, recently it underwent a major facelift into a stylish, minimalist space with a natural color palette and earthy materials. The renovation doubled the size of the lounge, which can now seat up to 74 guests with a dining table and lounge-like seating. A separate area is dedicated to guests who would like to smoke. The access to the lounge comes with benefits such as all-day dining offerings, which include a private breakfast, refreshments and evening cocktails.
Executive floor guests enjoy exclusive ‘Executive Lounge’ access and many benefits including :
• Free high speed internet access in the room
• Personalized Check-in / Check-out
• Complimentary Daily Executive Breakfast
• All day refreshments
• Evening Cocktails / Snacks / Drinks
• Free Wi-fi in the Lounge
• Two (2) complimentary pressings
• Complimentary 2-hours usage of meeting room (subject to availability)
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| The private smoking lounge inside the Executive Lounge |
With all the conveniences and facilities to cater to savvy business travellers, JW Marriott Surabaya is an obvious choice. I will definitely look forward to returning next time and to try the food at its various restaurants! :)
JW Marriott Surabaya
Jl. Embong Malang 85-89 (click to open in Google Maps)
Surabaya Center - Indonesia
Ph: +6231 5458888
www.marriott.com/subjw
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