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n a market dominated by luxury hotel chains, Artotel Indonesia has carved out a niche for itself. The Artotel offers an immersion in Indonesian contemporary art at an affordable price. All its rooms, public spaces and the building's façade feature the works of up-an-coming contemporary artists, such as Darbotz, Faisal Habibi, Eddie Hara and Oky Rey Montha.

Artotel's brand of an integrated artistic experience has received generally favorable customer reviews.

The Jakarta Post's contributor Juliana spoke with Artotel Indonesia corporate general manager Eduard R. Pangkerego about being driven by art, the little things that count and human interaction. The following is an excerpt from the interview.

Question: Please tell us a little about the Artotel concept.

Answer: Artotel, as the name suggests, is an art-driven boutique hotel. Being art-driven is what makes us unique. It means more than simply decorating interiors with artwork, but providing an integrated artistic experience. To do this, we invited a selection of local, young and up-and-coming contemporary artists to have their works featured in every aspect of the property.

For example, here in Jakarta, the entire building is covered with graffiti by Darbotz. In the lobby, we have a sculpture by Putu Sutawijaya and murals on the wall and ceiling by Eddie Hara at the RoCA [Restaurant of Contemporary Art]. We offer an artistic immersion, though we are not worried if people love or hate the artwork featured in the hotel. It is up to them to form an opinion. But, we have to utilize our space so that we don't overdo it. Eventually, the concept should facilitate a good business.

How does Artotel stand out in the Indonesian hospitality industry?

Initially, we were worried about being able to penetrate the market that's saturated with old-school concepts, minimalist and luxury hotels. With our concept, we expected market resistance. That turned out not to be the case, however. Even though we are a niche, the customers seem to enjoy the experience because we have been running at 96 percent capacity.

What goes into the selection of the artists featured in Artotel?

A: In the early stages, we approached various young contemporary artists to be featured in Artotel. For example, we collaborated with the Indonesian Art Institute in Yogyakarta for our hotel in Surabaya. Now, we receive numerous portfolio submissions from artists all over the world. But, our intent is to promote Indonesian contemporary art, so we only work with local artists. For our Bali property, we focus on local Balinese artists, especially in Sanur, where the hotel is located, because the area has a very specific artistic style and character.

You mentioned earlier that Artotel's target market was smart business travelers. How do you appeal and cater to this market?

Being a city hotel, the majority of our guests are business travelers. They mostly arrive at the end of the working day. What's important for us is to cater to their every need, such as providing hot water, power showers, free high-speed Wi-Fi and complete amenities. We aim to be efficient. For example, we have streamlined the check-in process so that guests are on their way to their rooms within three minutes.

Our restaurant, the RoCA, is open 24 hours and room service orders are delivered within 20 minutes. We provide the basic necessities of a hotel, but we also want our guests to have a unique experience. We aim to achieve the right combination of both tangible and intangible elements, such as service, design and art. Even though our rates are affordable ' about US$70 per night ' we want to give our guests maximum value based on what they pay.

When did you join Artotel?

I've been with the company for two years, even before the first Artotel in Surabaya was opened. In fact, in the beginning, we didn't think about opening a boutique hotel. The initial plan was for a budget hotel because that was the market trend, but later we felt we had to offer something different.

You've been in the hospitality industry for more than a decade. What prompted you to choose that for your career?

When I was a child, I used to travel a lot with my parents. I love meeting new people, going to new places and experiencing new things. I thought it would be fun to work in the hospitality industry. I love the human interaction, both with our guests and our staff. I believe if we treat our staff well, they will treat our guests well, too. I believe that people are the most important asset, especially in this industry.