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fter a two-year hiatus, Canadian hospitality company Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is set to make its re-entrance into Jakarta next month, offering an all-suite luxury hotel to attract travelers seeking a lavish and comfortable stay in the bustling Indonesian capital.

The hotel first entered Jakarta in 1995 as the Regent Jakarta on Jl. Rasuna Said. Following a substantial refurbishment, it was reopenend in July 2004 as the re-branded Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta.

In 2007, Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal’s Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI) acquired the hotel for US$48 million and in 2012, conglomerate Peter Sondakh’s Rajawali Property Group bought the franchise for US$93 million from KHI. Rajawali closed the hotel for renovations two years later to prepare for a comeback in 2018.

Along the way, the group changed its plans and moved the location of the hotel to its newly opened Capital Place integrated office complex on Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta. The old location is now being prepared for another of the group’s projects.

Speaking in an interview over the weekend, Four Seasons president for global products and operations, Christopher Norton, shared his optimism about the hotel’s early comeback to Jakarta, scheduled for June 20. Although he acknowledged that the ongoing economic slowdown does affect the hotel industry, Norton said the impact would not persist in the long run.

“A hotel is not a short-term business,” he told The Jakarta Post.

“We’ve been in Jakarta for 20 years and we’ll be here for another 80 or 100 years, so we will take a long-term view of the business. We have great faith in Indonesia as a country and an economy.”

The company is also hopeful about getting the market segment of high-income earners, resting its optimism on its global reputation for providing first-class services to customers in its 98 branches worldwide.

“Because of the brand, we already have a lot of customers around the world. People from America, Europe, Australia and China come to Jakarta to do business and we target the top half percent of the traveling public, those who prefer private and first-class services,” he said.

Facing local competitors – like Hotel Mulia, the Ritz Carlton and JW Marriott – Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta differentiates itself from other players by bringing a more residential feel, rather than commercial, as is visible in the design of the building, which features high ceilings, a small private lobby, five dining options, a 720-square-meter ballroom, five multi-function rooms, a spa, fitness center and swimming pool, apart from its 125 suites.

All the suites were designed by renowned New York interior designer Alexandra Champalimaud with French olive green and white classic lines, gold leaf ceiling, brass doors, European chandeliers and all-Indonesian stonework and sculptures, as well as bright white bathrooms.

Each suite, which range from 60 to 330 square meters in size, is offered from Rp 3.8 million (US$279) per night.

The hotel is targeting an average occupancy rate of 40 percent this year before gradually going up to 70 percent next year, Norton said.

The hotel will also benefit from its strategic location, Norton said. Standing next to the 20-story hotel is the 52-story Capital Place office building and a three-story food and beverage retail place. A back road connecting the compound to the Sudirman Central Business District is also currently under construction.

Four Seasons, however, currently has no plan to open another venue in the country as it will focus on operating its Jakarta branch and revamping its two Bali resorts in Ubud and Jimbaran amidst the mushrooming hotel business in the region, Norton said.

The company’s Bali resorts currently see an average occupancy rate of 70 percent, a drop from the 84 percent they enjoyed some 20 years ago.