Kitchenesia stayed at the historic Mercure Hotel Jakarta Kota, and we found a peculiar comfort in the middle of old-fashioned ambience.
Kitchenesia.com - Contrary to any old town around the world, Kota Tua in West Jakarta is flocked by poorly-maintained, centuries-old buildings that ironically are still settled by locals. Perhaps it defines the beauty of Kota Tua, and a main reason why this region never fails to attract tourists.
The high streets route to Kota Tua, consisting of Gajah Mada and Hayam Wuruk streets, are once a pirate-DVD heaven. However, the criminal-oriented businesses was finally eradicated a couple years ago. Kota Tua and its surroundings are now reinvented into an old Chinese and Dutch cultural hub.
Therefore, lodging properties started to flood in stretched of cheap hostel for backpackers to five-star hotel for wealthy tourists or staycationers.
Despite over-saturated lodging establishments in Kota Tua, the oldest among them is still standing strongly. It is Mercure Hotel Jakarta Kota, the first Mercure hotel run in Indonesia and built more than two decades ago.
You might think 23-year-old hotel is not that special. Its building, however, ages more than a half of century. Mercure Hotel Jakarta Kota was preceded by Hotel Chiao Tung that established in 1950. Some parts of the Chiao Tung Hotel are preserved until today, one of which is the lobby ceiling.
Thus, it is not an exaggerated to say Mercure Hotel Jakarta Kota is part of cultural heritage.
