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In fact, Bandung is recognized as
one of three cities in the world — the others being Napier in New
Zealand and Miami in Florida — that still boast examples of tropical Art
Deco architecture.
One of the best places to step back
in time and explore this unique architectural style is at Bandung’s
185-room Savoy Homann Bidakara Hotel.
A striking blend of Western and
Eastern influences, the hotel combines the sophisticated elegance of
European Art Deco with the romanticism of early 20th-century Javanese
architecture.
Built around 1871 by the Homann
family to accommodate wealthy plantation owners visiting on weekends,
the hotel initially resembled a regular residence of the time, complete
with stilts, bamboo walls and a thatched roof.
While already prestigious, the Savoy
Homann did not get its striking streamline Art Deco facade until 1939,
after a revamp by Dutch architect Albert Aalbers.
Today, the original building has been incorporated into the Garden Wing, one of the hotel’s four distinct sections.
Today, the original building has been incorporated into the Garden Wing, one of the hotel’s four distinct sections.
Over the years the Savoy Homann has
undergone several make-overs and name changes, but the hotel’s finance
manager Edwan Ariawan says the property has retained many of its unique
architectural elements.
“The hotel’s designers adopted
European Art Deco to the practicalities of a tropical climate, and
overall this has been preserved,” he said.
“The only original elements that
have undergone a transformation are the central garden, as well as the
lobby and the grand ballroom, which have been enlarged to bring the
hotel in line with today’s standards,” Edwan said, adding that the
hotel’s most recent section, the Millennium Wing, was added in 2000.
Since its opening, the Savoy Homann
has been considered the most luxurious hotel in Bandung and has played
host to its fair share of well-known personalities.
While Thailand’s King Chulalongkorn
was likely the first famous name to grace the hotel’s books when he
stayed there in 1901, the guest that left the greatest impression on the
city was the legendary silent film comedian Charlie Chaplin, who
visited in 1927.
“The story is that the cheering
Bandung residents, who stationed themselves outside the Savoy, made it
difficult for Chaplin or his entourage to venture outside the perimeters
of the hotel,” Edwan explained.
“In fact, many guests still request to sleep in Chaplin’s room.”
As one of the largest and most
luxurious hotels in Southeast Asia during the 1950s, the Savoy Homann
was also used as a venue for several distinguished delegations, the
biggest one being the first large-scale Asian-African Conference, held
in 1955.
It attracted representatives of 29
Asian and African countries, most newly independent, and was the first
major gathering aimed at promoting cooperation between the countries in
the region, and ironically — given the setting — opposing colonialism
and neocolonialism.
“The hotel’s Golden Book, which is
still on show in the lobby, has been signed by such notables as
Cambodia’s Prince [and sometimes King] Norodom Sihanouk, the president
of Egypt Abdul Nasser and the Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru,” Ariawan added.
Those after a quick history lesson
might wish to check out the countless photographs of old Bandung and the
Savoy Homann’s past incarnations that grace the hallways.
While the Savoy Homann has lost its
claim as one of the fanciest hotels in Southeast Asia, or even Bandung
for that matter, its charm and historical value have withstood the
succession of renovations.
“And we still get important guests here,” Ariawan said.
“President SBY [Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono] and the secretary [general] of the United Nations still stay
in one of our three Homann Suites whenever they are in town.”
Savoy Homann Bidakara Hotel
Jalan Asia Afrika No. 112, Bandung (Jakarta Globe)
Jalan Asia Afrika No. 112, Bandung (Jakarta Globe)
(Repost)
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