Mandarin Oriental’s 24-Hour Staycation Package

Have you ever checked into a hotel for one night late in the evening, only to leave the following morning and wondered why you’ve ended up paying a day’s rate for what was really half a day’s stay?

It is an age-old annoyance for travellers. Thankfully, Jakarta’s well-known Mandarin Oriental hotel is offering to solve it, with a “24-Hour Staycation” package. The clock starts ticking when a guest’s stay begins (up to 11 PM), and the stay will last until 24 hours later.

In practice, what could that mean? One example would be someone who wants to go out straight from the office on a Friday evening and directly meet their family for dinner, then head to the hotel to check in at, say, nine o’clock. Rather than leaving at noon on Saturday, they could enjoy a leisurely weekend day in and around the hotel, before checking out late on Saturday evening.

An alternative scenario would cover the classic business traveller’s dilemma of a 24-hour trip that straddles two calendar days. Ordinarily, having checked in at 10 PM, if they wanted to keep the room until heading back to the airport at the same time the following night, they would need to pay for two nights. Even the most generous late checkout policy will not stretch to 10 PM, after all. The normal alternative would be to check out in early afternoon and then hang around for hours before going to the airport. But with the “24-Hour Staycation” package, they could pay for just one night, check in at 10 PM, and keep their room until the same time the next day. Very handy.

This, then, could be a significant benefit whether for the practicalities of managing a business trip efficiently or enjoying some staycation time in the heart of Jakarta, close to popular shopping malls and other amenities.

As well as the flexible 24-hour element, the package offers some other benefits. It features complimentary daily breakfast for two adults and two children under 13 years old. There is also a daily hotel credit of Rp350,000 net per room per night, redeemable across dining and spa experiences in the hotel’s renowned spa. For those travelling with children, complimentary children’s amenities upon arrival for the little ones include a colouring book, pencils, and creamy chocolate popsicles for a sweet, playful treat.

I recently took advantage of this promotion, as a guest of the hotel. The check-in time may now be flexible, but there has been no other loosening of the hotel’s famously high standards. From contacting me ahead of my stay to the final farewell, staff were unfailingly helpful, enthusiastic, and polite.

My room on a high floor was a deluxe king, which, at 47 square metres, felt spacious. Wall-to-wall windows offered excellent views out across the city.

From a comfort perspective, the room was ideal whether for rest, work, or indulging in a staycation with loved ones. The king-sized bed had a selection of pillows to choose from, which, along with the quality bedsheets and quietness, made for an excellent night’s sleep. A large sofa meant lounging around was comfortable, while the desk was useful for getting some work done. The room featured a walk-in closet, a separate toilet, and a bathroom with a wide bathtub as well as a separate shower alcove.

In the small details, too, Mandarin Oriental enables a relaxing stay for leisure travellers and one free of unwelcome distractions for business visitors. The air conditioning was very quiet but effective; turning off the master light switch meant almost all light was gone—unlike some hotels where even with the lights off there remains a forest of little LEDs glowing. Housekeeping came to provide a turndown service, and throughout my stay, the staff were uniformly helpful and always addressing me by name even when simply meeting by chance in the corridor. No request was too small.

A welcome amenity including chocolate cake was a nice touch and, with the hotel credit, I could have chosen to get a light snack at my convenience.

Breakfast is served buffet-style in the ground-floor Cinnamon restaurant, an airy space with a smoking terrace outdoors. There was a wide selection of freshly prepared food, including Indonesian classics, Asian food, and Western breakfast, both hot and cold, such as patisserie and viennoiseries. Again, this lives up to Mandarin Oriental’s standards: delectable and well-presented.

With this “24-Hour Staycation” package, Mandarin Oriental is solving a real and longstanding traveller’s dilemma and giving guests discretion to make the most of their own time, rather than having a hotel impose arbitrary checkout times on them. Bravo!