The seasoned hotelier is ready to make an even bigger splash in 2025, especially with an exciting new hotel property under his assured leadership.
On the 23rd of December, 2024 — precisely eight days before we rang in the new year — Indonesia Expat had a chance to engage in a profound conversation with Parveen Kumar: the current General Manager at Grand Hyatt Jakarta as well as Hyatt’s new property in the city, Keraton at The Plaza. Among many interesting things, Parveen shared his take on Jakarta as a hospitality market, his assessment of the accomplishments that Grand Hyatt Jakarta made throughout the year 2024, and why Keraton at The Plaza is poised to give that ‘Indonesian royal palaces‘ energy.
Hi Parveen! Let’s get started by introducing yourself a bit. What can you tell us about yourself? (i.e., where you are from originally, where you spent your childhood, where you went to school)
My name is Parveen Kumar. I was born in India and I moved to Australia in 1999 to study. I did my hotel management study at the Blue Mountains Hotel School, which is near Sydney. My career in hospitality began when I worked at the Four Seasons in Sydney and, 23 years later, my career has taken me from Sydney to Perth, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore. I’ve been in Jakarta since August 2024.
What do you think about Jakarta as a hospitality market so far?
That’s a good question because I feel like Jakarta is one of those cities that haven’t quite gotten the recognition they deserve. Jakarta is such a growing and dynamic city. I feel that Jakarta, with its large population as well as its younger demographic, may generate a lot of opportunities as we see in the future. The way I’ve seen Jakarta so far is that it’s very much driven by corporations. You don’t have as many leisure aspects to it yet, but you can see that there is an opportunity to do so.
I want to talk a little bit about Grand Hyatt Jakarta. As 2024 is closing its chapter, what do you think is the biggest accomplishment that you and the team at Grand Hyatt Jakarta have made throughout this past year?
You know, every day we try to celebrate the moments that we have — something we would like to call ‘moments of more’. Every day we try to provide the best for our guests’ experiences. This, in turn, gives us such joy and reward — to be able to see that we’re actually capable of making a difference in someone’s life. That being said, the most important accomplishment, at least for me, would be the recent completion of Grand Hyatt Jakarta’s renovation. The entire hotel looks beautiful and remains an iconic hotel after so many years.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation has opened – or should I say, reopened – Keraton at The Plaza (at which you also serve as the General Manager). Could you share with us the journey leading up to this re-opening?
Firstly, whether one should call it a ‘reopening’ or an ‘opening’ may depend on the eye of the beholder. If you’re a previous guest or traveller, it’s a ‘reopening’. But for us, the Hyatt team, it’s an ‘opening’. Keraton at The Plaza is a brand-new brand, but the building itself once previously operated under a different banner. After the renovation, Keraton at The Plaza was opened with limited rooms on the 27th of December, 2024, with the expectation to have the full opening in March 2025. Keraton at The Plaza is part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt which is, essentially, a story-worthy product. This means that Keraton at The Plaza, just like other hotel properties under the banner of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, has a beautiful story to tell, in addition to an exceptional hotel experience.
Is there any particular reason behind the timing of the opening? Because perhaps some people might find the 27th of December, 2024 as an unusual date for a hotel opening. Wouldn’t the 1st of January, 2025 have been a much ‘prettier’ date?
Frankly, from our mindset, we always feel that the sooner the better. And if we’re ready with the product now, why not open it just in time for the New Year’s Eve and get people to celebrate and use the opportunity as well?
Keraton at The Plaza used to be a Marriott Luxury Collection property before it closed back in 2020. For our readers who might be curious, what is going to be the main difference, in terms of facilities and features, between the former property and the current property? Is this just a simple rebranding or could we expect a major transformation?
And as I alluded to earlier, Keraton at The Plaza is part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt which is a collection of hotels where every hotel has a unique identity as well as a unique story to tell. Therefore, we’re really trying to establish Keraton at The Plaza as a distinguished address in Jakarta, which has a parallel with Indonesian royal palaces. When we thought about the concept, one thing that came to mind straight away was that when you walk into a royal palace, everything is already taken care of.
Keraton at The Plaza is positioned akin to an all-club product, meaning that every room has access to the club lounge. Here you have The Club that serves breakfast, lunch/afternoon tea, evening cocktails and dinner. The other major difference is the connection that Keraton at The Plaza forges with the local Indonesian art, culture, and cuisine. Here we celebrate the richness of Indonesia, which means that, as you explore Keraton at The Plaza more, you will discover how we put such a significant focus on local arts and paintings. In a nutshell, when they’re here, they don’t need to go too far to experience Indonesia.
Which urban demographic that Keraton at The Plaza aims to reach?
That’s quite a difficult question to answer right now. Time will tell us how people see Keraton at the Plaza, and how we can connect better with that new travel segment that we’re trying to cater to. That being said, our intention has always been to position Keraton at The Plaza as an elevated brand as well as an elevated product — where a guest can forge a deeper connection with art, culture, and luxury.
Are you saying that you have no specific market in mind — maybe like the financially affluent millennials or maybe the expats in the city?
I think that’s going to be the outcome, in one way or the other. People who are looking for that elevated experience will generally be senior corporate executives. That and, also, those young entrepreneurs who are looking to travel and explore the world as well as the wealthy who are looking for a similar experience but within the country. And you know, Jakarta as a city is very much driven by local travellers as well. The way we see it: the guests at Keraton at The Plaza could potentially consist of 50% domestic and 50% international. That means capturing that demographic from both segments would be the key, and that’s where our eyes are set. I always feel that you can dream about what you’re building, but at the end of the day, you must let the customer decide. Afterwards, we learn, adapt, and pivot accordingly.
As of this very moment, it is hard to deny that the Indonesian government’s decision to increase value-added tax (PPN) to 12% has caused quite anxiety among so many of us, including the Jakartans. Do you think this will also affect the public enthusiasm for the opening of Keraton at The Plaza?
That is such an interesting question. I make every decision by answering this question: Is it something that I can control or not? Hence, I believe that we should better focus on what we can control as well as how we can provide better value for our guests. I believe, regardless of what the government’s decision may be, what potential guests would focus on is not so much about what they are spending; instead, it’s what kind of experience they get to enjoy in a hotel. Our focus, on the other hand, would remain on how we create better value for the ones coming in to visit and experience Keraton at The Plaza.
Last but not least, how can our readers reach you, Grand Hyatt Jakarta, as well as Keraton at The Plaza?
You can find out more about Grand Hyatt Jakarta and Keraton at The Plaza on our Instagram pages, @grandhyattjakarta and @keraton_attheplaza, respectively. You can also find me on LinkedIn should you wish to directly reach out to me.