Ritz-Carlton is known for its incredible club lounges, featuring five food presentations per day. The catch is that these clubs are typically very exclusive, and often cost hundreds of extra dollars per day over a standard room to book (you don’t get access based on Marriott Bonvoy elite status).
Along those lines, I find it interesting how there’s actually one Ritz-Carlton in the world where all guests get club lounge access.
In this post:
The all-club Ritz-Carlton Jakarta Pacific Place
Jakarta, Indonesia, is one of the world’s best value cities for luxury hotels. There are all kinds of top notch hotels, and they’re all typically priced in the range of $200-300 per night. When I recently wrote about an upcoming hotel opening in Jakarta, a reader pointed out something super interesting about another property.
The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta Pacific Place is a boutique property, with just 62 rooms, taking up four floors of a larger building. It’s perhaps not the most cutting edge Ritz-Carlton, as it opened in 2007, and doesn’t look particularly modern.
However, there’s something that makes this property unique — it’s the world’s only all-club Ritz-Carlton. That’s right, the hotel has a Ritz-Carlton club lounge, except all guests at the hotel get access to it. It has five food presentations per day, including breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and dessert.
Obviously there are plenty of all-inclusive resorts that people like visiting, precisely because everything is included. But how fascinating to have a business hotel in a city that essentially has an all-inclusive concept. Keraton at the Plaza Jakarta will soon join Hyatt Unbound Collection, and that’s also an all-club hotel. However, there’s not something we frequently otherwise see.
From a business perspective, I find this to be quite interesting. On the one hand, a club lounge for all guests is a major point of differentiation compared to most other hotels. Furthermore, actually providing food and beverages isn’t actually that expensive, in relation to how much many people value them. On the other hand, presumably this concept hugely cannibalizes on-property spending, which is a major revenue source for hotels.
Ritz-Carlton Jakarta Pacific Place rates & points requirements
So, what are rates like at the Ritz-Carlton Jakarta Pacific Place? I see rates generally starting at ~$300 per night. That’s on the very high end of pricing in the city, but that’s fair enough, since you’re getting a lot more included than at other properties.
You can also book through a program like Marriott STARS to get extra perks, including an extra $100 property credit. I’d probably struggle to spend any money on food outside of what’s available in the club, but I guess there are always spa treatments to be had.
You can also redeem Marriott Bonvoy points here, and in some cases, I see rates starting at 37,000 points per night. It’s so cool to be able to redeem points for a room with Ritz-Carlton club lounge access, without a huge cash co-pay.
I absolutely plan to check out this place the next time I visit Jakarta, because this is such a cool concept, and I love club lounges more than I should.
I’m curious, for those who have stayed here, is the hotel as good as it sounds? Is the club lounge as high quality as at other Ritz-Carltons? Is the experience diminished by everyone having access?
Bottom line
The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta Pacific Place is unique, in that it’s the world’s only all-club property belonging to the brand. All-inclusive resorts are common, but a city hotel with this level of food and drinks included is much rarer. What a fun concept, and I look forward to checking this out…
What do you make of the concept of an all-club Ritz-Carlton?
Four Seasons Jakarta is an ALL-Suites Hotel & it’s cheap
Ive stayed there multiple times, including a 5 night points stay (paid for 4 nights of course) in an upgraded suite just before the pandemic and once during the height of the pandemic. Everything everyone is saying about the food and service is amazing; on my latest 1 night visit I arrived in time for breakfast on a Saturday and stayed until afternoon tea the next day for a total of 8 meals, plus they...
Ive stayed there multiple times, including a 5 night points stay (paid for 4 nights of course) in an upgraded suite just before the pandemic and once during the height of the pandemic. Everything everyone is saying about the food and service is amazing; on my latest 1 night visit I arrived in time for breakfast on a Saturday and stayed until afternoon tea the next day for a total of 8 meals, plus they let me bring my in-laws into the lounge for free on the afternoon tea. Most notably, this property was on the approved list of quarantine hotels during the period when international arrivals had to quarantine for 4 to 10 days. We had to stay inside the room for the entire stay (couldn't even go into the hall) but they served us 5 meals a day in the room with the same great quality and presentation as the lounge, and portions so large we couldn't eat all the food they brought. Quite an improvement over the Aloft we stayed at for a 10 night quarantine where they fed us with bento boxes so small I was supplementing the food with peanut butter and tortillas I brought back from the US.
They make a decent amount of money on upselling alcohol as the included alcohol in the club lounge restaurant is awful. Indonesia has very high taxes on imported alcohol. Of course, all the good alcohol is imported because, well, it's Indonesia. To partially get around, there is at least one wine and spirits company that importants grapes or wine juice to Indonesia, ferments it, and then bottles. But the quality of that wine is awful....
They make a decent amount of money on upselling alcohol as the included alcohol in the club lounge restaurant is awful. Indonesia has very high taxes on imported alcohol. Of course, all the good alcohol is imported because, well, it's Indonesia. To partially get around, there is at least one wine and spirits company that importants grapes or wine juice to Indonesia, ferments it, and then bottles. But the quality of that wine is awful. It's equivelent to $3 Australian crap. But it's basically the only wine-by-the-glass offered at any Western hotel in Indonesia. If you want something better you'll have to pay. When I stayed at this hotel in 2019, a bottle of Nicolas Feuillatte nonvintage brut champagne (about US$30-35) was selling for $150.
Location near BEJ/IDX but otherwise won’t stay there. There’s new langham there but traffic is also too terrible.
PH and st regis is a little bit on the outskirts of downtown and i prefer them.
I stayed here in March for 3 nights, and really enjoyed the experience. The club lounge was staffed and had offerings all day as mentioned. I found the offerings to be of high quality. In addition, bar service was available just about any time I had asked. I got a great corporate rate from work that made it even better. One thing I would say is it's definitely not as luxurious as the PH would be.
I was just there early this month, I was upgraded to a one bedroom suite with 1.5 bathrooms, It’s very wonderful with great decor, bathroom has gorgeous marbles and Japanese toilets, The club lounge was one of the best Ritz lounges I have ever been, It was very quiet even though every guests have access, A lot of food choices and the quality was very high, best of all the services were so great, I...
I was just there early this month, I was upgraded to a one bedroom suite with 1.5 bathrooms, It’s very wonderful with great decor, bathroom has gorgeous marbles and Japanese toilets, The club lounge was one of the best Ritz lounges I have ever been, It was very quiet even though every guests have access, A lot of food choices and the quality was very high, best of all the services were so great, I was treated like a celebrity! I’m not used to getting so much attention in a good way, They gave me gifts, two times! It was such a wonderful stay, Even though Jakarta is not most interesting city to visit, I will return just to stay and relax in this hotel!
I didn't know this was an all-club hotel lol. Guess I just wasn't observant. I last stayed there just before Miss Rona came. I love its location, linked to an upscale shopping mall but walking distance to an MRT station — which would do you wonders to cut through the Jakarta traffic.
And don't you worry about staying guests not spending money on "other' food orders. They have a large ballroom (also linked to the...
I didn't know this was an all-club hotel lol. Guess I just wasn't observant. I last stayed there just before Miss Rona came. I love its location, linked to an upscale shopping mall but walking distance to an MRT station — which would do you wonders to cut through the Jakarta traffic.
And don't you worry about staying guests not spending money on "other' food orders. They have a large ballroom (also linked to the mall) that frequently hosts high-end weddings and other events. Plus, their Ebeya Steak House is one of the go-to spots for business leaders in the nearby business district to grab a bite, or entertain clients. They can certainly do with a facelift, though
Amazing hotel! In the evening they have a bar cart in the club where the barkeeper customizes cocktails to your tastes, they also have a sushi cart and chef with market fresh offerings in addition to the full buffet spread.
My daughter was sick when we stayed there (ear infection she caught in Bali) and the Club Manager even accompanied us to the clinic in the shopping mall downstairs and the pharmacy to translate...
Amazing hotel! In the evening they have a bar cart in the club where the barkeeper customizes cocktails to your tastes, they also have a sushi cart and chef with market fresh offerings in addition to the full buffet spread.
My daughter was sick when we stayed there (ear infection she caught in Bali) and the Club Manager even accompanied us to the clinic in the shopping mall downstairs and the pharmacy to translate for us.
Also we were upgraded to their beautiful and massive presidential suite.
Definately my favorite hotel in Jakarta.
I've stayed there last year,they will even let you stay in the club lounge even after you check out. Highly recommend hotel in Jakarta.
That hotel is part of the larger Ritz-Carlton Residences housed in the same building. That could help explain the concept, as probably they did not have enough real estate and/or space to carve out a proper hotel. Hence the Club offering. Having stayed at both properties, I can recommend the Ritz-Carlton at Mega Kuningam much more. I lived in Jakarta for a while and I loved it - it’s an incredibly bustling city.
I stayed here in 2023 and was impressed by the quality and variety of the food and beverage offerings, especially by general hotel lounge standards, even within Asia. Although I'm not intimately familiar with the typical offerings at Ritz Carlton Club Lounges, I believe guests will find themselves well catered to throughout the day. The selection is diverse enough to keep guests satisfied without feeling bored or hungry, making it a standout experience in terms...
I stayed here in 2023 and was impressed by the quality and variety of the food and beverage offerings, especially by general hotel lounge standards, even within Asia. Although I'm not intimately familiar with the typical offerings at Ritz Carlton Club Lounges, I believe guests will find themselves well catered to throughout the day. The selection is diverse enough to keep guests satisfied without feeling bored or hungry, making it a standout experience in terms of hotel lounge amenities. While Jakarta is a large and inexpensive city, guests may prefer to dine in the lounge rather than navigate the city’s road traffic and lack of public transport, which is a competitive advantage.
I stayed there for two nights back in 2018. Total cost was 45k points + US$125. I was upgraded to a junior suite (was merely a Marriott gold member at the time). The lounge was mostly empty every time I visited. I don't recall the food options being particularly abundant or diverse. But the hotel was quite nice, and the staff was very good. For the price I paid, I can't fault it. Not sure I'd spend $300 a night, though, particularly for a standard room.