Ciputra World 1, the mixed-use tower complex that anchors Jakarta's Kuningan business corridor, gave Raffles Jakarta an unusual brief when it opened in 2015: to build a hotel identity within a soaring curtain-wall skyscraper whose primary gesture is unambiguously corporate. The response from interior designer HBA (Hirsch Bedner Associates) was to work against the building's verticality rather than with it, pulling warmth and narrative down into the rooms and public spaces through a design language that draws on Indonesian craft traditions and the romantic colonial-era imagery associated with the Raffles brand. The 173 rooms and suites are finished in limestone-toned wall cladding with tall fabric headboards in panelled grey linen, the floors laid in pale travertine-style stone and dressed with deep-pile botanical rugs in teal and indigo that carry a distinctly Javanese floral sensibility. The public spaces navigate a more theatrical register. The Writers Bar — a Raffles signature carried across multiple properties in the group — is fitted here with a coffered ceiling in dark-stained timber, louvred mahogany bar cabinetry, and deep velvet armchairs in plum and rose, a winged serpent sculpture in gilt bronze presiding over the room with appropriate grandeur. Outside, a mid-rise pool terrace planted with dense vertical gardens and shaded by a steel-and-timber pergola structure delivers the tropical garden atmosphere the tower's glass facade entirely withholds — the Navina pool restaurant furnishing the space with rattan seating and lime-green cushions against the Jakarta skyline.

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In the core of Jakarta, the golden triangle, comes a new destination for entrepreneurs and artists - Raffles Jakarta. Service is as generous as it is exemplary, creating an oasis where the well traveled can be themselves, with the space and privacy they need to refresh and recuperate in this most bustling of cities. The restaurants of Raffles Jakarta offer a delightful range of international culinary experiences. Choices include Arts Cafe, the all-day dining restaurant, The Writers Bar and a poolside bar. Each one has its own unique atmosphere, combining the best of Indonesian art and culture with superb world-class cuisine. The story continues...