Located in the prime area of Jakarta, Hotel Des Indes Menteng is inspired by Batavia’s rich history and a mix of contemporary hospitality and cultural experience.
Becoming the legacy of Batavia, our hotel conveys the city’s heritage throughout the antique building & its facade, the calm ambiance in our room interiors, and the relaxing scent in every corner of our hotel.
Surrounded by beautiful parks, museums, art galleries, embassies, bars, restaurants, and many more, Hotel Des Indes will be a perfect place to stay after your long day and to feel the serenity in the midst of city hustle
Discover the Rich History
of Batavia
image from wikidata.org
In history, Hotel Des Indes was one of the oldest and most prestigious hotels in Asia. Located in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (modern-day Jakarta, Indonesia), the hotel had accommodated countless famous patrons throughout its existence from 1829 to 1971.
The story begins in 1829 when Antoine Surleon Chaulan bought a real estate that was once used by an unsuccessful all-girls school. He converted the place into a hotel and named it after his birthplace in France, “Hotel De Provence”.
In 1845, Etienne Chaulan bought Hotel de Provence from his brother Antoine, at an auction for 25,000 Dutch guilders. Etienne made the hotel famous for being the first to sell different types of European-style ice cream.
The first hotel to serve ice cubes & cold drinks in Indonesia…
Cold drinks sometimes can be the best option in this tropical country. It can refresh not only our thirst but also our mind. But, did you know where the ice cube was first served in Indonesia?
Back in 1846, the first ice cube arrived in Indonesia, carried by an American ship and became horrendous to the local citizens. Around that time, cold drinks & ice cubes were only served for the upper class, especially in the Batavia area. On Christmas Eve, one month after the arrival of ice cubes in Indonesia, Hotel Des Indes became the first hotel to serve ice cubes & cold drinks for its guests.
Then in 1851, the hotel was bought by Cornelis Denninghoff, who changed the name to “Hotel Rotterdam”. Despite the hotel’s location next to the elite “Harmony Society” and French tailor shop “Oger Freres”, it lost prestige and the next year was bought by a Swiss staff member named Francois Auguste Emile Wijss.
Continued in 1856, a famous writer Eduard Douwes Dekker, who is a friend of Wijss and also a regular patron of Hotel Rotterdam, suggested Wijss change the hotel name to the much more chic-sounding “Hotel Des Indes”
image from alchetron.com
image from @potretlawas
image from alchetron.com
image from alchetron.com
Proclamation of Indonesia Independence
image from id.pinterest.com
Several conflicts indeed happened before the day of Indonesian Independence Day. Not only related to the speech microphone and typewriter issue, but also to the location where the Proclamation text was formulated.
At first, the old Hotel Des Indes which was located in Gajah Mada Street, Jakarta, was chosen as the place for Proclamation text arrangement because many members of the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (PPKI) stayed at the hotel
Because of the curfew rules set by the Japanese military government at that time, the hotel refused to conduct any meetings or events after 10 PM. Therefore, the formulation of the Proclamation text was finally being held at the house of Admiral Tadashi Maeda, in Meiji Dori Street (modern-day Imam Bonjol Street, Jakarta)
