Preserving Indonesia's cultural heritage, one hotel at a time

Art collector returns some of the country's oldest inns to their former glory

Javanese dancers @ Hotel Tugu Malang 2.jpg

Javanese dancers perform at Hotel Tugu Malang in Indonesia's East Java province. Established in 1990, the hotel is filled with old art and a museum dedicated to antiquities from Cambodia and Thailand. (Courtesy of Tugu Hotels and Restaurants)

IAN LLOYD NEUBAUER, Contributing writer

December 9, 2022 08:00 JST

BLITAR, Indonesia -- There is a lively debate in Indonesia about which of the country's hotels has the most venerable heritage.

The Royal Ambarrukmo, in Yogyakarta, Central Java province, dates to the late 1850s, but was built as a residence for the city's royal family. It became a hotel only in the 1960s. Hotel Salak The Heritage in Bogor, West Java, built by a Dutch family in 1856, also has a strong claim. But it looks and feels like a modern hotel.