[Hotel Review] - Holiday Inn (2 Bedroom Suite), Batam, Indonesia (26 - 27 Oct 12)

Location

The hotel is located in an isolated part of Batam Island. It is far away from the main shopping district or the nearest decent eatery. The isolation also meant guests can totally relax in the hotel and not busy running to the nearby shopping mall. The hotel is also close to a jetty which only called upon by a couple of ferry operators. There is really nothing much around the area, this also mean that guests would have to subject to the hotel's eateries or calling room service when one's hunger strikes.

Hardware

The room that we were assigned was a two-bedroom suite, upgraded from our original booking of one-bedroom suite. We requested for a high floor, corner room as the hotel was fully booked, we were assigned the two-bedroom suite. 

Upon entering the suite, a marble floored small dining area with a counter for all the food and drinks welcomed us. The dining table seats a party of four and was nicely tucked in a corner of the suite that is not obstructing. The simple designed suite signals all fixtures were there for a purpose and it is hard for one to find a piece of equipment in the suite that is redundant. The simplicity also meant that there are less clutter in the suite. 

Dining area of the suite

Opposite the dinning table is a small bathroom which only has a toilet bowl and a standing shower. This bathroom seem to suggest it is meant for guests staying in the one of the 2 bedrooms.

Bathroom opposite the dining table

Further ahead into the room is the living room, featuring a 2 seater couch placed in front of the TV . The 2 seater couch is large enough to fit 3 persons. By the side of the 2 seater couch is a one seater couch  facing the entrance to the balcony. The curtains are thick enough to black out the living room. Despite that there are sufficient lightings in the living room to provide sufficient illumination to the entire living room.

Living room

There is a small balcony with 2 deck chairs and a small side table for one to relax and relax by the sight of the fantastic swimming pool, which seemed to be the centrepiece of the entire hotel. Other then that the view is nothing to shout out for. 

Balcony

View from the balcony

The living room is in the centre of the 2 rooms. Upon entering from the main door to the suite, the room to the left features 2 single beds. There is also a small wardrobe tucked at the corner of the room. This room is rather small for a bedroom on its own. However it seemed that the hotel encourages its guests to spend more time in the living room then the bed rooms. There is also a dressing table opposite the beds in this room. The decor of this room is rather minimalistic.

Wardrobe and the dressing table in the room

2 single beds

The master bedroom is located on the right from the main entrance. This room is larger then the other room opposite it. The centrepiece of this room is the queen size bed, which provided a decent sleep quality. Personally I did not sleep well in this room, mainly due to the soft and flat pillow. The decor of this room feels cosy and homely. There is another TV in this room, placed on the dressing table. There seem to be more storage space in this room as compared to the previous room.

Master bedroom

There is an attached bathroom in the master bedroom. This marble bathroom is larger then the one in the living room. There is a bathtub, which feels rather small. There isn't any walk-in showers in this bathroom, the shower head is together with the bathtub.

Bathroom attached to the master bedroom

Standard bathing amenities 

The overall decor of this suite feels dated from the living room to the bedrooms and to the 2 bathrooms.

Heartware

The overall service rendered by the staff in this hotel is fantastic. They were always spotted smiling and were very attentive to guests. We were served with cold drinks upon arrival, while waiting for our turn to check in. The attentive staff even recognised me to be a member of the hotel chain and accorded me member privilege without even producing my membership card. The staff at the reception apologised immediately for our waiting due to her checking in another guest before us. As mentioned earlier on, I had put down my request for high floor and corner room into the system when I booked the stay, without me mentioning it, the staff processing our check in apologised for not having the room that I requested ready due to high occupancy rate. She refused to let us wait till 2pm and gave us complementary upgrade to the location of the room I requested without even me asking.

The staff at the Tea Tree spa was great. They are welcoming and did provide excellent service in their massage. I was frequently asked how's the strength of the massage and is the massage ok during and after the spa session. 

My only complaint is the staffs from the main restaurant in the hotel. I was by the pool and tried to wave for someone to send the menu over, it took me around 30 mins to get some attention. More can be done by the staff here to be attentive to their guests.

Overall

The stay at Holiday Inn Batam was fantastic. Despite the aged suite and the poor sleep quality due to the pillows. Majority of the staffs here displayed exemplary service standards. This is a place to be should one wants a relaxing time without the mad rush of shopping. The air conditioning in the suite was great and managed to cool down the suite in a short period of time.