With more than 23 years of experience in the hotel industry, Daniel Sunu Prasetyo is a household name in the local hospitality landscape. With the opening of the fourth property of ARTOTEL Group in Yogyakarta last year, Daniel is upping the game by setting all bars higher. NOW! Jakarta recently sat down with him to find out what plans the hotel industry veteran has in store.
Congratulations on the launch of ARTOTEL in Yogyakarta. How have you adapted to the city so far?
I had about seven years of experience working in Yogyakarta, which was quite a long time. Since then I have worked in a number of major cities in Indonesia, gaining more experience each time, learning about diversity and making use of opportunities. For now, I’m very grateful and excited to be back again in this lovely city.
What motivates you to pursue a career in the hotel industry?
In my humble opinion, everything about the hotel industry is exciting and entertaining. The hospitality industry requires you to work in a multi-cultural environment. I get to know the people behind the reception counter, in the kitchen and at the offices from all corners of the country and with different backgrounds, who bring along with them their own characteristics, languages, cultural diversity and ideas on how to efficiently work within the industry.
That aside, working in the hotel industry is all about people and good vibes. You make someone’s day. Whether you’re a concierge or a kitchen porter working behind the scenes, or perhaps if you’re involved in the management, every time you come to work, you’re actually making someone’s day better.
How has your career experience made you the leader you are today?
In my first job, I had the honor to join the very early stage of the hotel management. I was very lucky, and of course, I’m very grateful for that. As I’ve mentioned earlier, working in the hotel industry is all about adapting to a multi-cultural environment. It has always taught me how to maximize my working capabilities – which at the end not only enriches my practical skills but also my knowledge about the business process in the industry. A key factor for me is to be able to communicate and work with different people from different backgrounds – working together, sharing knowledge and growing together – as one big team.
What is your scope of responsibility?
First and foremost, it would be to impress customers with true hospitality. It is the first point of contact between hotel guests and representatives of the hotel. I’m always thinking of ideas to build the perfect service culture and making every effort to develop service standards that place an emphasis on exceptional service for every customer. Secondly, to keep employees happy. When employees are happy, they are more productive and creative. I’ve always encouraged them to be able to maintain their life balance with hospitality training and knowledge. Thirdly, it is fair to say that the primary goal of almost every owner and operator of a hotel is to make as big a profit as possible. To achieve that goal, I’ve taken very good care of operating and managing income, expenses and profit effectively. Last but not least, to make the hotel management happy by maintaining a focus on policies, properties and procedures. Because stakeholders vary in influence, expectations and interests – and that all of them have the potential to affect the project – my job as a representative of the hotel is to promote collaborative relationships with stakeholders and the surrounding environment.
What makes ARTOTEL Yogyakarta stand out from its competitors?
As an art-inspired and designed hotel, we are proud to be located at one of the centres of Indonesian art and creativity. The hotel design goes beyond the traditional, and its careful and meticulous attention to the details of the Javanese art in a distinctive and contemporary style is reflected in both its exterior and interior design. Our landmarks such as a brass slide, art gallery, and an art exhibition held every month or two are some of the attributes that we offer. In terms of location, we serve the very perfect viewpoint of Mount Merapi for customers to enjoy and relax. With this in mind, we are committed to bring refreshing and wonderful atmosphere as well as great ambience.
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This article is originally from paper. Read NOW!Jakarta Magazine February 2018 issue “Season of Love”. Available at selected bookstore or SUBSCRIBE here.
