Jakarta, Indonesia — The Hotel Design Summit Indonesia #HDSI at the 9th Hospitality Indonesia Conference #HIC2026 brought together architects, hotel developers, and designers to explore how hotels in Indonesia can balance sustainability, landscape, and cultural authenticity while creating compelling guest experiences.
Rethinking Sustainability
Sustainable design was a central focus of the summit. Maitri Fischer, Co-founder of Eco-Mantra, shared both practical strategies and philosophical considerations for eco-hotels.
“From best practices in design, you don’t need to go through every detail—you can just open the green building book for that,” Fischer said. “You can reduce energy consumption in almost any building by 40 to 50% without breaking the pavement. The real challenge is the remaining 50%. Good design can only go so far—you always need power.”
On-site renewable energy is often limited in hotels due to space constraints, he noted, and regulations make offsite solutions difficult. “We need to make solar panels part of the design—normal, acceptable, or even beautiful. That’s how we maximize potential,” he explained.
Landscape as a Strategic Asset
The summit also highlighted how thoughtful landscape design can transform a property. Paul Tan, Principal at Arkdesign Architects, described how selecting and shaping a site is central to a hotel’s success.
“When owners choose a site, they must have seen something that convinced them to invest so much,” Tan said. “Respecting the owner’s vision and the existing landscape is both a challenge and part of the dream of an architect: to transform a vision into a tangible, comfortable environment.”
Anton Siura, Founder of SIURA Studio, added that integrating public spaces and amenities enhances both guest satisfaction and the hotel’s long-term value. “We design resorts with playgrounds, swimming areas, and fitness zones so that people spend more time outdoors, stay longer, and come back. Take Mobula Jim, for example—popular with families, but the landscape itself didn’t perform to its full potential. Integrating sustainability with thoughtful landscaping lowers costs and adds value that guests notice.”
Culture, Comfort, and Resilience
Panels explored innovative materials, net-zero strategies, and hybrid spaces for work, leisure, and social interaction. Speakers emphasized that modern luxury isn’t just about opulence—it’s about creating spaces that feel authentic, sustainable, and responsive to both climate and guest needs.
The summit showed that when hotels plan with sustainability, thoughtful landscaping, and cultural context in mind, they don’t just look good—they create environments that work for guests, for staff, and for the business over the long term.