Hotel in Surabaya - Majapahit hotel

Hotel in Surabaya - Majapahit Hotel

Until three years ago I frequently went to Surabaya - the second largest city in Indonesia. I saw a lot of shopping centers that were operating there. Tourists can buy anything from clothes to shoes and from electronics to furniture. If you plan to go to Surabaya, you will need a place to stay. There are a lot of motels and hotels in this city that serve customers from backpackers to merchants who come from all corners of Indonesian islands.

The most historic hotel in Surabaya is Hotel Majapahit. It is an old hotel. The hotel was constructed in 1910 by an Armenian named Lucas Martin Sarkies with his family. The name of the hotel was Oranje Hotel. There have not been many changes on the physical appearance of the hotel since its construction. In 1936, the front lobby was added with art deco style. Actually there are a lot of bigger hotels in Surabaya where tourists can stay at the moment but the Oranje Hotel can be considered as the most attractive one.

Majapahit - A Historic Hotel

When the Japanese troops entered Indonesia in 1942, they took over the hotel and changed its name to Yamato Hoteru (Hotel Yamato) until the time when the Dutch came back in 1945 and returned it to the Sarkies in 1946. Later in 1969, the hotel was bought by a successful business group who changed the hotel name to Majapahit after a famous ancient Javanese kingdom. The hotel suddenly became famous after the 10 November 1945 flag incident. That date was commemorated as the national hero day of Indonesia. On that Day, the youth in Surabaya city got angry after seeing a Dutch flag on top of the Yamato hotel. They gathered around the hotel and began climbing the building to take it down. Some of them tore the blue strip of the flag leaving only the red and white flag which is the national flag of Indonesia. This incident made this hotel became more famous. Now hotel Majapahit of Surabaya has been 100 years old.

A Grand Hotel in the Middle of the City

The management of the hotel still preserves the classic appearance of the hotel whose 150 bedrooms are floored with teak wood. The hotel also has the largest presidential suite in Asia occupying an area of 800 square meters on two floors where the ground floor is for formal dining, meeting. The size of the rooms is relatively bigger than any standard room in most of the newly built hotels in Surabaya. They still keep the furniture of the hotel which has been around since 1936. Because this hotel is located in the city center of Surabaya, it is a perfect place for businessman who come to city for doing business or shopping activities. by Charles Roring

for further information about the hotel, please visit its official website: www.hotel-majapahit.com