The Grand Palace Resident

The room is bigger than at some other places, and the staff are top quality. For a stopover, it's quite comfortable and the price is super cheap. The road outside is very noisy, though, and the place is very ordinary rather than premium. Hotels in Jakarta struggle when people with money choose saver options. If your budget lets you spend an extra 50-100 K Rupiah, that could get you better accommodation and support skilled jobs. Please be fair about that. Cheers, dear guest.

The older security guard was really friendly and tried to make things less confusing. We were confused when we asked about a room, and the receptionist seemed just as lost. The place looked cluttered, with things piled in corners, and the parking area was tiny. The staff weren't very welcoming overall.

After a long train and taxi trip with our big backpacks, we arrived and were refused a room. I believe it was because of our skin colour. The same thing happened at two other hotels, even though rooms showed as available online. That doesn't feel like a coincidence. It was pure discrimination.

The room we were given had no window. Although it was clean, the furniture and toilet were old. There was a simple food menu, but no way to make a hot drink.