Hotel Santika Lahat

What frustrated me was the transportation arrangement. When I arrived from Palembang in the afternoon in a rental car, I asked staff about getting a hotel car for drop-off or pickup. They said it could take us to Citymall for IDR 20k one way, or we could order a Grab car. But when we were heading out for dinner, the hotel car wasn’t available. After several attempts, we managed to get a Grab car by offering extra payment. Getting back was much worse. It was rainy around 8 pm, and after nearly an hour we still couldn’t book a Grab. We called the hotel as a last resort. They asked how many people we were, then quoted IDR 35k per person. While we were discussing that, my friend got a text from the hotel staff asking, “deal or no deal?” We were willing to pay, but the information wasn’t consistent: earlier they’d said IDR 20k per trip, without mentioning it was per person. The way they communicated the new offer felt like take it or leave it, when they knew we had no other option. It’s about a 1.3 km walk, but it was raining and there’s no pedestrian track. In other cities, this same hotel brand has even offered free airport transfers or rides to the nearest mall or restaurant. I learned to make sure the hotel staff stick to what they offer, and to ask for the manager in charge if needed. Don’t count on Grab cars in this city. The room itself was clean and the bed comfortable, and check-in and check-out were quick. Breakfast was okay for a three-star hotel, with some nice local dishes. I was also surprised to find a large meeting room, almost like a ballroom, which you don’t usually see in three-star hotels. It’s a bit far from the city center, with no nearby sights or attractions, though getting around is easy enough in light traffic if you have your own car. The hotel used to be Grand Zurich and has been rebranded as Santika. For what we paid, almost IDR 1 million, it felt overpriced. You can get a better hotel with better service in other cities, even in Palembang.

The breakfast was good, and the rooms were clean. The staff were friendly, and the location in Lahat was excellent.

A good experience with lovely hospitality. Shoutout to Mrs. Ocha for making us feel so welcome!

This was our second stay, and it was just like before. We got a good rest before continuing our trip from Padang to Jakarta. Breakfast was a treat, especially seeing seblak on the hotel menu. Good job, Santika Lahat.