Morrissey Hotel

Rooms and decor

Picture a hotel that pulls together raw concrete, black steel, woodwork and warm lighting into something genuinely cool the moment you step into the lobby - that's the appeal of Morrissey Hotel, one of the pioneering design hotels that helped kick off Jakarta's boutique-design wave. What sets it apart most clearly is that every room is an apartment-style suite, far roomier than a standard hotel room. Plenty of reviews say the same thing: open the door and you find usable space with the living area cleanly separated from the bedroom, a sofa, a work desk and - crucially - a small kitchenette with a fridge. The raw-concrete and black-steel palette plays against woodwork and warm-toned fabrics for the feel of a cool loft apartment rather than an identical-everywhere hotel room. Beds are soft and comfortable and the bathrooms have a modern design. If you like a hotel with character and wide-open space to stretch out, you'll probably take to this place from the first night.

Food and amenities

On facilities, Morrissey gives you just the right amount for a 4-star design hotel of its size. There's a compact outdoor pool for a cooling dip after a day out or a day's work, paired with a gym for anyone who wants to keep moving on the trip. For food, the Bengawan restaurant serves breakfast plus Indonesian and international dishes in a warm setting that matches the building's design, and there's a rooftop bar to head up to for an evening drink in the cool air. The clincher for long-stayers is that in-room kitchenette, which lets you heat something up or put together a light meal yourself - a real saving and a comfort over several nights. And because it sits in the heart of Thamrin/Menteng, full of restaurants, cafes, convenience stores and street food, a few minutes' walk out the door turns up plenty more good meals. Overall it may not have the full facility spread of a giant chain, but everything here is chosen to be just enough, with the emphasis on atmosphere and room comfort.

Location and getting there

The location is another of its trump cards. Morrissey sits on Jalan KH Wahid Hasyim in the heart of the Golden Triangle, Jakarta's central business district, flanked by Sudirman, Thamrin and Kuningan and right on the edge of leafy, classic Menteng. From here, whether you've got a meeting in an office tower in any of those areas or fancy a big mall like Grand Indonesia or Plaza Indonesia, a Grab or taxi gets you there quickly. Walk a short way around the hotel and you'll find restaurants, stylish cafes and convenience stores to drop into. For rail travel, the nearest station, Bundaran HI MRT, is about 1.3 km away - roughly a 5-10 minute ride - and from there the MRT runs handily along Jalan Sudirman. The short version: if you want to base yourself in the heart of the business district with easy rides everywhere, while keeping charming Menteng close by, this location fits the bill.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. First, getting around: the hotel isn't right next to an MRT or KRL station. The nearest, Bundaran HI MRT, is about 1.3 km away, so reaching other neighborhoods means a Grab or taxi - and Jakarta's morning and evening traffic is notorious. If your plan leans heavily on rail, this may feel less convenient than a hotel you can walk to a station from. Second, street noise: Jalan KH Wahid Hasyim out front is a fairly busy, traffic-heavy road, and some rooms facing the street or on lower floors can catch traffic noise at times. Light sleepers should ask for a higher floor or a quieter side first. Last, level and upkeep: this is a 4-star hotel built around design and room space, so the shared pool and gym are compact rather than the full 5-star spread, and some reviews note that a few maintenance details aren't consistently polished. Come here mainly for the wide rooms, the cool design and the central location, and take these small points as natural for a design hotel at this price.

Our take

After reading through hundreds of real guest reviews, Morrissey Hotel nails the combination of wide apartment-style suites, characterful industrial-chic design, and a heart-of-the-Golden-Triangle location at a price you can actually reach. If your idea of the trip is plenty of room to stretch out, a kitchenette for putting together light meals, a central business-district address with quick rides everywhere, and coming back to a pool dip or a rooftop drink in the evening, this is a value pick with a style of its own - especially for long-stay workers. But if the heart of your trip is walking to an MRT station every day, or you want the luxury and full facilities of a 5-star hotel, the location and level here may not be the best match. Overall we give it 8.6/10, best suited to design lovers, long-stay workers, and couples who value space and style more than 5-star luxury.