I had a very plesant week long stay at the Alila Seminyak from the 19th to the 25th of March.
I was in Bali mostly for business, but also to attend an excellent Impact and Sustainability Conference (Nexus Asia Summit) at a different hotel. I have no regrets staying at the Alila Seminyak.
Great Suites!
I initially had the Ocean Suite from Monday to Thursday, and my Bali team and I were happy to have our meetings in my spacious suite. The sofa area was perfect for our full day meetings and we still had the nice ocean view to work in luxury. If anything, I wish there was a working desk for me to make it just that little bit more comfortable to work in. The staff loaned me a HDMI cable so that I could hook up my macbook to the large LED TV in the room for our meeting.
During one of my evenings, my conference delegates and I had dinner and drinks at the popular Bali hotspot Potato Head and at their new Indonesian restaurant Kaum. Dinner turned to drinks, and drinks ended really late at 1am (well - late for me anyways) and when many had to take taxi’s or ojek’s back to their hotel, I was the envy of many of my friends as I told them that my hotel was right next door and it was literally a 2 min walk along the beach. I was accompanied by the moonlight and soothing ocean waves on my short leisurely stroll back to my room.
In my room, the luxurious king sized bed had already been turned down by house keeping and curtains drawn to ensure a restful sleep. The hotel even provides a pillow menu that I could choose from prior to arrival, and I was pleased to have a contour pillow waiting for me in my room already when I checked in.
Upgrade
I was going to downgrade to the Alila Deluxe Studio since I was going to be predominantly at the conference and out of the hotel from Thursday to Sunday. The front desk team was very kind to let me stay in the same room at no extra cost as there was room availability. I didn’t need to move rooms and the kind generous gesture was much appreciated. Actually, even if I had to move rooms, I read that there was a ‘packing’ service provided by the hotel and they would be glad to help move rooms should there really be a need to. Takes the pain out of moving rooms (if required).
Excellent Friendly Service from the Alila Team
Ibu Rini, the front office manager was always ever present at the reception, as well as at Seasalt to meet and chat with all the guests. She always had a smile and greeted guests with such warmth and sincerity. She seemed to know everyone by name, and there were even guests showing her photos of their grandchildren. Such is the genuine bond and rapport she had with her guests.
One morning, I had a business meeting and was looking for a suitable private venue to have our work discussion. The staff kindly suggested "the event centre". It was my guests first time at Alila, they loved the semi-formal meeting space and complimented the perfect venue for our business discussion as we could discuss work while still able to enjoy the picturesque sea view.
Sustainability
I was feeling peckish and decided to treat myself to a bar of chocolate from the room mini bar and was pleased to find POD Chocolate - which are famous for their sustainable practices and sourcing. I guess it was not surprising to discover Alila’s environmental and social sustainability policy and I read with great respect about how Alila is so committed. Even before the resort was launched, the highest standard for the EarthCheck benchmark was attained. Equally impressive is how Alila run their daily operations, such as using energy efficient appliances, reducing waste and plastics, as well as the community involvement it has with the 2 local elementary schools.
The week that I was there also happened to be earth hour, and I was pleased to see so many programs for the hotel guests to take part in its sustainability efforts, and probably most important to me was the fun educational programs for the kids to increase their awareness about the environment. Oh, there was also children’s playroom at the hotel with proper security nannies so that parents can go and have their personal time with peace of mind, and kids can be left there to play till their hearts content.
Going the extra Mile
Last but not least on my final day, in my haste to squeeze in as many meetings as possible before my return flight, I had rushed off for a meeting in Kuta. However, I didn’t realise that I left my passport back in the Alila room safe - and I was flying back to Singapore in a few hours!
I urgently called the front desk to send my passport and travel wallet to be sent via Go-Jek to me at the Kuta office, but instead, the team decided to go the extra mile and PERSONALLY deliver my travel wallet and passport. When I wanted to tip them and just thank them for their troubles (even for their time and gas money), they refused and just said this is part of the hotel service. Special thanks to Pak Ayas for hand delivering my belongings to me so I could continue my meeting in Kuta!
My only complain is that I wish I had more time in Bali. In the 7 days I was in Bali, I only managed to spend 5 mins in one of the infinity pools. Even the complimentary sunscreen provided from my room felt under utilised and probably yearned for more Vitamin D. Overall, I had a great stay at Alila Seminyak and highly recommended it. My heartfelt appreciation goes out to the team for their warm and friendly service and making me feel truly at home.
