General Manager - Pullman Lombok Merujani Mandalika Beach Resort

Hospitality ‘In The Blood’; Action ‘From The Heart’

Pak Budi has thirty-five years’ experience in the hospitality industry. It has been work he clearly enjoys. Now he is General Manager at the Pullman Lombok Merujani Mandalika Beach Resort, one of the country’s premium luxury hotels. He spoke recently with mylombok about his role and the tasks that lie ahead.

When you first took over this resort, what was your vision and how has it evolved?

From the first moment I stepped into the resort I could feel it had a lot of potential. Lombok Mandalika is the biggest resort and the first 5-star resort here. I knew we had a huge opportunity to make it a great success.

Our vision is to make this a first-class resort – the best, not only in Mandalika but in the whole of Lombok. As I said, with so much potential – the brand, the facilities, and our incredible team – there is no reason not to make this resort the top destination resort in Lombok. To achieve this and fulfil our mission, I always give my total support, at every level, right up to the management, owners and stakeholders, including ITDC (Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation), ACCOR, local communities and the government.

You once said you treat every space like your own hotel, even picking up litter in public areas. Does that mindset influence the culture and daily operations at the Pullman?

Yes, that’s true. The first time I worked in hospitality I was in the housekeeping department; it’s part of my background. When we do things from the heart, it’s something that becomes a habit and from the habit grows the culture. For example, when I walk in the shopping mall, if I see litter on the floor, I want to pick it up. This is an automatic, immediate action from my heart. I would like to make everything in the hospitality industry about ‘heart’.

With decades of experience in Indonesia and the Middle East, how have your international postings shaped you?

I’ve had a mix of Indonesian and Middle Eastern experience and I’ve visited some countries in Europe and Asia as well. As a result, I’ve learned about leadership, discipline and networking. Being part of the biggest international network makes me want to improve as a leader. I’ve also seen people who have great vision and I have adopted this from some of them.

How might you describe your style of leadership?

I’d say it’s very ‘hands on’. I am involved in every stage of operations – from the smallest things to the management level. This type of involvement means I can be aware of our resort guests’ needs. I see it as being involved in the details: how the rooms are cleaned, and that everything smells so good and fresh; the setup of the restaurant, and making sure the food is delicious and the service is fast, and so on. Because I am involved in all of these things, in the briefing with the management team I can always share with them the feedback I get from the guests. This is why I love to work with them in operations.

What has been the most challenging transition in your career, and how did it prepare you for managing a resort in a fast-growing destination like Mandalika?

The most challenging transition is moving to top management. It’s extremely challenging to go from being a specialist to being a generalist. As a Head of Department you are responsible for one department, but to become a manager of many departments you become a generalist. Your boss is trusting you to manage many departments even though your experience is only in one department. This has been the most challenging transition in my career. I learned more and more and I convinced my boss I could manage many departments and I made it. My first generalist position was Executive Assistant Manager, which was number 2 position in the hotel, so I managed Sales, Front Office, Housekeeping, Laundry and so on. I learned a lot about how to combine and manage many departments. When I was offered the position of GM, I had the proof I could manage many departments with good results.

What has been the biggest leadership challenge you’ve faced at Pullman Mandalika?

Every time we arrive in a new place, we find challenges. When I was in Bali, I had to know about the Balinese culture. I spent four years there. When I was in the Middle East, I had to know about and understand the diversity of the local people. This is the first time I have visited or worked in Lombok. It was important to know about the local culture here. If we know the culture, we know the people. If we know the people, we can manage people well. Then we can follow them and then we can direct them. The people will follow our instructions, and the staff will work towards our mission and vision. That’s why there is no difference between the staff and the management.

How does Pullman Mandalika interpret the brand’s blend of luxury and contemporary design while staying true to Lombok’s cultural identity?

As we know, the Pullman is one of Accor’s premium brands. The design is modern but we also try to blend with the local culture first. One of the essential things is our menu. If you look at it, you’ll see the food is local – Lombok dishes, such as Ayam Taliwang, Ikan Bakar Nipah and so on. We also adapt the menu with other Indonesian, Western and Chinese dishes. itself. Another thing is that we try to hire local people: 90% of the staff at Pullman are from Lombok. The other 10% come from all over Indonesia, from Jakarta, Surabaya, Bali and so on.

In a competitive market that includes Lombok and Bali, what sets Pullman Mandalika apart?

Before I answer that, I should explain that one of the main challenges is connectivity. This is not specific to the Pullman; it affects Lombok overall. In terms of international connections, there are currently only two routes: between Lombok and Kuala Lumpur and between Lombok and Singapore. Because of this, we rely heavily on Bali. Many guests fly into Bali first and then connect to Lombok.

If we talk about occupancy volume rather than percentage, Pullman Mandalika Lombok has the highest number of rooms sold compared with other hotels in Lombok. This shows that we are taking a large share of the accommodation market on the island. Even though there are many hotels in the north, especially in Senggigi, our location in the south, at Mandalika, does not limit us. In terms of room volume, we are the largest.

What sets us apart is that we are a five-star premium hotel in the south. Other than small villas, there is nothing else. Our facilities are also complete: a swimming pool, gym, spa, children’s activities, a ballroom, and meeting rooms. Pullman Mandalika Lombok offers a one-stop hotel experience.

How has the presence of the Mandalika Circuit and events like MotoGP affected the hotel’s business?

The MotoGP is in the high season period of the year when occupancy and revenue are highest, so it’s not only the MotoGP. In the Mandalika circuit the occupancy is about 70 to 80%. There are so many events besides the MotoGP, such as Ducati and Ferrari, even though they are not so big. I think all these events have a big impact on the Pullman and on the surrounding area of Mandalika. The rental car industry, the villas and all the restaurants in Kuta are also affected. It’s a positive impact and that’s why Mandalika circuit positioning has become part of sport tourism.

During major international events, the Pullman becomes a hub for teams and VIPs. How do you prepare your staff and property for such large-scale operations?

The Pullman has become the destination for VIPs – the President and Ministers – especially during the events held at the Mandalika circuit. We don’t need to make special preparations; on a daily basis all our guests are VIPs, in terms of preparing the rooms, and the food. The standard of the breakfast, for example, is very high. We might need a little bit of adjustment; for example, if a VIP would like to have breakfast in the room, or needs something beyond our ordinary day-to-day operation, then of course we will provide it. It’s not about major preparations.

Which upcoming developments excite you most?

Apart from smaller improvements in the rooms, there are three major plans:

Our beach is a little rocky; you can still swim and it’s fine if you wear soft reef shoes. So last year we made plans to build a jetty behind the hotel, similar to one the owner built at another property in Labuan Bajo.

Another plan is for a Chinese Restaurant. The design is finished and we will do that in the first quarter of 2026.

We will also build a second swimming pool, with a café. In the evenings we plan to have a fish market, 5-star style. When it’s done, we will demolish the main pool and make it better in design

As someone who has worked internationally and is now deeply involved in a growing region, what do you see as Mandalika’s biggest potential? What needs to be done, by hotels, communities and government, to realise that potential?

We need to have the support from the government to comply with the international guests’ needs.
Every year I attend international events with the Ministry of Tourism, for example to Tokyo and the ITB Berlin, to promote Pullman Lombok. Recently, with local stakeholders, I visited Kalimantan because there is such a big potential there. There are always so many questions. People want to know about the destination – about Lombok itself. I often have to open the map and show them Lombok, next to Bali. They know about the Pullman brand because they know about Accor because it’s a worldwide brand but most of them don’t know about Lombok. I have to work with the government to promote Lombok more.

How does the resort collaborate with local communities, artisans, or environmental groups in a sustainable, inclusive way?

The environment and sustainability are among our priorities and we work with the local community. We are certified by the International Green Group, which is not easy to achieve and not many hotels have done it. It means we are compliant, in terms of sustainability, in every step of every action. There are so many audits and checklists.

We realised there was lots of waste from the resort. We send all plastic waste to the recycling community, where it’s turned into chairs, tables etc. Waste from coconut trees becomes virgin coconut oil and we also have a machine to make frangipani oil from frangipani flowers. This is supported by the ITDC , which has its own ESG Division. We have become partners with ITDC itself.

What sustainability initiatives are currently your top priorities, especially given the area’s sensitive coastal ecosystem?

On instruction from Accor, there is no single use plastic in the resort; this is the first priority. The second is that we try to manage the waste. Every day, breakfast waste is processed to become liquid fertiliser. Each week, the fertiliser is put around the grounds. We have 5 hectares and we haven’t had to buy any fertiliser since last year.

The Pullman places strong emphasis on wellness. How is that concept integrated into the Mandalika experience?

Mandalika’s positioning is in sports tourism and Pullman Lombok is part of that. We have a wellness centre and a gym; in the rooms we have yoga mats, and dumbbells in the wardrobes. There is a jogging track around the hotel, activities for children and archery. In doing all this, we are supporting healthy activities and wellness tourism.

What qualities do you look for when building a hospitality team in a developing tourism region?

The quality we look for is to be friendly at heart; we can see people smile but ‘heart’ is more than a smile. During interviews we ask questions to check this.

We have to be selective because we are working in a 5-star premium resort so we should have people who are one step ahead. We look for:

• Good educational background
• Relevant experience
• Excellent manners and appearance.

How do you keep staff motivated during peak seasons or major events?

If the resort is busy, staff salaries are higher as they receive a service charge.

Also, the resort has two platforms for live training online. To motivate the staff, we give rewards based on KPIs and this keeps them motivated. Even during the busy periods they smile.

What parallels do you see between hobbies, such as golf or fishing, and hotel management?

It’s different but we learn a lot from golf. We need to be patient, because the distance is long and we have to walk; accurate, because we place the balls in small holes; and tough, because we are doing it under the hot sun. I suppose fishing is much the same. And we always hope to get a fish from the ocean but we never know.

How do you envision Pullman Mandalika five to ten years from now?

I would like to make Pullman the most popular resort in Lombok – especially if the government opens more connectivity with Australia for example, to Perth. If the connections grow, I’m sure the Pullman will make a more positive impact here. More occupancy makes us healthier; if we’re healthier, we can develop even more. When our guests are even happier, they’ll return and become loyal customers and the Pullman will be the best resort In Lombok. That’s what I hope for in five to ten years from now.

If every guest could leave with one lasting impression of Pullman Mandalika, what would you hope it to be?

We hope all guests leave with the feeling that Pullman Mandalika is a place where they are genuinely cared for and where impeccable service, comfort and attention to detail come together to create moments that stay with them long after they return home.