Batu is the name of a city in East Java. Located 20 km away from Malang, it is about one hour drive from the apple city. Topographically, the city is situated between three mountains; Panderman, Welirang, and Arjuno. With an altitude of 800 meter, Batu is also known for its cold weather. A perfect set up for a vacation destination, thermal baths, garden tour, zoo and museum are only few of the various holiday havens that can be visited. The tourism industry is growing rapidly there, exemplified by thriving of the hospitality industry. Hotel, cottage, and home stays can be discovered easily in the street of Batu.

Among the many hotel options available, Kampung Lumbung is an institution that stands out. Kampung Lumbung specifically chose the phrase “boutique hotel” as their identity to portray their serene landscape. The term “Boutique Hotel” itself is a phrase used to describe hotels which usually have between 10 and 100 rooms and often contain opulent facilities in unique or warm settings. Originating in cities like London, New York and San Francisco, boutique hotels are furnished in a themed, stylish decor. Usually, these kind of hotels are owned by individual and focused on how they provide a quality service that is specialized, convenient, friendly and pleasant. It is the key differentiator between a boutique hotel and typical hotel in general.

The idea for Kampung Lumbung came about when a 46 years old Bambang S. Dharma decided to take an early pension and buy land in hilly area in Beji, Batu, to realize one of his passions: to have his own hotel. “My background is marketing communication, I have no architecture background at all, but architecture always held a special place in my heart.” Bambang explains. “I have a special affection to East Java architecture, it’s sad to see in rural areas, many of those old houses became rickety and began to be replaced with a typical concrete building. The wood from the old rickety houses end up cannibalized to create new furniture in Bali. The awareness to preserve East Java architecture is very low – so many of young generation nowadays have no idea at all about things like lesung, kentongan and luku. ”

That concern became the basic idea for developing Kampung Lumbung. Built in 2006, Kampung Lumbung has a total of 36 rooms, where 80% of them are using wood elements from old houses. The rest of the building is a typical concrete building, but the wood used in the building is a are second hand. “We have several types of buildings in East Java, there are Doro Kepak, Joglo, Limasan and also Lumbung. We adapted all of those styles into our rooms in here. We even have a room that is entirely a Lumbung relocation. I collect all of the elements from Kediri, Nganjuk, Ngawi, Bojonegoro, South Malang, Besuki, and Madura – Totally East Java. We also have a room that is a hundred years old. Actually, one of our Joglo is from 1818” Bambang explains.

Another East Java characteristic that is also adapted by Kampung Lumbung is the use of teak wood. The hotel has twenty rooms that only uses teak wood. Despite also popular in other areas in Indonesia, Javanese teak is particularly sought after, as it has a smoother and stronger texture than teak wood from another regions. Javanese Teak, especially from Central Java and East Java, is very famous and hounded by collectors abroad from the era of colonialism. Teak wood is also termite free, so it is more durable than other types of wood. Java (especially East Java) has an exclusive relationship with teak wood – the material plays a special part in Javanese tradition. Teak wood were often used in building structures. Javanese traditional houses, such as “Joglo”, uses teak wood in almost all its construction: the pillars of the house, the roof frame house, up to the carved walls of the house.

“We try to preserve both East Java architecture and the wood. We are committed to the ecosystem. We use second-hand teak wood, and apply a low cost building concept – most of our rooms have this unfinished style, so it’s more natural, rustic natural.”, Bambang explaining the commitment of Kampung Lumbung to the ecosystem. “To realize our pledge to the environment, we did a major reforestation around our area. Before we had this hotel, this is an arid area. We made it greener. We have this 1000 trees implantation since 2006. We didn’t cover our top soil so the terrain is still open. We also combined solar water heater with gas to reduce the use of major electricity usage”.

The good thing is that this preservation is also celebrated by the local community. People working in the surrounding area plant plant vegetables and then harvest the result. Kampung Lumbung is also establishing a new standard in the East Java’s hospitality industry, where the concept “boutique hotel” is becoming a new trend in there. “We have no problem with how people are starting to imitate our hotel. Actually, we felt really good about how our hotel inspires other people to do good things”, said Bambang with a big smile.

Kampung Lumbung
Jl Puskesmas Dalam 1
Raya Beji – Batu
BATU, East Java 65326
ph: +623415406951