Natalia Kusumo on Her Quest to Create A Modern, Integrated Smart City in North Jakarta

“I’ve worked in the hospitality industry since I was studying, doing all kinds of operational jobs in quite a few establishments,” Natalia Kusumo said. “I also worked at more hotels in Indonesia and other countries during my university years and as a professional abroad.” However, what truly got Natalia in retail and hospitality is that she enjoys making people happy with the services and products delivered in her capacity as the CEO of Hotels and Malls Division 2 (Amantara), the retail and hospitality arm of Agung Sedayu Group (ASG). Having learned from the bottom in operational roles surely has helped Natalia build her foundation within the group.

Out of the experiences she learned in different places, her first job taught Natalia the most about creating and capturing the soul of a space. “The whole resort was quite surreal in an amazing way that took my breath away,” she said with a faraway look. “I thought to my teenage self, ‘How could someone create such a place to make me feel as if I’m in a paradise?'” Since then, Natalia’s vision and mission have been to create and capture the soul of a space, transporting guests into one-of-a-kind experiences while providing jobs for the citizens.

This alumna of Cornell University, New York, worked hard to realize her ideas as the CEO. The subsidiary Natalia founded, named Amantara, has a mission to present Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) as the choice travel destination in the region by 2023 and globally by 2025. “Having studied abroad and being a globetrotter, I bring my experiences to Indonesia to create a better life,” says Natalia. She earned her degree and working experience for six years in the US, one of the leading countries in the hospitality industry.

With her global perspective and love for Indonesia, Natalia moved and made her home in the motherland. She developed conceptual ideas for PIK2 using its local natural resources and employed progressive sights to tie in various aspects within the property and hospitality industries to create a modern, integrated smart city in North Jakarta. Collaborating with world-class consultants, Natalia looked at places like Dubai and Miami as inspiration for Pasir Putih Beach and Singapore’s Sentosa Island for PIK 2. “The 60ha of Greenbelt PIK2 is one instance where we mimic San Francisco’s urban development rule to include parks for every few kilometres of residential areas,” she said. “Besides these adaptations to suit the specific nature of the PIK area, ASG also invites educational institutes, religious bodies, and other elements of the society to foster a holistic sense in a healthy community,” she said.

The result started to show during the successful opening of Pantjoran PIK in November 2020, which marked an exciting beginning for Amantara in charge of its concept and tenant curation. Until today, Amantara continues to unveil unique, curated destinations around Golf Island, Riverwalk/Ebony Island, and PIK2. These main travel destinations include Pantjoran PIK, Urban Farm, Cove at Batavia PIK, Central Market, By The Sea PIK, Pusat Sepeda, Pantai Pasir Putih PIK2 (White Sand Beach PIK2), Greenbelt PIK2, and Community Park (event & festival venue). Among upcoming destinations in the pipeline are Batavia PIK, Shipyard, Land’s End, Orange Groves, Indonesia Design District, Town Hub PIK2, Holiday Inn Resort PIK2, and many more.

During her research, Natalia saw the previously untapped transit travellers among different types and levels of the market in township development. “Indonesia has two major transit points in the cities of Bali Island’s Denpasar and Java Island’s Jakarta,” she said. “Bali already has a happening transit business within a short distance to the airport as opposed to Jakarta before PIK fully developed. ASG today continues to expand further to tap into this market.” As such, the ongoing building of Toll Interchange PIK2, scheduled to finish by Q4 of 2023, would give easy access to PIK2. The toll would connect PIK2 directly to the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in just seven minutes, besides providing easy access to the inner ring-road toll system. “Our aim is for the PIK2 area to be the smart city and ideal place to work, live, and play for residents and global visitors.”

Central PIK 2. Foto: Agung Sedayu

More international-standard facilities and destinations will come soon to complete PIK as a comprehensive township and an integrated smart city in North Jakarta for residents and visitors. For example, there are Oakwood PIK Jakarta, Hotel Osaka, and Hotel Tokiyo Kyriad perfect for families, digital nomads, and urban travellers. The township of PIK2 will also add new concepts of coffee centre, breweries, and karaoke and entertainment hub. As a growing seaside city with a thriving population, these three lifestyle concepts would be a welcome addition to the PIK area’s travel destinations.

Head in the Clouds Music Festival at Community Park PIK 2

There were also exciting events in PIK, including the Hermes Kite Festival in October 2022 and Head in The Clouds music festival in December 2022, both at Community Park PIK2, and the Pokemon Festival at Golf Island PIK from December 2022 to January 2023. Moreover, ASG is building an exhibition and convention venue in PIK2 as a catalyst to foster growth within the creative industry and local economy. One event within this category is a music competition, which will see its winners sharing a stage with famous names at a yearly music festival by ASG.

Thus, it would be no surprise to see Natalia bringing even more world-class events and conceptual destinations to PIK 2 shortly.