Destinasea

The Villa Lumbung is located on Jalan Petitenget, Bali, close to Petitenget Beach, one of the most famous beaches in Bali. With a large garden and a two-level swimming pool, the Villa has a natural, exotic and tropical concept. Established in 1996, most of their guests are foreigners, 70% of which are Australians with the rest being Europeans, Asians and domestic tourists. The Villa Lumbung is active in various associations such as the Bali Villa Association (BVA), the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), and the Indonesian Hotel General Manager Association (IHGMA).

As an inspiring place to stay, The Villa Lumbung always prioritizes the surrounding natural environment, so that guests can feel comfortable, happy to stay and enjoy the various facilities with the hospitable staff. The Villa Lumbung has a capacity of 70 hotel-style rooms with three different types, 36 superior type rooms, 34 deluxe rooms, and two three-story three-bedroom villas. Various kinds of facilities are available, swimming pools, children's playgrounds, gyms, money changers, transportation services which are in collaboration with local communities, as well as shops that provide a variety of local craftsmanship are also available. The restaurant at The Villa Lumbung is great for culinary fans, always serving a complete and interesting menu.

The Villa Lumbung is regularly active in coastal cleaning programs such as the Beach Clean Up Day program which is carried out every year, collaborating with local environmental care communities such as Trash Hero Bali, Bye Bye Plastic Bag Bali and several other associations such as BVA and IHGMA.

In order to support the Sustainable Tourism program, The Villa Lumbung also promotes the “No Single Use Plastic” program in efforts to control excessive waste. Refillable glass drinking bottles as well as an abundance of water dispensers are available on the hotel grounds. The Villa Lumbung no longer uses disposable soap and shampoo containers, these have been replaced with an automatic soap and shampoo dispenser, this encourages each guest to use as much as they need. In the restaurant, The Villa Lumbung applied the same methods for single-use plastic bottles, as well as no use of plastic straws. 

The Villa Lumbung has an initiative to save electricity and reduce general energy consumption, one of their efforts by replacing all conventional bulbs with the more efficient Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). Such investments are high, but so are the rewards, as energy usage can be reduced by 30%.

In addition to energy saving efforts, The Villa Lumbung also has water conservation initiatives. By placing written signs and pamphlets, urging guests to only use water as much as necessary, and providing guests the option to change linen only when required.

An additional water conservation initiative is the Sewage Treatment Process (STP), water from this process is limited to water for the plants in the garden area.  Currently, The Villa Lumbung has three water filtration tanks and can be used for pond water and for watering plants. In addition to the STP system, The Villa Lumbung has 50 biopori holes to cope with flooding and to make compost, so that water savings of 20-30% can be achieved, this is an effort to reduce the ecological footprint and minimize environmental pollution, namely dirty water waste. As I Wayan Suwada,  operational manager of The Villa Lumbung said, “With the STP, the water that is discharged from the restaurant kitchen can be reused, with a high investment but decreased usage by 20 to 30 percent, good for operations and the environment because of waste water dirty is processed and can be reused.”

In terms of general waste management, The Villa Lumbung has been sorting waste from 2016 which are in accordance with appropriate waste categories, namely organic waste, non-organic waste, and glass which is then distributed to a trusted local waste management company. Organic waste such as food waste from restaurants and leaves are placed in a special place in the hotel area to be picked up by local garbage collectors and be used as compost, which is then given back to the hotel for use in their gardens. This is a positive continuity program between the two parties as stated by I Wayan Suwada, "By collaborating with the local community, organic waste is taken and processed to organic fertilizer which every month is sent back to The Villa Lumbung as many as 10 sacks, and it has tremendous value and benefits. This is very common for our operations because we have a very large garden.”

The Villa Lumbung is also a handicap friendly hotel. Superior and deluxe rooms are well equipped and can be designated to handicapped gusts. Other additions such as telephones in the bathroom, maps, and ramps in several areas in the public area of The Villa Lumbung increase the convenience and satisfaction of guests with special needs.

One of The Villa Lumbung's commitments in social, economic and cultural aspects is to continue to help the economy of their local community. Two-wheeled vehicle rental services are available for guests, in collaboration with locals who wish to rent out their motorbikes. The island of Bali is famous for its tattoo art, The Villa Lumbung collaborates with local tattoo artists and has provided a tattoo studio. It doesn't stop there, The Villa Lumbung also has a souvenir shop which sources products from local businesses. 

The Villa Lumbung often holds events to promote Balinese culture and help the socio-economics of the local community. “Bali Night” is a collaborative effort to promote Balinese dance where dancers from around the villa dance to entertain guests at dinner. The annual event to commemorate Nyepi Day which is specially commemorated in Bali is one such event for attracting guests. The hotel educates guests not to turn on the lights during Nyepi Day, organizes an event to make Canang; a religious offering made of flowers and coconut leaves, and a hat made of Kelangsa. The Villa Lumbung also organizes Balinese cooking classes and Balinese wine making classes. Some of the ingredients are obtained from the garden in The Villa Lumbung garden area, such as cinnamon, this is in line with their concept of 'from the garden to the dining table'.

Training is important for the satisfaction and comfort of guests, The Villa Lumbung provides regular training for staff and management, who are all Indonesian citizens. As a result of these training on service and satisfaction, excellent performance measures are achieved These include, receiving a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, an 8.4 rating on Agoda, and many more.

The Villa Lumbung is always open to helping tourism school students and has collaborated with Mengwi Vocational School and Widyapura Vocational School to provide student training positions and will be educated to the maximum extent so that students are well equipped to work in the tourism sector after graduation.

The Villa Lumbung joined Signing Blue, a program initiated by the WWF-Indonesia Foundation in July 2020 with the concept of harmony, namely caring for the environment, conserving energy and water, as well as supporting socioeconomics of respective communities.

The Villa Lumbung is committed to protecting the environment. Together with Signing Blue, The Villa Lumbung participates in the Sanur beach cleaning event with all of its employees in 2020. and for future activities, The Villa Lumbung is committed to participating with a minimum of 50 employees. 

Prior to joining Signing Blue, The Villa Lumbung sourced vegetables for restaurants from large companies, but since joining, the hotel has sourced vegetables from local companies. For meat, especially fish, the hotel chef makes every effort to purchase only fresh certified fish. The hotel, assisted by the Signing Blue team, has made a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) regarding fish that is suitable for consumption or known as "sustainable fish". As stated by I Wayan Siwade, “We work closely with the Singing Blue team, we are provided with guidelines for supplying food-worthy fish and we comply because this is very good for the environment and guests. These are the steps that are currently being taken.”

Prior to the pandemic, the average occupancy of the hotel was above 80%, and during the pandemic, the occupancy decreased to 15%. However, The Villa Lumbung remains optimistic and carries out maintenance of the building, keeping its beauty and in preparation for when things return to normal. Sustainability efforts are still being carried out, such as cleaning the coast, but by reducing the number of employees involved to follow government regulations of social distancing. The Villa Lumbung issues a “day pass” at an attractive price to lure guests to come to the hotel and enjoy the two-level swimming pool and the exotic and natural atmosphere of the hotel's gardens.

The Villa Lumbung received the Cleanliness Health Safety and Environment Sustainability (CHSE) certification in July 2020. The addition of hand washing basins, placing warnings regarding CHSE and hand sanitizers in several public areas within the hotel were all applied. A very strict CHSE protocol has been followed for the convenience and safety of both guests and staff. The Villa Lumbung has dedicated staff to encourage guests during the check-in process to always wash their hands first and maintain a safe distance. Hotel rooms are always clean and disinfected after guests check out.

The Villa Lumbung is currently reorganizing its business strategy to prepare for things returning to normal. Sustainability activities such as reforestation programs in the surrounding area, clearing of swamp forests, and coastal cleaning activities are all maximized.

The return of all staff and employees as per usual is a hope for the post-pandemic future. Likewise with the economic situation on the island of Bali, especially in the tourism sector, the backbone of Balinese economy. Even now, the island of Bali remains as one of the most lucrative business places on earth.