How did you start in the real estate business?

I moved from Jakarta to Bali in 2004. At the time I wasn’t so sure where to head in terms of business. I was using a Coldwell Banker office for a while, which ended up connecting with a Japanese client who wanted to do a magazine about real estate in Bali. I guess that was the key as it gave me a platform and the opportunity to meet the movers and shakers in the industry. It didn’t take too long after that before I got into real estate full time.

Why real estate?

It was one of those synchronicity disguised as coincidence moments triggered by getting involved with the Japanese real estate magazine I mentioned before. I started off in general management and have since then been involved in the ownership of a few companies. The bottom line is I saw a lot of potential in real estate as a business in Bali.

What do you love about your job? What are some career highlights?

Good question! I think it’s because i find it challenging, exciting and fulfilling to guide people in the right way and in the right direction with their investments. I learned a lot from Ray White from my years with them. I also think the relationship we have with world’s largest hospitality intelligence group, HVS, is a great way forward. But the biggest highlight has to be launching our new company, Seven Stones Indonesia. This casts a much wider net over the real estate industry in Indonesia and allows us to really make a difference and change how real estate is done here. I see no reason why we can’t have professional agents, high standards and honest business practices just like Europe, Australia and The States. I think the market, both domestic and international, is crying out for this in Indonesia and especially in Bali.

What would you say are the biggest issues facing the Asian hotel industry at the moment? What do you think of Airbnb?

I’d have to say the biggest challenge for the hotel industry in Indonesia is an oversupply in the low end market. In general I think management companies will struggle as clients are not so much brand loyal as product loyal. We’re seeing more and more independently managed hotels doing very well as they have adopted unique positions in unique markets. And marketing to these niches is much easier than it used to be, especially with Social Media platforms being able to target how they do.

Airbnb is a concept that I think will continue to grow and it will, no doubt spawn similar ideas. I see this in the same light as co-working spaces and how they’ve impacted how people also looked at co-living. I believe that in the end it’s what the market is demanding and all of the ideas will find a place. Hotels and hotel investors need to adjust to this reality and enhance their products accordingly.

What would you like to see done differently in the hotel industry?

I think hotel investors and management companies need to adapt faster to the enormous changes and ever changing needs of the market. Learn from the Airbnb experience and other concepts like that. More mixed usage facilities would work well, I think, as would specific concepts for niche areas as no two places are the same. 

What’s your advice to a young person thinking of entering the real estate business?

Adapt and embrace change. Today it’s not so much about what you sell, but how you sell it. The power of social media, for example shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s all about who you are, not only as an agent but also you as a person, your values and your interests. People get to know you online first. If they share a connection and they find you engaging, business follows quite naturally. 

What is your favorite hotel and holiday destination?

I’m spoilt because I live in Bali! And Bali is buzzing with creativity and new concepts and amazing places to stay. But my all time high holiday and relaxation experience was Soneva Resorts in the Maldives. That was a fantastic combination of amazing villas and top-notch services that comes together in an almost subliminal way. Just perfect! I hope Indonesia can manage to do something like this in one of the many new paradises coming on the scene, like in the Selayar islands just off the coast of South Sulawesi. They’re being slated as Indonesia’s Maldives and with the right developers, operators and concepts could be a jewel in the Eastern Island crown.