Karate, Anak-Anak, dan Grand Hotel Preanger: Ketika Hotel Berubah Jadi Dojo
Hari Minggu biasanya adalah waktu yang paling sakral bagi manusia hotel. Setelah enam hari mengejar occupancy, revenue, guest satisfaction, complaint, dan berbagai laporan yang kadang lebih panjang daripada novel, seharusnya seorang General Manager bisa duduk tenang sambil menikmati kopi.
Tapi itu tidak berlaku ketika saya menjadi General Manager Grand Hotel Preanger Bandung.
Alih-alih menikmati suasana Minggu yang tenang, saya justru mengumpulkan adik-adik untuk latihan karate di area hotel. Jadilah pemandangan yang cukup unik: hotel bersejarah yang biasanya identik dengan tamu, meeting, wedding, dan wisatawan, tiba-tiba berubah menjadi dojo karate.
Pagi-pagi halaman hotel sudah dipenuhi anak-anak berseragam putih. Ada yang serius memasang sabuk, ada yang sibuk bercanda, ada yang kelihatannya lebih siap untuk difoto daripada latihan. Saya sendiri berdiri di tengah-tengah mereka dengan wajah General Manager, tetapi suasananya lebih mirip ketua RT yang sedang mengatur anak-anak bermain.
“Siap!”
“OSS!”
Suara mereka terdengar menggema.
Kalau tamu hotel mendengar dari kamar, mungkin mereka berpikir sedang ada acara internasional. Padahal yang sedang berlangsung adalah latihan karate anak-anak.
Yang menarik, kegiatan ini bukan sekadar latihan bela diri. Saya sengaja menjadikan aktivitas tersebut sebagai bagian dari atraksi pariwisata hotel. Hotel tidak hanya menjadi tempat tidur, makan, meeting, atau menginap, tetapi juga dapat menjadi ruang interaksi sosial, olahraga, budaya, dan aktivitas komunitas.
Bayangkan seorang wisatawan datang ke Grand Hotel Preanger. Ia mungkin berharap melihat arsitektur klasik, menikmati kuliner, atau sekadar menikmati suasana Bandung.
Tetapi tiba-tiba dari halaman terdengar:
“HAIYAA!”
Wisatawan pun mungkin bertanya, “Ini hotel atau tempat syuting film kungfu?”
Jawabannya: dua-duanya bukan. Ini hotel yang sedang punya cerita.
Bagi saya, justru di situlah menariknya hospitality. Hotel yang hidup bukan hanya hotel yang kamarnya penuh. Hotel yang hidup adalah hotel yang mampu menghadirkan pengalaman, aktivitas, dan cerita yang membuat orang mengingat tempat tersebut.
Anak-anak mendapatkan tempat latihan yang representatif. Hotel mendapatkan aktivitas yang menarik. Tamu mendapatkan hiburan gratis. Orang tua mendapatkan kebanggaan. Dan General Manager mendapatkan satu bonus tambahan:
laporan kegiatan Minggu pagi yang jauh lebih ramai daripada briefing pagi!
Dari foto ini terlihat jelas bagaimana anak-anak berdiri dengan penuh semangat. Ada yang sudah seperti calon juara nasional, ada yang ekspresinya seperti sedang menghadapi ujian matematika, dan ada pula yang tampaknya masih bertanya dalam hati:
“Pak GM, habis latihan boleh sarapan di hotel nggak?”
Itulah kenangan yang tidak selalu tercatat dalam laporan operasional hotel.
Sebab pada akhirnya, menjadi General Manager bukan hanya tentang mengelola kamar, restoran, revenue, biaya, dan pelayanan. Kadang-kadang seorang GM juga harus punya keberanian untuk berpikir sedikit berbeda.
Membawa karate ke hotel.
Membawa anak-anak ke ruang hospitality.
Dan mengubah latihan sederhana menjadi sebuah atraksi pariwisata.
Grand Hotel Preanger hari itu bukan sekadar hotel.
Ia menjadi dojo, ruang komunitas, panggung kebersamaan, sekaligus tempat lahirnya cerita.
Dan kalau ada yang bertanya, “Apa atraksi paling menarik di hotel waktu itu?”
Saya mungkin akan menjawab:
“Bukan ballroom. Bukan restoran. Bukan kolam renang. Tetapi anak-anak karate yang setiap Minggu membuat hotel saya lebih berisik—dan justru lebih hidup!”
Karena ternyata, hotel yang bagus memberikan pelayanan; tetapi hotel yang berkesan memberikan cerita.
Dan cerita karate di Grand Hotel Preanger itu adalah salah satu cerita yang sampai sekarang masih membuat saya tersenyum.
OSS!
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Karate, Kids, and Grand Hotel Preanger: When a Hotel Turned into a Dojo
Sunday is usually considered sacred time for hotel people. After six days of chasing occupancy, revenue, guest satisfaction, complaints, and reports that sometimes feel longer than a novel, a General Manager should be able to sit quietly and enjoy a cup of coffee.
But that was not the case when I was the General Manager of Grand Hotel Preanger Bandung.
Instead of enjoying a peaceful Sunday, I gathered a group of kids for karate practice inside the hotel. And suddenly, the historic hotel, normally associated with guests, meetings, weddings, and tourism, was transformed into something completely different: a karate dojo.
Early on Sunday morning, the hotel grounds were already filled with children wearing white karate uniforms. Some were seriously adjusting their belts, some were busy joking around, and a few looked as though they were more prepared for a group photograph than for training.
And there I was, standing among them with my General Manager expression—but the atmosphere felt more like a neighborhood chairman trying to organize a group of energetic children.
“Ready!”
“OSS!”
Their voices echoed across the hotel.
If hotel guests heard the sound from their rooms, they might have thought an international martial arts event was taking place.
In reality, it was simply a Sunday karate practice.
What made the activity special was that it was not merely about martial arts training. I intentionally turned the activity into part of the hotel’s tourism attraction. A hotel does not have to be only a place to sleep, eat, hold meetings, or stay overnight. It can also become a space for social interaction, sports, culture, community activities, and memorable experiences.
Imagine a tourist arriving at Grand Hotel Preanger. They might expect to see its historic architecture, enjoy the cuisine, or simply experience the atmosphere of Bandung.
But suddenly, from the hotel courtyard comes:
“HAIYAA!”
The tourist might ask:
“Is this a hotel or a kung fu movie set?”
The answer?
Neither. It was simply a hotel creating a story.
For me, that is exactly what hospitality is about. A truly vibrant hotel is not merely a hotel with high occupancy. It is a hotel capable of creating experiences, activities, and stories that people remember.
The children gained a proper and inspiring place to train. The hotel gained an interesting activity. Guests received free entertainment. Parents gained a sense of pride.
And the General Manager received one additional bonus:
A Sunday morning activity report that was far more energetic than the morning briefing!
This photograph clearly captures the enthusiasm of the children. Some already looked like future national champions. Others had expressions as if they were taking a mathematics examination. And perhaps one or two were secretly wondering:
“Pak GM, after training, can we have breakfast at the hotel?”
These are the kinds of memories that do not always appear in hotel operational reports.
Because ultimately, being a General Manager is not only about managing rooms, restaurants, revenue, costs, and service quality. Sometimes, a GM also needs the courage to think a little differently.
Bringing karate into a hotel.
Bringing children into the hospitality environment.
And turning a simple training session into a tourism attraction.
That Sunday, Grand Hotel Preanger was not merely a hotel.
It became a dojo, a community space, a stage for togetherness, and a place where memorable stories were created.
And if someone asked me:
“What was the most interesting attraction at the hotel back then?”
I might answer:
“Not the ballroom. Not the restaurant. Not the swimming pool. It was the karate kids who made my hotel noisier every Sunday—and somehow, that made it much more alive!”
Because, as I learned from that experience:
A good hotel provides excellent service;
but a memorable hotel creates stories.
And the karate story at Grand Hotel Preanger is one of those stories that still makes me smile today.
OSS!
