Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta announces that it has appointed a new general manager. The industry veteran Sjefke Jansen brings his award-winning hospitality experience to the historic hotel.
Jansen actually started working in the industry as a humble kitchen trainee in Germany, in 1983. His passion for the profession then saw him leave Europe to work in Australia as Assistant Restaurant Manager in Sydney, in 1989. A true “global villager”, Jansen holds a Dutch passport but, funnily enough, does not speak the language. He was raised by his German mother, who sent young Sjefke to work in the kitchen of one of the busiest German hotels to get the discipline that he needed.
Jansen’s career then took him even further overseas, to Cape Town, the Maldives and then Singapore, where he worked as Food & Beverages Manager, overseeing 19 restaurants at the iconic Raffles Hotel. His first general manager position was at The Oberoi Mauritius in 2006.
Prior to his move to Jakarta, the avid golfer worked as General Manager for Belmond Grand Hotel Europe in St Petersburg, Russia. His new position at Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta is not his first appointment in Asia, and so he is quite thrilled to be back in this region. It is a position that this straightforward general manager, who counts cooking among his hobbies, sees as a wonderful homecoming.
“I feel blessed to have been offered this position at the most iconic hotel in one of the most vibrant cities in Asia,” said the father of three daughters. “I call Singapore home, but Jakarta is bursting with energy and passion and is always on the move, although it has a real heart and soul that reflects its fascinating history.”
