"The studio room refered by the listing,resembles close to a superior sized hotel room with a queen size bed, a small desk corner and a small kitchenette by the door entrance, equipped with a well functioning fridge.
For the price value point, i would say the room listing is worth the room, location, and POLITENESS of the service rendered (yes... Just the politeness, but efficiency wise..... I'll explain)
Anyone who is looking to book this room for future conveniencies near the BSD ICE... MAKE SURE you are familiar with the malay/indo language... Or at least have an indonesian number or friend... As it would turn out to be a nightmare for the international guests...
Before the check-in date, you'll be approached through trip.com's message channel by the vendor who will ask you for your check-in time and check-out time. Why? Because this isn't a hotel, and the reception counter staff under the apartment isn't the check-in person in charge ..... It is actually managed by a third-party called travelio, a local travel agency within Jakarta.
Summarised:
1. They will ask you to download the travelio app (language available in english and indonesian only), to process your check-in and submit deposit through there. However, my problem was, i was unable to input my booking ref & pin (information sent to your email after booking) due to ”incomplete profile information error” which would lead me to thinking it was verifying my phone number (your travelio account becomes unable to verify after 3 failed OTP attempts, which the OTP never arrives regardless of choosing sms or whatsapp)
2. Their travelio support team and customer service, only allows communication through whatsapp texts, no calls. Meaning... U might have to wait while you panic.
3. Throughout the whole nighmare checkin process, they insist on downloading the travelio app. (Suspicious for trip.com to have included a 3rd party travel agency, but things happen, and my experience with trip.com ended on a good note with professional staffs trying to follow up on a consistent basis)
Regarding the room small problems found which i shared with the travelio agent as well:
1. The bedsheets had several yellow stains, but no bedbugs and foul smell detected.
2. Entrance door can only be locked using a normal key, and the key was slightly out of shape, making it hard to lock from the outside.
3. There was no hot water for showering.
4. If you book the room for long stay, do note this is not a hotel, so there will be no daily housekeeping and replenishment of amenities provided (body soap, shampoo and dishwashing liquid in a small 50ml bottle. NOTE: the shampoo and body soap do smell nice, but they do not foam up. It is better to buy them in a small indomart located just underneath the apartment)
5. There is no water kettle. You will have to boil it like you are cooking :D
In conclusion: Book this place if you have experience with travelio or well versed with indonesian language (they did reach out to me in english after some time, but the efficiency takes way too long). The travelio people whom i have met are very polite, but when it comes to check out.... As they do not have a person in charge at the apartment, it means you do not have the flexibility of checking out whenever you want... And that means, pay close attention to what time your flight is."