A massive tourism development planned for South Lombok will see the first Destination by Hyatt branded hotel in Southeast Asia.
The 150-hectare development – Samara Lombok – will open with three boutique hotels and 150 of its 500 villas.
The development, with a planned Q1 2028 opening, has secured a substantial investment from Westgrove, an independent investment and corporate finance advisor to a select group of families.
Samara Lombok’s masterplan includes 12 dining concepts curated by celebrity chef Will Meyrick, together with children’s cookery author, Annabel Karmel.
Facilities will include a tennis academy, a marine biology and watersports centre and a football training centre anchored by a global elite club partner.
Samara Lombok is led by Erik Barreto, Steve Ebsworth and Tom Wheeler, co-founders of Rascal Republic, a Singapore-based hospitality and development group.
The trio have invested heavily in essential infrastructure – from roads and utilities to education and economic opportunities for neighbouring communities.
“We knew that if we were going to build here, we had to do it properly: with infrastructure, with community, with education and with a long-term commitment to the destination,” Wheeler said.
“We have since installed more than 40km of concrete roads and established multiple sustainable development initiatives, including a food programme that supplies 1,400 local children monthly with organic produce from our gardens.”
The Indonesian government has designated Lombok as a Super Priority Tourism Destination – backed by US$3.2 billion public investment – to distribute tourism more evenly across the country.
Funding has been directed into major infrastructure – from the airport and road networks to Mandalika, a government-designated Special Economic Zone and master planned coastal tourism enclave in South Lombok.