Chara Hotel, Bandung: A Spacious Budget Option in the Heart of Gatot Subroto
Chara Hotel occupies the upper floors of a building on Jalan Gatot Subroto in Bandung’s Malabar district, with 65 rooms across a range of categories from standard twins to the 100-square-metre Chara Suite.
The location is convenient — Braga Street is 14 minutes on foot, Trans Studio Bandung is a short drive, and the surrounding streets are packed with places to eat. The rooms are larger than the price suggests. Beyond that, expectations are best kept realistic.
Location
Gatot Subroto puts you within easy reach of Bandung’s main attractions. Braga City Walk is around 19 minutes on foot, the Bandung Grand Mosque 1.3 km away, and Bandung City Square reachable in a couple of minutes by car.
Husein Sastranegara Airport is 17 minutes by drive, and Cikudapateuh Station is 12 minutes on foot. Several restaurants are within two to three minutes’ walk of the hotel entrance.
The hotel shares its building with a family spa that operates independently and is open to the public — which affects parking availability and the general feel of the ground-floor arrival experience.
Rooms
The room range is wide: Standard Twin, Deluxe King, Superior Deluxe, Junior Suite, Executive Suite, Grand Deluxe, Grand Superior, Executive Superior, Superior Suite, and the top-floor Chara Suite at 100 square metres with city views.
All rooms include air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, flat-screen television, and extra-long beds. The higher categories add sofas, bathtubs, and in the case of the Chara Suite, a separate living area.
Space is the hotel’s strongest selling point — rooms are genuinely generous for the price, and the Superior Deluxe with two double beds works well for families or small groups. Design in the newer sections has a distinctive container-corridor aesthetic on the upper floors that gives the property some character.
Cleanliness is the most variable aspect of the stay. Requesting a recently refurbished room at booking is worthwhile.
Food and Drink
The restaurant is on the fifth floor and handles room service via a QR code ordering system. Breakfast is limited in range — the selection is below what the room rate might lead you to expect.
The surrounding neighbourhood more than compensates: the streets around the hotel are a culinary hub, and eating out is both easy and inexpensive.
Facilities and Service
The hotel has a 24-hour front desk, luggage storage, one elevator, free covered parking shared with the spa and limited in capacity, and free Wi-Fi rated at 100 Mbps. Front desk staff are helpful and accommodating.
Pros and Cons
✔ Spacious rooms for the price — well above average for the budget category
✔ Wide room range including family-friendly configurations and a large suite
✔ Central location with easy access to Braga, Trans Studio, and Bandung’s food scene
✔ Free covered parking and free Wi-Fi
✔ Distinctive design in upper-floor corridors
✔ Helpful front desk staff
✘ Cleanliness inconsistent
✘ Parking is limited
✘ Breakfast range is poor
✘ Wi-Fi signal unreliable in some rooms
✘ Hot water temperature inconsistent in older rooms
✘ Lobby is small and shares space with the car park level
Overall
Chara Hotel is worth considering if space and location are the priorities and you are not relying on the hotel for meals or a polished finish. The room sizes are good value, the neighbourhood is lively, and the staff are willing. Request an upper-floor room in the newer section, check the room on arrival, and explore the streets around the hotel for everything the breakfast lacks.