Hotel Majapahit
Where the Indonesian flag was born, in Surabaya's 1910 Hotel Oranje
About the Property
Built in 1910 as the legendary Hotel Oranje, Hotel Majapahit stands as one of Indonesia's most historically significant buildings — it was here in September 1945 that Indonesian youth tore the blue stripe from the Dutch tricolor, creating the red-and-white flag of the newly proclaimed republic. Lovingly restored by the Mandarin Oriental group, its grand colonial facade and lushly planted courtyard gardens make it the undisputed heritage anchor of Surabaya's old city. Every corridor carries the weight of a nation's birth.
Original Purpose
Colonial luxury hotel
Highlights
History Timeline
Opened as Hotel Oranje by the Lucas Martin family, becoming the premier Dutch colonial hotel in Surabaya and the social heart of the Netherlands East Indies business community.
Renamed Hotel Yamato during the Japanese occupation period and requisitioned as a military officers' quarters following the fall of the Dutch East Indies in 1942.
On 19 September, Indonesian youth stormed the hotel and tore the blue stripe from the Dutch tricolor flying above it, fashioning the red-and-white Merah Putih — a defining act of the Indonesian revolution.
Renamed Hotel Majapahit in honor of the great Javanese empire, signaling a new postcolonial identity under Indonesian management.
Comprehensive colonial restoration completed under Orient-Express Hotels, returning the grand ballroom, tiled verandahs, and tropical gardens to their 1910 splendor.
Inducted into the Historic Hotels of the World program, formally recognizing its role in Indonesia's independence narrative.