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The hall of Gedung Merdeka where the Bandung Conference took place in 1955. [Photo/Xinhua]

Backgrounder: Savoy Homann Hotel

The four-star hotel, also known as the Savoy Homann Bidakara Hotel, is located on the Asia-Africa Street.

The hotel now has 185 rooms, some of which with balcony, many with original stained glass and other art decorations.

Designed by Dutch architect Albert Aalbers, the hotel features art deco exterior and interior, and historic furniture. It is an architectural heritage and a fine example of art deco colonial architecture of the East Indies.

After the opening of the Great Post Road in 1810, many cash-crop plantations were established in the Preanger area.

During the 19th to early 20th century, Bandung has become a popular business, shopping and leisure destination for wealthy plantation owners, in particular at the weekends.

As a result, the hotel, first built in 1871, and owned and managed by the Homann family, was blooming in the city.

This first small wooden building was designed in Gothic-Romantic style.

In 1939, the hotel was rebuilt in a curved streamlined art deco style. To emphasize its grandeur and luxury, the name "Savoy" was added in the 1940s.

Some of its celebrity guests during Dutch colonial era were iconic actor Charlie Chaplin and actress Mary Pickford.

During the World War II Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945, the hotel functioned as barracks for Japanese soldiers.

In 1955, when the first Asian-African Conference was held in Bandung, Savoy Homann hosted leaders and celebrities, gaining its international fame as a part of the Historical Walk.

The distinguished guests included then Indonesian president Sukarno, former Chinese premier Zhou Enlai and Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh, ex-Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former Yugoslavia leader Josip Broz Tito.