Originally this QnA was planned for all those fabulous Marcomm people that kept Bali’s hospitality brands ticking across all mediums… However, since C19 came along a few of these talented professionals have had to find other employment …

The Yak tracks them down and asks “Where are you now?” 

Name, age (if you want to tell us) and where were you born?

Fenty S. Prawiraatmadja (Fenty), 30++ lol, The Empal Gentong town, Cirebon (West Java)

When did you come to Bali?

Well living in Bali get’s us lost in the count, but as far as I remember I arrived in 2013.

Do you have family here? (We include your furry friends into this question).

Not by blood, but I have found my unbiological family here and love them so much!

What brands have you worked for over the years?

I worked for a few hotel brands over the years, and the last one was Banyan Tree Ungasan (now Jumana Resort).

Nineteenth of March 2020. When you first heard of the Bali “stay at home” / #dirumahaja regulation what went through your head?

Actually we’d started earlier as we already aware about the outbreak in China because all the confirmed bookings were cancelled. Then finally the government declared it as an outbreak, I said to myself, ‘Well, ok…This is happening now’… and to be honest I was having mixed feelings about it.

What was your company’s reaction to this regulation?

As I mentioned earlier, the company I was working for already took early action by limiting the staff that really needed to be in the hotel, and we, the Sales & Marketing Team worked from home. In anticipation we created a crisis management team that included the health protocol procedures.

How much longer did you work for the company?

Six months after the pandemic, but in total 2 years.

What backup measures did you start putting in place when the writing was on the wall? (Covid 19 regulations were extended).

We started uploading all the digital travel information and limiting direct contact with guests. All restaurant protocols were put in place every time guests would enter the venue.

What was your mental state and how did you move forward into a more positive attitude?

It felt like I was riding a rollercoaster! For the first three months (after WHO declared that it was a global pandemic) I was (LITERALLY) #stayathome, not allowing anyone to visit me, I only communicated with my housekeeper, and only talked with my mum and my friends via mobile phone. Such a strange time…

In the meantime I became more conscious about our needs and our wants and realized that we (or at least for me) don’t really need much in life to be happy. I started to be more grateful and enjoying the present moment. So, for me 2020 was really good year, it taught me the real meaning of happiness.

Finally, what are you doing now?

This Covid era has allowed me to pursue a new journey as Marketing Director for Sensorial Management Group Indonesia, this fast growing start up company is managing several venues in Bali – Culinary in Bali Zoo, The Flamingo Bali Beach Club, The Sandwich Bar in Sanur, and a few interesting upcoming projects (Pssttt…This is a secret) including a hotel in Medewi.

So, hit me up if you are around!

Definitely let us know if we can support you and we very much hope to catch up all together at some point soon. Until then, we salute your perseverance and strength!

And readers do please go and support these fabulous people in their positions and companies!