Kimpton Arrives in Ubud with a Riverside Hotel Built Around Food and Wellness
Ubud has long been defined by secluded villa retreats set well back from the town center. Kimpton Suntaya Bali Ubud, the lifestyle brand's first property in Indonesia, is taking a different approach: a 101-room hotel on Jalan Bisma, within walking distance of the Ubud Art Market and Ubud Palace, designed to function more like a city-center lifestyle stay than a remote sanctuary.
IHG Hotels and Resorts released the first images of the property in late July 2026, as first reported by Business Traveller, ahead of the hotel's planned opening later this year.
Location and Design
The site sits on the banks of the Wos River, and architecture firm Denton Corker Marshall shaped the building to follow the natural slope of the hillside terrain. The design concept draws on the rhythm and movement of Balinese ceremonial processions, translating that cultural reference into a contemporary structure rather than a literal reproduction.
Accommodation spans three categories: essential rooms, pool suites, and private pool villas. IHG has not released room dimensions, but the range signals a property suited to both short stays and longer wellness-focused visits.
A Michelin-Starred Anchor in the Dining Program
Five separate food and beverage venues are central to the hotel's identity. The flagship is Imamura Ubud, an omakase counter led by Michelin-starred chef Hirofumi Imamura. A second venue, Shaku by Imamura, offers a more casual izakaya-style experience under the same chef. The combination of a formal counter and a relaxed Japanese dining room under one culinary name mirrors a format Kimpton has applied at other Asia-Pacific properties.
A poolside restaurant rounds out the food program, though full details on all five venues have not yet been released.
Wellness With Balinese Roots
The wellness offering includes a two-storey fitness studio and recovery facilities centered on contrast therapy, the alternating use of hot and cold treatments that has become a fixture in newer luxury openings. Sakshi Spa draws its treatment menu from Balinese healing traditions, grounding the wellness program in local practice rather than importing a generic luxury spa format.
Kimpton's Broader Asia-Pacific Footprint
Kimpton entered the Asia-Pacific market in 2019 with a Taipei opening and has since established hotels in Bangkok, Koh Samui, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur. Indonesia represents the brand's newest market in the region. Ubud itself is absorbing several international arrivals simultaneously; JW Marriott and Mandarin Oriental both have Bali properties in development, joining long-established high-end independents that have historically set the benchmark for the area.
Why It Matters for Hosts
Independent operators in and around Ubud are about to compete for guests alongside a well-resourced lifestyle brand that is leading with dining credentials rather than room count or spa size. The practical takeaway: travelers who might once have defaulted to a villa retreat are now being offered a culturally central, food-forward alternative. Independent guesthouses, boutique hotels, and villa operators can respond by sharpening what makes their own location or culinary story specific to Ubud, whether that means closer relationships with local warung suppliers, curated cooking experiences, or simply clearer communication about proximity to the town's cultural sites. Differentiation on authenticity and local access is more valuable now than it was before a Michelin-anchored competitor arrived on Jalan Bisma.
Details about Kimpton Suntaya Bali Ubud were first reported by Business Traveller. This post is published by the Qontaktly travel blog.
First reported by Bali Travel.