The living heart of NIHI Rote is the Hospitality Academy, training young Rotenese talent in real time. Guests check in at the school, rather than a front desk. It is here that NIHI’s purpose becomes visible – where learning, hospitality and community meet.
The academy is driven by Michael Schwab and shaped in collaboration with President José Ramos-Horta, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who will send selected students from Timor-Leste. With the resort built around – not beside – the Hospitality Academy, NIHI Rote is the first of its kind in Indonesia.
In its opening year, guests and students will evolve together. Small gestures or actions – like teaching English, helping swimming classes, sharing skills, joining morning sessions, or simply listening – become unforgettable acts of contribution. This is the luxury of meaning, where lives are shaped, both locally and globally.
Twenty-one expansive villas line the shoreline of Bo’a Beach, crafted in Rotenese architecture with open living spaces, outdoor bathtubs, generous bales and uninterrupted ocean views. These private sanctuaries are refined, spacious and rooted in place.
Rote is intimate in scale and soul. Guests can wander to a local restaurant, sit at a beach bar, hear music under the stars or walk the village roads. The community is close, social and welcoming – a distinction that gives NIHI Rote a warm, easy rhythm.
The opening food and beverage experience centres around NAMMO Restaurant and Beach Club – set right on the sand, with the ocean as its soundtrack. Here, Indonesian and international dishes unfold in a barefoot setting, with the tides shaping the mood of every meal.
Ombak, the heart of the resort’s dining life, will open later in the year as an indoor-outdoor gathering place – sunrise breakfasts, curated dinner evenings and village atmosphere woven with endless sea views.
Life beyond the ocean unfolds richly. State-of-the-art workout spaces are complemented by paddle tennis, pickleball and a sculpted pump track. Wellness becomes romantic, with spa bales set within a fragrant and colorful oleander garden, inviting quiet restoration.
Children find their own frontier at the Wildlings Club – alive with long-necked turtles, ducks and rare chickens, and infused with Rotenese culture and natural adventure. Young guests are also welcomed into the Hospitality Academy, learning alongside students and gaining an early understanding of purpose and belonging.
Villas are complete and experiences refined, but the soul of NIHI Rote is still emerging. As NIHIWatu became NIHI Sumba over time, NIHI Rote will reveal new layers of culture, nature and connection each season. Those who arrive first will help shape its identity.
Rote lies near Timor in far south-eastern Indonesia, reached via Kupang. Guests can simply fly from Sumba, Bali or Jakarta to Kupang, where connecting flights operate to Rote. For private arrivals, NIHI offers chartered plane access and helicopter transfers. Guests are warmly greeted at RTI airport and transferred to the resort in open safari vehicles through unspoiled villages and coastal scenery. An upcoming Sumba–Rote air link will provide seamless movement between the islands, allowing for effortless movement across the NIHI landscape. The most seamless way to experience the NIHI philosophy is through a combined journey, beginning at NIHI Rote and concluding at NIHI Sumba, where one island flows naturally into the next.
