Homecoming King

Potato Head founder Ronald Akili on rebuilding Bali, why he wants you to steal from his hotel, and how to be a better tourist

- Coco Marett

There’s something hauntingly beautiful about mornings in Bali. Misty and mysterious, the air smells of seafoam or morning dew from the jungle—depending where on the island you’re staying—and lingering smoke from ritual offerings that take place at dawn.

On one such morning, Ronald Akili decided to take his eldest son for an early surf session. “On the water, we were about 500 metres from the shore, and we were still surrounded by trash,” he recalls. Just last year, it was reported that some of Bali’s most popular beaches were buried in up to 60 tonnes of plastic rubbish every day. “It was unbelievable,” he says.

Akili is the founder of Indonesian hospitality and lifestyle brand Potato Head, best known for its cult-favorite property on the shore in Bali’s popular Seminyak district, which comprises a beach club, hotel and several restaurants. The name, he says, is an inside joke among friends and has nothing to do with the popular Hasbro toy.

Like any good dad, Akili is committed to ensuring a better future for his children; he’s doing this by redefining how hospitality and tourism approach sustainability—not just from an environmental standpoint, but also by finding ways to sustain culture and community for generations to come.

Potato Head’s hotel, Katamama, for example, was built using 1.5 million bricks, each hand-pressed by local artisans and fired using only biomass in a time-consuming practice typically reserved for Bali’s sacred Hindu temples. It was a decision in design that fulfilled both the artistic vision of Indonesian architect Andra Matin and Potato Head’s mission to embrace and preserve the island’s traditions.