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THE FIRST thing I normally do when I visit Kuala Lumpur, is to don my snorkelling gear. Then I head to my favourite curry shop and dive into the mutton masala, marvelling at juicy chunks of tandoori chicken and vast streaming strands of laksa noodles waving sinuously in a red chilli soup that packs enough punch to land a man on the moon. The only reason there are no Malaysians on the moon (though one astronaut turned up in 2007) is that people are entirely preoccupied with a) finding metered taxis, an endangered species especially when it rains, and b) finding anything, when neighbouring Indonesia spontaneously combusts as farmers burn the rainforests, creating a dense smoke haze that engulfs much of hapless Malaysia's west coast. Someone please toss a bucket of water on Sumatra and lock up the matches.
Kuala Lumpur shopping presents mind-boggling options and stuff so cheap you'd expect EVERYONE to be here. Yet Kuala Lumpur business hotels remain surprisingly seasonal and regular discounts of 30-40 percent or more are perennially on offer. With an inviting exchange rate (US$1=RM3.21) and five-star walk-in rates of RM300-RM400, there's no better time to visit.
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| Mandarin Oriental/ photo: Verghese |
Four-star KL hotels are even more attractively priced and some offer a rather good room product. In which other major capital, barring Mogadishu, can you stay at a slick international property for just US$100 or less? Forget rack rates and corporate rates. Just ask for a “promo rate” and walk into the biggest hotel bargain east of the Suez.
Kuala Lumpur is a bopping town with something approaching a sidewalk cafe culture, this despite the heat, the rain and exhaust fumes. At Bukit Bintang "sheesha" hubble-bubble stalls have proliferated offering flavoured puffs, Lebanese tidbits and chill-out music. The heat can be beat with the giant cooling fans that spray a fog of wet mist over diners. Have yourself photographed with a boa constrictor around your neck and marvel at cards handed out that say "For your pleasure, please call Addie..." Addie offered me a card every evening. I never had time to call.
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Kuala Lumpur shopping is diverse, vigorously showcased in the annual Mega Sales, hotels and hospitality are world class, transport is plentiful and food and nightlife teeming in downtown and newer suburban locations. June features a countrywide dance and culture extravaganza called Citrawarna, or “Colours of Malaysia”. What more could you want? Well, a few more cabs perhaps… Welcome to Malaysia, “Truly Asia”, as the catchy slogan goes. This is a country in rapid transition that has managed to combine funk and fervour, class and crass, technology and tradition, religion, romance and royalty, with aplomb. It is a heady cocktail, the results often unexpected. More for visitors at the Ministry of Tourism website.
The Airport, and getting around the city by cab or train
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| Kuala Lumpur Club/ photo: Verghese |
Kuala Lumpur is a can-do city on the move. Once notorious for its gridlocked traffic, cars and people move too these days, thanks to some well-planned elevated motorways and light rail options. New highways snake in from the international airport. The monorail ride from Raja Chulan station (near the Crowne Plaza Mutiara) to KL Sentral is just 15 minutes. Short distances are a steal at just RM1.20. Taxis are plentiful, in theory, but are impossible to find when it rains and meters are rarely used.
Cabbies figure the cost of the petrol expended in traffic jams far outweighs the meter fare and prefer, instead, to duck into the nearest coffee shop for a break. It tends to rain early and mid-afternoon. You might wish to hire a taxi by the hour (RM30 for a small taxi, and RM60 for a comfy premier taxi) to make sure onward transport is available.
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The MAS (www.malaysiaairlines.com.my) regional-route Airbus 330s are surprisingly roomy with decent pitch (which is legroom, as measured in the space between rows). Ask for bulkhead rows 11 or 29 for a really good stretch. The configuration is 2-4-2 so there are just two seats on the window side.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is large, glossy, and hassle-free. Immigration and customs is quick and getting to town is a breeze on the new KLIA Express. The quick and efficient 28-minute run to KL Sentral Station every 15 minutes costs RM35, about half of what a local cab will charge. Coupon airport taxis (or limousines, as they are called) charge a fixed RM102.10 from KLIA to Jalan Sultan Ismail. A less fussy regular vehicle will be just RM74.30. A little farther off, a separate, dedicated budget airlines terminal is running too.
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| Hilton Kuala Lumpur/ photo: hotel |
A few airlines, including MAS, Cathay Pacific and Royal Brunei, have check-in counters at KL Sentral. If you wish to dawdle at the airport put on your walking shoes to explore the factory-size MAS Golden Lounge, said to be the largest in the world at 43,284sq ft. That's a whole lot of lounge.
Kuala Lumpur business hotels, KL Sentral
Bang next to the KL Sentral station is the chic and contemporary 510-room Hilton Kuala Lumpur. Rooms, starting at a very generous 44sq m, feature 42-inch plasma screen TVs, rain showers, ergonomic seating, Broadband (RM63 for 24 hours), and small swivelling LCD screens in the bathroom so you can stay tuned in to the Beeb or CNN. Ceiling-high sliding glass doors separate the bath from the bed. Rooms have an iron and ironing board.
In-room you'll find a number of kits like one for kids' entertainment, packing in chess, toy cars, Leggo, Enid Blyton books and more. The Hilton lays claim as well to the country's largest free form swimming pool. This is a long snaking 600m affair that wraps around one side of the eight-floor podium and is shared – along with the spa – by the adjoining Le Meridien (same owner, different management). There are 10 restaurants and bars – including the popular Zeta Bar – a two-storey fitness centre and a 1,220sq m "pillarless" ballroom. The Hilton lobby is busy, spacious, soaring, light-filled and airy. Streetside cafeteria meets space-age lounge under the watchful gaze of large artistic renditions. The ringing echoes of conversation can be distracting for some but the ensemble creates a convivial, friendly atmosphere. The hotel's Level Six event facility is dramatic and multi-functional: a space complete with a new ballroom, living room styled business lounge and meeting rooms.
Joined at the hip, so to speak, is the futuristic, but quieter, 35-storey twin, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur, with panoramic views, fast Broadband access, and extensive conference and meeting facilities. This is a sober version of the Hilton, with Moorish eccentricities, marbled floors with geometric inlays, and spacious rooms with muted colours. There is a Broadband port at the worktable and a laptop charging socket in the safe. All rooms have Broadband access for a fee.
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| Villa Danieli, Sheraton KL/ photo: Verghese |
In 2014 this area will see the arrival of the ever-present yet unobtrusive St Regis butler when the hotel opens its doors with 200 lavishly fitted rooms.
Kuala Lumpur business hotels downtown
The new look and renamed Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel (formerly Hotel Imperial, The Luxury Collection, Kuala Lumpur) has gone through some major top-to-toe upgrades with a brisk new product offering 385 rooms including 27 Executive suites, two Ambassador suites and a palatial Imperial Suite. The Sheraton brand name is back, reassuringly, and taxi drivers and regular punters will beam as they have always referred to the property as the Sheraton Imperial despite several stop-and-start name changes. Everything gleams from the sparkling lobby to the new rooms. Staff is attentive and quick. Expect 44sq m rooms with bathtub and separate shower, walk-in closet, 40-inch LCD TV that anchors your audio-visual work and play, and a Sony DVD player.
Pick from a Twin Towers View Executive Room, a Club Room with business-floor amenities and 24-hour butler, an Executive Suite, or the humungous two-bedroom 336sq m Imperial Suite where there's room to swing a horse by the tail, and more. While the restaurants have all come alive with a contemporary design and fresh purpose there is muted emphasis on after-hours revelry, partly on account of the hotel's excellent location amidst a popular nightlife hub along "Heritage Row", a good enough reason to visit this fine business property.
Still, for fine dining there's few better choices than the Tuscany-inspired Villa Danieli for home-style Italian. The hotel, now carrying the much prized "Luxury Collection" tag, is a crisp businessman's retreat with inroom Broadband. Enjoy the airy four-storey atrium lobby, the sunny swimming pool, or the hushed interiors of the Mandara Spa. This hotel is a good pick for conventioneers too. It is by a long chalk among the best Kuala Lumpur business hotels, and not just in the vicinity. Service is always on the ball with staff leaping up to assist any unattended guests.
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| Shangri-La Horizon Club Deluxe/ photo: hotel |
Jalan Sultan Ismail is KL’s main drag and the city’s top hostelries are arrayed along it (or off it) like starving barracudas waiting to pounce. Prices are extraordinarily flexible. Walk in and you will be mauled by beaming receptionists all happy to quote their best current promo rate.
The mature Shangri-La at one end of Jalan Sultan Ismail has had a lavish makeover, top to bottom, with new exterior cladding. The hotel has completed a yearlong renovation – expect 662 luxurious rooms including 101 suites with sumptuous furnishing. The lobby gleams with black marble, dramatic uplights and a green cut-glass centrepiece. It is spacious, completely over the top, and of course, very much the place to see and be seen. If you care to pay the rack rate, you are entitled to complimentary airport limousine transfers, complimentary laundry and dry-cleaning, breakfast and free Broadband Internet access.
In-room expect flat-screen TVs, while the comfy Horizon Club Lounge (relocated from Level 28 to Level One) for business travellers on the go offers personalised check-in, complimentary breakfast, a separate wide-screen television room and, yes, a smoking area. The business centre has five Internet stations with Broadband. There's even a new room category – the Premier Selection Suite with 58 units, most equipped with walk-in dressing area and a personal bathroom TV. To soothe the eyes, the hotel offers lush gardens. Service is brisk, intuitive and quick at this re-energised venue. The Shangri-La is among the top Kuala Lumpur business hotels. Best of all is the steady stream of premier taxis so business travellers are rarely stranded, and a monorail station is close by. The train is a useful option as traffic is intense at peak hour along Jalan Sultan Ismail. Close by is Jalan P Ramlee, a dizzying first encounter for any newcomer with its high-octane nightlife, where the soundtrack swings from ’80s pop and techno to hip hop, R&B and trance.
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| Concorde Premier Terrace/ photo: hotel |
Right across the road is the steadily upgrading Concorde Hotel, a staple four-star that gets its share of saucy nighttime revellers spilling over from the Hard Rock Cafe as well as neighbouring Jalan P Ramlee. Business travellers should opt for the Premier Executive rooms, which are functional and comfortable. There is a small working table, VCD player, an iron and ironing board, a set of three-pin square plugs and a deep European socket, near the table, and a sensibly large clock.
Expect a flat-screen TV and an inviting bathroom with separate tub and shower. The small safe will not hold a laptop. Premier Executive rooms are spacious with leather reclining chairs, generous toilets, and a flat-screen TV with DVD player. Twenty-five newer Classic Suites on the eighth and ninth floors offer a cocooned, spacious, and mod environment, minimalist, with faux-European flourishes including bright red high-back chairs in the lift lobby and black and white wall tile cameos. Rooms offer earth tone carpets, soft leather headboards, a plump bed with bursts of pink cushions, a large glassed-in balcony/alcove welcoming of light and sun where you can settle down for a good read. The in-room safe is flat and large enough to house any laptop you care to throw at it, the toilet is mod, and olive floral wallpaper completes the "classic" mix. Premier rooms and above come with free Broadband via WiFi.
For those less fussy, standard rooms are a steal. At the end of the day, the Relaxa Health Centre will bring a happy flush to the most hardboiled executive cheek. The same group also runs the Concorde Inn Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Concorde Hotel Shah Alam. Come evening and the Concorde KL lobby is rocking with loud music and drinks being bought by the gallon at the Crossroads bar. And do check out the excellent Xin Cuisine Chinese restaurant for interesting dim sum.
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| Westin deluxe/ photo: hotel |
The once popular and stately, if graciously ageing, Regent has metamorphosed into the spit-and-polish Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur. The lobby gleams with black marble and ample gold trim just in case you missed the point. The property is on Jalan Bukit Bintang where you’ll find a rash of lively eateries, bars and shopping malls. Staff are perky and attentive to guest needs and the place has a spring in its step as expected of a newcomer. This more than compensates for the unremarkable exterior. The 468-room hotel offers Broadband at RM60 per day.
Spacious 40sq m rooms feature muted pastel colours and floor-to-ceiling windows that are welcoming of light. Expect a small in-room safe and a 32-inch flats-screen LCD TV with all the usual satellite goodies. Studio Suites weigh in at 55sq m while the Executive Suites are a generous 80sq m. While this is among the better Kuala Lumpur business hotels on the block, with 15,000sq ft of meeting space to boot, the property caters for kids too with baby-sitting services, cots and more. Keep an eye on this as a Kuala Lumpur conference hotels choice for corporate meetings and mid-size gatherings.
The Regent makes a comeback in 2012. The 250-room hotel, complemented by the Regent Residences will be smack in the Golden Triangle. Joining the Regent is the Raffles Kuala Lumpur (which opens in 2011). Located within Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, this 200-room hotel (with rooms starting from 50sq m) will feature six restaurants and bars plus the signature Raffles Amrita Spa. This means you won't need to stray from the hotel – and it's an extremely handy location for shopping too. Its Cafe Stelle, a light and refreshing Italian cafe is already open at the Pavilion.
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| JW Marriott/ photo: hotel |
Just across the road is the very corporate The Westin Kuala Lumpur with its trademark "Heavenly Bed" and the popular streetside Qba Latino grill and wine bar. Pasta by the yard comes delicately spiced at Prego. The Westin has 443 rooms and an Executive Residences section as well. The 42sq m Deluxe Rooms offer views either side of the city, or the trademark Twin Towers. WestinWORKOUT Rooms serve up in-room fitness options ranging from dumbells, and cycle or treadmill, to yoga mats and assorted fitness paraphernalia.
Expect Broadband, a workstation, inroom safe, CD/DVD player, hair-drier, and work amenities. After-hours work up some sweat at the Westin Workout Gym. Later slough off the sweat with the invigorating force of – well, what else? – a "Heavenly Shower". The Westin is a well located Kuala Lumpur business hotel – with large Executive Residences for longstay visitors – but also keeps an eye out for the guests of tomorrow. Kids from three years and up can park at the Westin Kids Club where a slew of heavenly activities await. The marble and pale pine lobby is unusually compact but light and airy with an intimate feel to it, the entire ensemble set off by bright mood lighting.
The JW Marriott Hotel is a central Kuala Lumpur business hotel choice though it makes an excellent leisure pitstop too, based as it is, cheek-by-jowl with some of the best shopping in town, including the immensely popular Starhill complex. Swank Dior and Louis Vuitton stores are right next to the hotel's lobby. Floors 27-29 have been converted into luxury suites (including a two-bedroom category) with soaring double-height ceilings.
Broadband is available free in all 561 rooms. Deluxe rooms have satellite TV, extraordinarily comfy beds, a smart work desk with a three-pin (square) plug point (and Broadband cable). There is a large box safe that can accommodate a 15-inch laptop. The toilet is roomy with separate bathtub and rainshower cubicle. Expect coffee and tea making equipment, and a hair dryer.
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| Boutique Piccolo Hotel/ photo: hotel |
Laptop boffins will be pleased to note that there is WiFi in public areas. Also check out the Starhill Spa with its arsenal of wraps, scrubs and aromatic oils. There's a plunge pool, massage, and a steam room. Alternatively, sweat it out at the Fitness Centre. The JW Marriott KL has more dining options than you can shake a stick at but standouts are Shanghai, for unbowdlerised Chinese, and the open-kitchen Shook! restaurant.
The neighbouring and new Piccolo Hotel, a clean, white mid-rise, is positioned as a Kuala Lumpur boutique hotel with just 168 rooms and a splendid shopping-epicentre location. Rooms feature stylish flourishes, dollops of bright art, pastel colours, 32-inch flat-screen TV, iron and ironing board, in-room safe, and separate shower (with bidet). After taking in all that lively art and perhaps wine, cigar and excellent Italian at the signature Ristorante L'Opera, unwind at the Morino Kaze Aromatherapy Spa. This is a smart and afforable hotel offering good value in Kuala Lumpur with a central location.
The Ritz-Carlton is a small, boutique affair with 251 rooms (including 30 suites) and classic lines. No soaring lobbies, just an intimate reception area and earth tones. The rooms feature light pastel colours that are easy on the eye. Deluxe rooms start at 430 square feet with plush dive-in beds, workstation with iPod dock, high definition flatscreen TVs, and Broadband.
The Club Premier Suite weighs in at a roomy 893sq ft with over-size pillows, marble bathrooms with rainforest showers, DVD/CD players, flat-screen TVs and iPod connections. Euro-nuts will enjoy the acres of dark, chiselled wood and sombre oil paintings with large gilded frames. The speciality here is the butler-drawn bath, for all rooms. If things get a tad steamy, remember, the butler did it. The bar is a suitably chaste deep leather seating affair with hushed lighting.
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| Classy Ritz-Carlton deluxe/ photo: hotel |
At the adjoining The Residences (also from Ritz-Carlton), check out a 1,918sq ft executive suite. An added attraction at this understated Kuala Lumpur business hotel, is its Spa Village where pinstripers can wind down with massage and wellness treatments.
Just opposite is the 320-room Dorsett Regency Hotel, an unpretentious but decently equipped place with promo rates that are a bit ambitious. The pricing is a tad aggressive but negotiate hard. The hotel also runs the Dorsett Regency Service Apartments a short walk away.
Close by, the Japanese-run Prince Hotel & Residence is a green reflecting glass twin tower with a shared pool. It is cool, minimalist and neat. Hotel rooms feature light cherry-wood tones and pastel hues. The impression is Spartan but the space is functional and comfortable. A very nice touch are the steam irons and fold-out ironing boards in all rooms. There are coffee and tea-making facilities and a flat-screen TV. The inroom safe can store a laptop quite easily. But then, where will your mother-in-law stay? The hotel’s Deluxe Executive Rooms feature curving panoramic glass walls with generous views.The second tower houses the apartments.
Moving away from mod and minimalist, newbie Royale Chulan Hotel and Residences revels in traditional Terengganu architecture. It's a happy combination of handcrafted wooden elements, lotus-shaped chandeliers, sweeping staircases and indoor fountains. Guests arrive through a glassed-in courtyard conservatory. The fifth floor Royal Club Lounge offers discrete, professional service, two private meeting rooms, personalised check-in and Internet access for corporate guests.
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| Royale Chulan/ photo: hotel |
Club rooms are attended to twice a day – in the evenings an ice bucket, water bottles and glasses are placed at the bed stand (a nice touch). With 300 rooms and 95 apartments plus a ballroom that seats 2,000 and 18 meeting rooms, this could very well be the choice hotel for MICE travellers.
Mark this one down for your Kuala Lumpur conference hotels list should you have a meeting in mind. The hotel opened in 2009 and has had time to iron out glitches. Plus points – above par service, wonderful rooms with spacious bathrooms, two good restaurants, sumptuous breakfast spreads and value for money deals. Most cabbies are still clueless about its location, however, so simply direct them to drive past the Prince Hotel if stuck.
The centrally-located Crowne Plaza Mutiara has done a Michael Jackson on the grey, cinder block that was the former Hilton. Unlike Jackson’s nose, the Crowne Plaza's tasteful rooms are likely to endure and entertain guests – for the right reasons. The sliding windows that open from the bathroom onto the bedroom create a sense of space and romance. There’s a flat-screen TV and a finger-touch sensor control for most appliances and Broadband access in all rooms.
On executive floors enjoy additional benefits like free Broadband, complimentary laundering of two items, breakfast for two and refreshments. The Crowne Plaza took over from the Mutiara and managed a reasonably seamless transition inheriting, among other things, a well-entrenched labour union that has been a thorn in the side of successive managements. This is a well located downtown hotel smack next to a monorail station, a godsend on traffic-plagued mornings. A rear exit via escalators brings guests down to the back street from where the KLCC is a short walk away.
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| Crowne Plaza/ photo: hotel |
The evergreen 426-room Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur (formerly run by an Australian group) offers friendly service and a handy central location. The hotel went through a major facelift to emerge in pleasing earth tones with many attractive touches. Deluxe rooms come with a king-size bed (or two queens), laptop-size safe, Broadband, flatscreen TV and a steam iron to get your suit in shape for the next day.
And in the shadows of the sky-piercing Petronas Twin Towers (when the sun occasionally emerges from the KL haze) are the humming Mandarin Oriental and the very chic Ascott executive apartments. Both offer easy access to shopping and convention facilities and good standards of service.
The Ascott, on Jalan Pinang, commands excellent views of the city as well as of the towers, especially from its 22nd floor Sky Lounge and pool deck. Hop into the turquoise Jacuzzi and lean dangerously over the city lights, drink in hand. This is also where the fitness centre and spa are located. The lobby is small, yet bright, airy and elegant, offering a real sense of home. The rooms however are enormous, ranging from 613sq ft for an Executive Studio to 3,143sq ft for the four-bedroom Royal Penthouse. Cruise wireless Broadband at the pool deck, the Sky Lounge or lobby. Ask also for The Ascott's “Business in Style” package which, when available, offers a range of useful extras including dry-cleaning, Broadband and parking. Ascott offers lots and lots of room smack in the heart of town right next to nightlife, bars and shopping.
Close to the Twin Towers, parks and fountains, and the busy KLCC shopping and restaurant complex is the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur. This is a gleaming building with fine rooms and great views and the revamped Pacifica Grill & Bar is a trendy haunt. But it's the staff that makes this place special with ever-ready smiles and accommodating service.
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| Mandarin Oriental deluxe/ photo: hotel |
Among the crispest Kuala Lumpur business hotels, it offers spa facilities, tennis and squash courts and a sunny pool looking onto lush parklands. Being right next door to some of the best shopping in the city has its pluses. Check for special shopper discounts and specials for inhouse guests. Pick up discounts of five to ten percent purchasing items through the Mandarin Oriental's "Lifestyle" programme, at places like Aigner, Calvin Klein, Armani Exchange, Max Mara, Bally, Versace, Nautica and more.
The top seven floors of the hotel house the Mandarin Oriental Club's 148 spacious rooms with stunning views and thoughtful executive amenities like complimentary dry-cleaning and Wireless Broadband. All its rooms, suites, Club rooms and apartments have had a major refurbishment. Opt for city views or park views, either way, there's open vistas galore. Or insist on rooms with the Petronas Twin Towers view.
In the spacious Club Suites, expect a classic living room with DVD/CD player, ergonomic adjustable chairs and table lamps, iPod docking stations and a handy fax to keep your work humming. Find a well equipped kitchenette and a huge marble bathroom boasting double-head showers, sauna and whirlpool and TV. This hotel fares well on our Kuala Lumpur business hotels review.
A newer addition to the KLCC skyline is the smart 571-room Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur (by Shangri-La hotels). This gleaming mod property is not just smart on looks, it is smart inside, packed with bright splashes of colour, modern art, and mood lighting. Groups check-in on the first floor where a Wireless reception can be set up whenever necessary. This gets the crowds away from the normal check-in area on Level 5. This level also houses the cafe, GOBO Chit-Chat Meet and Eat - quite a mouthful but then, it does serve an extensive buffet.
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| Traders Hotel SkyBar/ photo: hotel |
On Level 6 is the cosy lounge with wraparound views of the Twin Towers. Broadband Internet has to be paid for in-room but WiFi is free on Club Floors and in the Club Lounge. The business centre offers Internet access as well as a funky game station complete with steering wheels for avid racers. Bathrooms are well lit with bathtub, shower and a weighing scale. No rubber ducks here, just a lollipop which works well for him and her.
Expect chic minimalist and mod rooms in earthy pastels, an interactive LCD TV, a low sink-in chair, iron and ironing board, a laptop-size safe, and a work desk with three easy-to-access plug points (3-pin square). Space is well used and everywhere there are cinematic views across the city, or the park (beyond which, the Twin Towers gleam).
The rooftop Health Club & Spa offers breathtaking views and breathless fitness regimens for all sizes and tastes. Up here, by the long alfresco pool, the SkyBar is a chic after hours rendezvous with breezy snuggeries and great views. The downtown KLCC location is a useful asset. This places Traders Hotel right next to the city’s green “lungs” and jogging track, shopping, and offices. Transport options are plentiful.
KL prefers everything bigger, taller and longer so it comes as no surprise that the world's tallest Four Seasons Hotel will soon stand shoulder to shoulder (well, almost) with the soaring Petronas Twin Towers. Running a little behind (a three year delay to be precise), the RM2.5 billion project (backed by tycoons and royalty) is slated for completion in 2011. Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur will comprise a single 65-storey building that tapers at the top, closely resembling the towers next door.
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| Park Royal room/ photo: hotel |
Also in the pipeline are a W and a 40-storey, 450-room Grand Hyatt (construction on the latter is underway on bustling Jalan Pinang for a late 2010 launch). The hotel lobby is located at the top of the building – guests ride express elevators for check-in while taking in the impressive bird’s-eye views of downtown KL.
In the same vicinity, the Impiana group flagship, the Impiana KLCC Hotel & Spa is a 335-room business hotel with a good location for leisure trippers. The four-star hotel offers all-day dining and a brisk business centre.
While the exterior is a drab cinderblock inherited from the Holiday Inn, in-room expect a pillow menu with eight different types of pillows to choose from, hair-drier, high-speed Internet access (need to request for Internet cable), an electronic safe, iron and ironing board and satellite TV.
The best part of the hotel is the rooftop infinity pool looking out over the twin towers. High noise levels at the pool should cease with the completion of the Grand Hyatt. Close by is the intriguingly named Novotel Hydro Majestic Kuala Lumpur, close to the KLCC, with 291 rooms, an executive floor, a fitness centre, spa and pool.
The Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel offers good facilities for business travellers and leisure trippers. The east wing at the Renaissance offers a different room structure – only superior rooms here. It is cheaper and contemporary with a younger flavour while the west wing is more conservative (think black marble and crystal chandeliers), appealing to business travellers.
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| Hotel Istana's new look/ photo: hotel |
Both wings share an Olympic-size pool with sunning deck and plenty of green. Work up more sweat at the well-stocked gymnasium or on the all-weather tennis courts. A spacious Grand Ballroom – easily accessed from either wing – offers a plush and modern venue for banquets, conferences and conventions. In the basement here is a prime gentleman's distraction – the Club de Macau.
The centrally located Hotel Istana sports black marble, geometric lines and beaded chandeliers giving the distinct impression of a Middle East locale. The property would have done well in Dubai circa 1970, but modern KL has been a lot more competitive. Still, a raft of substantial upgrades at this old address, including the Malay-style Sompoton Spa, a broad range of refurbished dining outlets, smart accommodation, and extensive meetings facilities have brightened things considerably.
The Suites feature wooden cupboards painted white, silk earth-tone bed runner, complimentary Broadband, DVD player, a flat-screen TV, iron and ironing board, and a positively giant in-room safe. You can park a lot more than just your computer in this. There's two three-pin square plug sockets for executive travellers or those with a load of gadgets to recharge.
WiFi is free in public areas though regular rooms will attract a charge for Internet access. A singular feature of this elderly, yet rejuvenated, hotel is its huge rooms. There is space everywhere you turn. The brand is making up for lost time – and there is work to be done for sure – but the Hotel Istana is back in the fray with a terrific central location.
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| Doubletree by Hilton/ photo: hotel |
On Jalan Ampang’s “embassy row” and a short walk from the KLCC is the new Doubletree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur. The forgettable Crown Princess Hotel has undergone a multi-million-dollar redesign and to rebrand as Doubletree. The 540-room hotel now pays homage to unstuffy modernism, with an efficient and elegant meeting facility and four buzzing restaurants and bars.
Not far away, the highly contemporary G City Club (opened March 2010) cleverly combines the technology of an office with the comforts of a guest room. It's a Kuala Lumpur boutique hotel for business travellers, comprising 180 rooms, with promise of high-speed Broadband, WiFi, IP telephony, IT concierge, business secretarial services and access to the penthouse private club. The bridge bar and rooftop restaurant attracts a very lively evening crowd.
Not far away, the erstwhile Radisson, now simply, Hotel Maya, has graduated from a package-tourist haunt to an exceedingly pleasant boutique hotel aimed at individual travellers, corporates and discriminating leisure trippers. Wander in from the main road and you might be excused for thinking you've barged into Lord of the Rings IV.
The restaurant ensemble here is all magic waterways, crystal rocks with twinkling lights and a black corkscrew staircase that twirls up to the second floor lobby. Yes, the taxis can go up too. Bamboo screens line an alluring dark tile pool looking onto a bright splash of greenery while hydro jets massage away the day's aches.
The Hotel Maya is fully WiFi enabled and it's FREE. In-room Broadband access is free too. Rooms are chic with wooden parquet floors, dark wood, straight lines, and a distinctly contemporary Zen feel with splashes of colour. The large bathroom with a sit-down stool to enjoy the rainforest shower, has a full-height glass wall so you can watch TV while you bathe.
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| Hotel Maya studio / photo: hotel |
There's a DVD player. Bring your own discs or borrow some from the library. The funky work desk at Hotel Maya is mounted on rollers so you can slide it back and forth to maximise space. Executive travellers will be pleased to note the inroom safe can easily handle a 15-inch screen laptop and it comes with a recharging electrical socket. Look out for the dedicated inhouse spa. In the suites, the minibar is replenished daily - and charged to the house. Drink up. It's free.
This reborn property is a great Kuala Lumpur leisure or business hotel choice with panoramic views of KL Tower and the Petronas Twin Towers. While it has a fair number of rooms and an undistinguished exterior it justifiably strives to be seen as one of the best Kuala Lumpur boutique hotels.
The centrally positioned Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on Jalan Imbi offers over 650 furnished suites with Internet access in several rooms, separate living and dining area, and laptop-size safe. There are seven suite styles ranging from the 51sq m Studio Suite to the 99sq m two-bedroom Brooklyn Suite. The hotel is in the midst of a much-needed facelift. The new ground floor lobby is welcoming – contemporary, without much clutter and comes with separate check-in counters for the convenience of FIT and corporate guests. Gone are the drab clubroom interiors, in favour of lighter wood, more space, LCD televisions, crisp white linen and an overall warmer palette.
Families, on long stays may be disappointed for the Brooklyn, Deluxe and Superior suites no longer come with a pantry. Expect the new Big Apple restaurant to be a fascinating glass-walled space, with an open kitchen and plush seating. The 20th floor morphs into the new corporate lounge, fitted with check-in facilities and meeting rooms.
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Berjaya Times Square suite/ photo: hotel |
With a lavish 29,000sq ft of meeting space, the Berjaya is well positioned to offer a range of conferencing choices with seven function rooms and a pillar-free Manhattan Ballroom that can hold up to 2,000 persons cocktail style. Meeting planners can consider this venue as among their Kuala Lumpur conference hotels choices for mid-size groups or small corporate meetings. The plus is, of course, the access to shopping and other activities for tag-along spouses and kids.
In the heart of the old part of town, the Swiss-Garden Hotel is a reasonably comfortable retreat with a spa and consistently decent service. Nearby is the Impiana. Unfortunately, both of these suffer from serious traffic congestion, and not only at peak hours, due to the proximity of a major bus terminus.
Heritage hotels and golf resorts in KL
Of course, if you really want to pummel the wallet and enjoy a manor-home experience, there was until late 2009 just one choice, the Carcosa Seri Negara, comprising two very elegant Victorian retreats in a lush garden setting. This estate was originally built in 1904 as the official residence of the then British representative. High teas, coffee in the gardens, strolls, croquet and generally a very pukka experience. Carcosa was managed for a while by the Singapore-based General Hotels Management, or GHM and returned late 2009 to the government fold where it awaits a decision on future management and direction.
The Saujana Kuala Lumpur (also formerly managed by GHM) is a 40-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur International Airport and within striking distance of town. The resort hotel features 386 swish rooms and suites in an elegant lowrise development. Facilities include a spa, jogging track and golf. The rooms have Broadband access. Set in lush gardens with 210 rooms and two championship golf courses at its doorstep, the hotel’s Executive Deluxe Rooms and Executive Suites feature minimalist interiors with Burmese teak, parquet flooring, and elegant dark-wood tones.
Suburban Kuala Lumpur conference hotels, family resorts
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| Gardens Hotel room/ photo: hotel |
Another plush though somewhat out-of-the-way option is the sumptuous Palace of the Golden Horses which is an interesting convention or golf location. Both Palace and the neighbouring family friendly Mines Beach Resort offers good value rates on weekends and are right next to the Selangor Turf Club where the races are held. Palace of the Golden Horses is stately and extraordinarily plush – or obscenely ornate in a sort of Chinese Rococco style – depending on your point of view. There is marble with intricate inlay everywhere and imposingly huge bronze sculptures of horses adorn the entrance, lobby, lagoon and cafe. With all its flourishes, Moorish design and copper-green cuppolas – that spring to life when the lights come on after dark – the place offers much ambience and style. Service is friendly. The food needs to be brought up a notch or two. If you're here with the family, it's likely you'll be swinging out on the adjacent championship golf course (if you booked a suite). This is a membership course. Palace is favoured by the government for official functions and is a good Kuala Lumpur conference hotel choice. Both Palace and Mines are child friendly hotels and cater for the younger set.
If the missus comes along, she's bound to give Gardens Hotel a solid thumbs up – it's extremely handy for shopping. Located within the Mid Valley City, it's connected to the city's top-notch Gardens shopping mall, and has 448 elegantly furnished rooms with flora and fauna adorning its walls (in keeping with the garden theme). Rooms come with standard facilities but what you'll care for, after a long flight, is the spacious bathroom with a large bathtub and rain shower. Be sure to call room service for a selection of their pillow menu just in case yours doesn't measure up. Ask for late check out. You'll need the extra hours to stuff your suitcase with all your buys or for any last minute shopping.
Other Kuala Lumpur hotel choices, Airport hotels, Bangsar, Putrajaya
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Hideaway Sekeping Tenggiri/ photo: hotel |
Other Kuala Lumpur hotel choices include the Hotel Equatorial on Jalan Sultan Ismail, which boasts the stylish Flo bar in the lobby, the pleasant and businesslike Hotel Nikko with a gleaming lobby and some shopping distractions, Federal, Corus Hotel, and the Holiday Villa Subang at the old airport. The Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport is a convenient business traveller pit-stop should you not wish to do the one-hour cab ride early morning. It is linked to the airport by an air bridge and offers 403 rooms and 38 suites all with Broadband.
Boutique hotel, Jeumpa D’Ramo, alters the Bangsar landscape with its theatrical, immaculately white facade. It sits at the edge of Jalan Bangkung and Jalan Maarof with a certain nonchalant authority; is self-confident and hip. The rooms are done up in teak furnishings and opaque curtains. The real treat is the attentive staff. Along with the trademark attention to detail, this hotel feels more like a residence. Every detail is perfect – refined, low key and discreet. There are plenty of diversions too. Take a dip in the pool; lounge at the café; or head down the road to the Bangsar enclave with its one-of-a kind boutiques, galleries and sidewalk cafes.
Part warehouse gallery, part retreat for guests, Sekeping Tenggiri is unlike any other digs – tucked away in a quiet residential street in Bangsar. Its architecture and design is the focal point. It goes back to basics, to nature. This typical double-storey terrace house has been cleverly converted with natural ventilation courtesy of a flying canopy of green; all doors and some timber have been salvaged from 50-year old Malay kampung (village) houses; bricks are plastered together in an attractively raw state; and there is a fashionable use of recycled material. Each of its seven rooms comes with the promise of all imaginable modern amenities such as WiFi, common lounge, swimming pool, dining area and 24-hour housekeeping service. No breakfast included. Hmm…
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| Functional Tune Hotel room/ photo: hotel |
The Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside Hotel is up and running – 238 rooms, suites and apartments with 21 fully equipped meeting and board rooms and a lakefront open air amphitheatre. It's all work and no play in this part of town for there are few distractions except for the hotel's five dining options.
You won't mind the lack of distractions if you're staying at the Putrajaya Shangri-la – it's cool and modern with intermittent splashes of luxury that do not overwhelm. Rooms on the floor level open out onto nature and when lights go out expect the soothing sounds of running water. Expect all the amenities typical of a five-star hotel, including a courtesy car service to pick you up from Cyberjaya any hour of the day. In spite of this being a Shang, rooms have lost a bit of their former lustre.
Taking the place of the former Pan Pacific near the Putra World Trade Centre is the Seri Pacific Hotel run by Best Western under its Premier label. Another option is the redesigned MiCasa All Suite Hotel close by the Twin Towers where rates are attractive.
Kuala Lumpur budget hotels
At No. 316 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (at the intersection with Jln Sultan Ismail) is the ebullient no-frills hotel Tune Hotels very much an AirAsia clone with much the same focus on high energy and Internet sales. And so it advertises, "Get a five-star sleeping experience at a 1-star price". Incredibly, rooms here start at just US$3 and up. You'll get a decent room and good showers. Tune Hotels plans setting up other limited service hotels in central locations close to shopping and dining with prices of under RM100 a night. With its signature blazing red exterior the hotel is hard to miss, more a Virgin Megastore than a dull hostelry. Indeed, the hotel insists your stay will be anything but dull. And yes, you do have laundry service, Internet stations, and a trendy cafe.
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| Boutique style Eight/ photo: hotel |
This is a smart and useful downtown Kuala Lumpur budget hotel address. And if you're looking for a cheap hotel in KL, it doesn't get any cheaper than this. Yes, it's cheerful too.
Across the road from the Hotel Istana, the small and wonderfully seedy Lodge Hotel has returned as the Lodge Paradize Hotel, its poolside 24-hour coffee shop doing roaring business. There's the smart streetside Paradisso restaurant and tapas bar. This is a relatively cheap Kuala Lumpur budget hotel worth checking out if you are not too discriminating in your tastes and require a central location in the heart of town right next to a monorail station.
At the other end of the scale, if you must conserve your ringgit, a good hunting ground is the area between the Istana hotel side street and Jalan Alor. Pop into the basic but "boutique-style" Eight with its pastels and simple lines where a room will set you back just over RM95 (double). The rooms are air-conditioned and look out onto the street and there's Internet in the lounge. None of that dark dingy grime that you usually find in budget establishments. The bathrooms have showers using solar-heated water. Or head a notch downscale to Rainforest Bed & Breakfast where around RM80 will get you a room. There is aircon, some rooms have TV and the rate includes breakfast. Not all rooms have attached bathrooms.
If orange is your thing – try out Chinatown's new low cost brand, StayOrange. The rooms, inspired by Japanese cube hotels are simple compartments doused in orange. You can get a bed in a two-bunk room, including air-conditioning or the single or double en suites (just as basic but clean and private). Stay Orange is totally up to speed: there’s free Wi-Fi for all guests. It is similar in concept, pricing and decor to Air Asia's Tune Hotel. Mark this down as a cheap and cheerful Kuala Lumpur budget hotel.
Petaling Jaya hotel choices
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| StayOrange, budget/ photo: hotel |
In the suburb of Petaling Jaya at the Phileo Damansara office complex is the very competent and useful Eastin Hotel. You can bag a room here for a song. Weekend rates are even better with breakfast for two. There's a good dim sum Chinese restaurant. Phileo is a bit out of the way and it's unlikely you'd stay here unless you had business in the vicinity. Eastin is a good suburbia choice.
A more recent five-star offering is the One World Hotel (a member of WORLDHOTELS) also in Petaling Jaya. This 438-room hotel sports contemporary décor, satellite TV, WiFi and Broadband and an in-room safe. It is close to the Utama Shopping Centre. For leisure travellers facilities include a fitness centre, four tennis courts, a pool and a spa. The 3,200sq m Grand Ballroom is a useful venue for conferencing.
Take the entire family to Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel. Its deservedly good reputation is based on excellent service, wonderful rooms and a great location. There are ample things to do at the adjacent Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall and Sunway Lagoon Theme Park. This is a child friendly Kuala Lumpur hotel very welcoming of families. And that’s your Kuala Lumpur business hotels and offbeat stays guide from A to Z.
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