Tuesday, January 21, 2014

The Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Ever since we heard the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur was going to open we wanted to stay there.

Our chance came when we planned our Malaysia trip. We stayed four nights on points.

We had just returned from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo, and were near the end of our vacation.

The Grand Hyatt is located near the KLCC and in the Menara Darussalam, a thirty nine story high skyscraper. The owner is the Brunei Investment Agency, hence the name of the building. Which is controlled by the Sultan of Brunei.

On the ground level is a huge lobby with the concierge desk and the JP teres, serving Malay and international meals.

We received a warm welcome from the concierge. He also brought us to the elevators and advised us that the reception was located on the 39th floor.

The first thing we noticed when the elevator doors opened was the stunning views over Kuala Lumpur including the Petronas Twin Towers. We were roughly the same height as the twin bridge of the Petronas Towers.

The reception was to the left. Check in was friendly and efficient.

Our room was located on the 32nd floor. We had to take a different lift to access our floor. It might be a bit unusual, but we had already experience with the same system at the Park Hyatt Tokyo and Park Hyatt Seoul.

Sometimes it can be a nuisance, like on a few occasions we wanted to go up to the lobby, but had to go down to the second floor spa with a few stops in between to finally reach our desired destination. Overall being secure weighs out the inconvenience, though.

The room was large and modern with dark furniture and had views over the KL Tower. The bath room was integrated into the room. There was a walk in closet, a Japanese wet room and a separate room for the toilet. The sink was to the right side behind the bed. There was also a small nook with a mirror, small desk and chair for applying make up.

We loved the June Jacobs Spa amenities.

The Japanese wet room was enclosed in glass, so one could watch TV or look over the city. Privacy was also provided, when using a switch the glass turned opaque.

We also had a writing desk, large TV with a wide selection of regional and international channels, a mini bar with Sunraysia juices, a sofa and coffee table. Since we had booked a Grand Club Room we also received free chocolates as welcome gift and 2 free items of laundry for the entire stay. It wasn't as generous as the DoubleTree by Hilton (see also review), but still welcome. We had more than two items to launder, but since the cost wasn't too high, we gave more and paid 66 MYR (ca. 14.80 Euro or ca. 20.10 USD) for the four additional pieces.

There was also 24 hour room service and the "Hyatt has it" service, in case you have forgotten something or didn't care to bring it with you, like a yoga mat, tea kettle, razor, mouth wash and other things. They are either free, can be borrowed or bought.

Overall the room was very comfortable, luxurious and of thoughtful design.

We also had Grand Club lounge access, which is one of the largest we have seen so far and located on the 37th floor. There are different areas; one was set up restaurant style, the other like a lounge.

 There were newspapers and magazines. A meeting room is adjacent to the lounge and can be used by Club lounge guests. There was never a problem finding a seat.

Only seats at the windows could be in hot demand, because they also had views over the Petronas Twin Towers and the KLCC Park. We watched the fountain show numerous times from the club lounge.

The food selection was so large we had no problems making a meal out of it during happy hour. There were Asian specialties and Western dishes. The desserts were a highlight for us. We enjoyed the chocolate mousse, the mini tartlets (every day changing) and berry compote very much. We also like the live Jazz music drifting down from the restaurant Thirt8.

We could have had breakfast at Thirt8 on the 38th floor, but again the breakfast in the Club Lounge was large and varied and we liked the quiet. At the end of our stay the staff did know what kind of beverage we wanted.

There was also the Poolside Restaurant and fitness center.

Every member of staff was courteous, efficient and friendly.

We went to the JP teres even before we stayed at the hotel, because we were checking out how to get to the hotel from the Suria KLCC. The ceilings were really high and there were a few open air kitchens. The waitresses and waiters wore jeans uniforms, which looked attractive and casual. We had the chance to follow the preparation of roti.

We ordered Teh Tarik (local milk tea), a water melon juice, chicken curry toast and Bebola Ayam, chicken balls with dip.

The toast slices were larger than usual and the portion of chicken balls was generous. All was delicious. The value was reasonable with 71.90 MYR (ca. 16 Euro or 21.80 USD).

During the last few days of our trip including the Grand Hyatt stay I was having a cold with fever, so I stopped taking notes, not feeling well enough to do so. Sorry, if I can't give more detailed information about in room dining prices, but I remember we had sandwiches, Malaysian chicken soup (very large) and ice cream. Everything was delicious and prices seemed to have been in accordance with the other hotels we stayed at. If it would have been much more expensive or less, I would recall it.

We received late check out at 2 PM without problem. The check out was efficient and a taxi was organized to bring us to the Villa Samadhi, a Secret Retreat member.

Interesting enough the lady at reception had heard of the Villa Samadhi, while the door man wasn't aware.

We can recommend the Grand Hyatt highly. The staff is genuinely interested in the well being of the guests and what they are up to while staying there. The value is good, no matter if paying cash or with points.

©2014

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