Category: Sleep

REVIEW: Hotel Indigo Katong, Deluxe King Room

In an attempt to complete the Double Points and More promotion (also known as the Acceleration promotion), I decided to spend the weekend at Hotel Indigo Katong.

Given it’s off city centre location, this hotel is definitely not my usual choice. Having read some pretty good reviews and also to meet the ‘Stay in two or more brands’ requirement, I decided to check the hotel out.

Back to the hotel. Hotel Indigo Katong is nested in the heart of Singapore’s peranakan enclave, Joo Chiat.

For those who are unfamiliar with the term, Peranakans are essentially what Southeast Asians refer to as Straits-born Chinese. They are descendants of Chinese immigrants who moved to the Malay archipalego a few centuries ago and developed their own mix of heritage and culture. One thing for sure, their food is incredibly elaborate and delightful.

The hotel is fairly new: built in 2016, the hotel is part of a rejuvenation plan which saw several new hotels pop up in the vicinity. The hotel is adjoined with Katong Square and Holiday Inn Express, all of which shares the same car park and driveway.

The first Hotel Indigo in Asia was launched in Bangkok back in 2015, with many others quickly sprouting out over the next couple of years, with a total of 14 properties across Asia right now.

Personally, the Hotel Indigo brand is an intriguing one – it seem a little odd-placed among IHG’s suite of hotels.According to IHG’s website:

Each hotel is as individual as its surroundings and is also a reflection of them. You can taste the local flavor on our menus and see it in the art and photography displayed on our walls. You’ll catch guests and neighbors hanging out in our bars, get great advice from our team members on what to see and do in the neighborhood, and be refreshed by just how relaxed and inviting it all feels.

While not expectedly high end, the brand seem to be placed differently in different cities. A quick google search will tell you that some Hotel Indigo properties are five-star hotels in Europe, but most of them will stay at a four-star standard and a handful lower than that.

The room

Hotel Indigo Katong has 131 rooms, all of which are similarly sized. There are only two main room types: the premier room and the deluxe room, each with either king or twin beds. Key difference between both rooms is that the premier rooms comes with a good view of the city (be sure to choose these rooms to avoid looking into the adjacent Holiday Inn Express Katong courtyard) and a nespresso machines, with some rooms having a bathtub (this is an add-on) for those who like a little in-room soak.

I booked myself into the Deluxe Room, and was lucky enough to be given a room with a view facing the neighbourhood, rather than the Holiday Inn Express courtyard.

At 30 square metres, the premier view room I stayed in was fairly spacious for a new hotel. The room comfortably contained the king bed, a two seater sofa adjacent to a carrom board (when was the last time you saw one?) used as a coffee table, as well as a classic cupboard which opens up to contain the minibar and contained all the in-room refreshment amenities.

Flanked by the side of the entrance was the wardrobe, while the toilet is contained on the other side of the toilet.

What’s different is that the bathroom is on the other end of the room against the window, with a sliding door that closes up the bathroom from the bedroom. You could opt to take a shower with full view of the street, although that’s incredibly unwise as the rooms are rather visible especially at night, given the relatively low height of the hotel and the distance from the main road.

Nonetheless, if you are one of those who are on the higher floor and have a bathtub, this makes for a very good and relaxing bath in the privacy of your room.

For rooms like mine without a bathtub, there will be a cosy armchair, along with a little pan and a very handy feet soaking kit, comprising bath salts, foot scrub and a Good Morning towel. Very thoughtful!

Hotel Indigo Katong uses Biology Skin amenities, an Australian brand that I have come across before while staying in Next Brisbane. I loved the smell of the amenities and it doesn’t leave me feeling too dry after a shower, so it’s one of those hotel amenities that I didn’t mind using.

The facilities

The hotel is fairly compact, given that it was redesigned from a former police station. Adjoined to Katong Square, a shopping mall, as well as the Holiday Inn Express Katong, do not expect full-service hotel facilities. After all, you are encouraged to go out and check out the neighbourhood (and there’s really a lot to see and do!).

The hotel has a rooftop infinity pool, overlooking the Joo Chiat neighbourhood which is essentially an array of low-rise terrace houses and shophouses. On the same floor there’s a compact but very functional 24-hour gym.

While there isn’t a bar, the hotel is incredibly thoughtful: there is a counter with a menu, and a phone which links directly to the restaurant. You could place an order for a cocktail or some light bites, and they will be sent up to the pool to you not too long after. Now you can enjoy sunset by the pool with a glass of wine in hand.

There is also a little pavilion by the lobby with some books and you could browse, or simply hang around if you need a space to work or to relax. While not exactly a lounge, it’s a very handy space to have, which is pretty lacking in hotels today. For a longer stay, I will imagine myself getting a coffee from the shopping mall next door and hanging out here to read for an hour or two.

Baba Chews

The hotel has a restaurant Baba Chews, which you might have guessed by now, serves Peranakan food. The Peranakans are (in)famous for their very elaborate cuisine, often requiring very extensive preparation and long cooking times for a very intense flavour and texture.

Baba Chews offers a modern take on the cuisine through its various menus, on top of the classics. On weekends, it offers a different brunch on Saturday and Sunday (see their website for the latest menus), with items such as Bibik-Bap rice bowl and ayam buah keluak burger on the menu. If you prefer to stay safe, go for dinner: you will find familiar items such as otah, beef rendang, chap chye on the menu.

While I didn’t try the food for dinner, Baba Chews was also the breakfast venue. The breakfast offering was primarily made-to-order items that you can order off a menu. Every day of the week, the menu also feature a couple of local dishes.

I was pretty happy that one of the special dish of the day was masi lemak, so I happily ordered a portion of that. Apart from nasi lemak, there was also Nissin noodles (instant noodles), as well as boiled dumplings on the menu for the day.

Beyond the menu, there was also a small continental buffet section, where you could grab pastries, fruits, cold cuts, cereals and yoghurts. The quality of the pastries is worth a mention, I found myself going back for seconds.

Final thoughts

Hotel Indigo Katong was a pleasant surprise. The rooms are thoughtfully designed, and I never felt claustrophobic in the room. While the hotel offers few amenities, I found it sufficient. For instance, while I usually prefer a hotel with a club lounge whenever I do a staycation in Singapore, I was perfectly okay that the hotel didn’t have one as there was plenty of bars nearby (you could get a S$40 bottle of wine and tapas at Wine Connection Bistro in the adjacent i12 mall) and even more dinner options.

Overall, Hotel Indigo Katong offers very good value for money: for most parts of 2018, entry level rates go for less than S$200 per night. Even without breakfast, Singapore is a place you won’t go hungry in: there’s plenty of food around you any time of the day and night.

While not in the heart of the city, the location was a good balance, with direct bus connection to both the city and the airport. I personally prefer this so that I can be away from the craziness of the city centre while being able to zip in and out of town quickly.

29 December 18
REVIEW: Sofitel Shanghai Hongqiao, Club Luxury Room

Travelling to the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, I had the chance to stay at the Sofitel Shanghai Hongqiao together with some of my colleagues.

The luxury hotel is located close to the Hongqiao CBD and within a shrt ride away from the Hongqiao international airport and railway station. Located near by was also the National Expo and Convention Centre, the venue for the CIIE.

The location is somewhat off if you are visiting the city for leisure, as most of the places of interest are closer to the Bund. However, many companies and larger enterprises are starting to move towards Hongqiao, so that part of the Greater Shanghai area has been developed at a fairly quick pace over the last few years.

The hotel

The hotel is a magnificent building constructed not too long ago, having only started operations in 2016. Boasting 354 rooms and suites, the eight-storey hotel is located what is called Hongqiao CBD. Within the same compound are some private residences which also boasts some of the most expensive properties in the area.

When you first walk through the revolving door, you will find yourself standing in a grand lobby, adorn in class and grandeur. A large chandelier hung down from what seem to be a double volume ceiling, adding to the elegance.

I was booked into an executive floor room for the next four nights. Upon arrival, executive floor guests had a choice to check in at the Club Millesime if they wanted to. As I usually prefer to get check-in formalities done quickly so I can get to the room and dump my bags, I stayed at the check-in desk while my check-in was processed in record time. Soon, a bellboy was guiding me to my room on the eighth floor.

The room

The room for my stay was on the top floor of the hotel, where Club Millesime was also located. I was booked into a Club Luxury Room. According to the hotel, there’s only 61 club rooms over the top two floors of the hotel, which tips about 20% of all available rooms.

Measuring 44 square metres, the room has a high ceiling, with an incredibly large window, extending from the ledge to the ceiling. The room is designed in a modern French style, but if you honestly ask me I couldn’t really tell the distinction. The room was made to look even more spacious with a see-through bathroom, equipped with a privacy blind that can be pulled down if you are staying with another person.

Each room comes with Sofitel’s signature MyBed, a King-sized bed generous in size too, soft to the touch yet slightly more firm, which I found very comfortable. The pillows are excellent too. I had very good sleep for the few nights I was there.

Probably one of the disappointment was a lack of view from the room. Funnily, the windows sit slightly below the facade walls, so what I saw when I looked out of the window was a little service balcony which was pretty dirty by the way.

The room is fully packed with a mini bar (albeit not complimentary), as well as free coffee and tea packs. But if you are staying in the club room, save yourself the trouble and just walk over to the club lounge if you need a coffee or a drink in the middle of the day.

The bathroom consisted of a full bathtub, a large vanity and a separate shower and toilet cubicle. The rug at the vanity was fluffy and comfortable to step on (excellent for cold winters). Sofitel Shanghai Hongqiao uses Lanvin amenities, and that comes in a range of shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion.

The bathroom is right beside the glass pane separating the bathroom and the bedroom, so I reckon that’s pretty good for watching TV while you are soaking it up.

If there’s one thing lacking from a luxury hotel, that was a double vanity, although that’s a tad too minor a point to dent the experience.

The hotel also offers daily turn down service, and each day I received a fruit platter, which I thought was rather elaborate. As it was the week of CIIE, there was also some extra treats in the room as well, such as pastries and chocolates.

Club Millesime

One word to sum up my experience: excellent.

The club lounge, which Sofitel styles as Club Millesime, is an exclusive lounge only for guests staying in rooms and suites on the executive floors. Guests staying in these rooms can check in and out at the lounge as well, if they prefer.

The decor is immaculate, with modern European furnishing. There was a good array of seats, from sofas, to armchairs, dining tables and chairs, and even bartop tables. There was even a glass wine cellar in a corner, although I’m not sure if the wines are actually used or part of the decoration.

There’s also a meeting room that users could book, although every room is limited to a two-hour slot per day.

Club Millesime offers all-day complimentary beverages, including soft drinks, coffee and tea. There’s also high tea available from 3pm to 5pm, with an array of savoury and sweet snacks available. In the evening, free cocktails and hor d’oeuvres are available from 6pm to 8pm. Alcohol on offer include red, white and sparkling wines, as well as spirits and beer. I personally liked the fact that they have sparkling wine (even though it’s not champagne), given that not many hotels offer that in their lounge.

There was a mini buffet for both high tea and evening cocktails, featuring both sweet and savoury light bites. The lounge seem to fare better in its pastries, as I recalled going back for second servings of its cakes and puffs. The savouries however was pretty much forgettable, but then again, this is not meant to be a full meal but instead an accompaniment for your drinks.

The first night I was in the club lounge with my colleagues, both Peter, the Director of guest services, and Guido, the General Manager, came by to say hi to everyone in the lounge. I reckon that was also because it was a big week for Shanghai, given that it was the inaugural CIIE, held at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre minutes away.

I spent quite a fair bit of time in the club lounge throughout my stay, given the lack of amenities nearby, as well as the distance from the main city. I reckon I had at least two dozen beers during my stay there and many more sparkling wines.

One thing to note though, the lounge doesn’t serve up breakfast for executive floor guests. According to the hotel, the lounge wasn’t quite ready to serve breakfast yet, so all guests had to go down to the main breakfast restaurant, Kwee Zeen, instead.

The restaurants

Kwee Zeen is the mainstay restaurant of the hotel. For those familiar with the Sofitel brand, you’ll note that Kwee Zen is usually a buffet restaurant which also serves up as the breakfast restaurant. While I’m not a big fan of hotel breakfast (I think there are only a handful that serves up quality hotel breakfasts for the price you pay), Kwee Zeen was pretty impressive.

First, the space. It’s a double volume, spacious hall decked in the basement of the hotel. Glamourously adorned with some of the most ridiculously ornate decorations, the restaurant is pretty classy and not really tacky as I thought it might be.

For the executive floor guests, the hotel has kindly cordoned off an area in the breakfast restaurant for their exclusive use. Apart from the exclusive seating area, there are also dedicated wait staff for the area, making the service really attentive.

The breakfast spread is probably one of the best I had in China. There are ample live stations, including an egg station and my favourite noodle station. Apart from the usual Oriental and Western food options, what I liked was how they included local delicacies as well, such as the famous Shanghainese egg pancakes.

Of which, I thought the pastries were the best. I couldn’t resist a croissant every morning even though I was stuffed. There is also ice cream and waffles available, if that’s what you fancy as part of your breakfast.

Outside of breakfast, Kwee Zeen offers an international ala carte menu during lunch and dinner, as well as buffets on special occasions.

Beyond Kwee Zeen, the hotel also has two other restaurants: Le Chinois, a modern Cantonese restaurant, as well as Ocho Tapas and Wine, a Spanish tapas bar. There’s also a lobby bar which was opened from late afternoon if you need a tipple and had no access to the lounge.

I managed to check out Le Chinois with several of my colleagues one evening, which I found was excellent value for the price you pay. (RMB250 for a Peking Duck!) The food was top-notch, and I couldn’t find much fault with any of the dishes we had.

The facilities

As a full service hotel, the facilities were all present and in tip-top condition. The hotel features So Fit, their signature gym, tucked away in the basement of the hotel.

Don’t let the location ‘basement’ fool you, because the back of the gym walks out to a back common space shared by the gym, swimming pool and Kwee Zeen, featuring an outdoor mini waterfall, making the entire place so picturesque.

Back to the gym. It’s probably one of the largest I’ve seen in a hotel, with equipment fairly spaced out so there’s no fear of the guy running on the treadmill next to you peering over wondering how much (or how little) you have run.

There are plenty of machines available, from cables, to free weights and cardio, enough for half the hotel to be there and still not feel overcrowded. (Of course, I kid.)

Next to the gym, there’s an indoor swimming pool. By the side of it are some aqua deck chairs in the shallow part of the pool which I believe has some bubble jets coming out of it for a good water massage.

There’s also a spa, Le Spa, in the hotel, which was unfortunately closed during the entire time I was there. However, there’s also a sauna and steam room in each of the changing rooms, so you can still enjoy some relaxation facilities without heading into the spa.

Final thoughts

This was indeed one of my most memorable hotel stays in Shanghai – Gorgeous property, impeccable service, excellent dining.

While it could have been a one-off instance due to the CIIE happening nearby, but the extra mile in the hospitality is very much commendable, and also not an easy feat given the large team needed to ensure that all guests’ needs were met.

The rooms were incredibly well appointed, and everything works – the bed was incredibly comfortable, the bathroom was very enjoyable. The rest of the hotel, from the lounge to all the other facilities, were also very impressive.

The only shortcoming of the hotel was the distance. Being in the heart of Hongqiao CBD, that also means that you are terribly far from everything else downtown. A taxi ride from the hotel to Jing An district (where most of the shopping would be), took me about 30 minutes and almost RMB100.

The sheer distance in itself limits the possibility of recommending it to other people who goes to Shanghai for leisure, but if you ever have business in the Hongqiao area, this is certainly the hotel to choose next time.

24 November 18
REVIEW: Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel, Club Deluxe Room

Having not been to Johor Bahru for a while, I decided to get away for a weekend to the southernmost city of Malaysia as what most Singaporeans love to do. This time round, my hotel of choice was Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel, a Marriott property about 15 minutes away from the Causeway (the bridge link to Singapore).

Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel

You can spot the hotel as you drive down the highway towards Permas Jaya, given its unlikely existence in an industrial estate. The hotel is a two-wing, 17-storey building that is set in a V-shape if you view from the top. The building, while only five years old, is fairly weathered: external walls are showing signs of peeling and browning.

The hotel is a standalone property complete with its own car park set as part of the building. The car park is classically basic as with most Malaysian car parks: dimly lit, narrow in most places and looking a little terrifying.

Lobby check in desks

However, that impression changes when you first enter the lobby. Rather immaculately decorated, the lobby is voluminous, with a high ceiling and ample space for large crowds to gather if necessary.

Arriving in the evening after an agonising three hours at the Singapore-Malaysia border, check-in was very smooth as there was no one else waiting to check in. In a couple of minutes after explaining the club lounge service hours, we were packed off to our room.

The room

The hotel consist of 325 rooms and 20 suites, along with plenty of meeting rooms that can be combined to form a ballroom, which is perfect for weddings.

The entry level room is the Deluxe Room, sitting at 34-36 square metres in size, depending on which room you get. For a premium you will get a bay view room, or you could also opt for a room on the 6th floor that gets direct access to the swimming pool (tip: not great). The pool terrace rooms, as well as the Club rooms, do get access to the Executive Lounge on 16th floor along with Club benefits.

Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel, Club Deluxe Room

There are also two types of suites in the hotel: a junior suite which is about 69 square metres, and a Presidential Suite spanning 153 square metres that comes with a separate living room, lavish bedroom and spacious bathroom on the topmost floor of the property.

I booked myself into a Club Deluxe room this time, and I was given a room on one of the Club floors on 15th floor. There didn’t seem to be any material difference between a club and non-club room, apart from the floor.

The room was fairly standard, with a king-sized bed coupled with a couch at the foot of the bed facing the TV screen. The room overlooks an industrial area with a mall, Permas Jaya Aeon, not too far away, but overall not a great view.

View from the room

Disappointingly, the bathroom didn’t have a bathtub. Modestly sized, the bathroom had a walk-in rain shower, a simple vanity and a segregated toilet. While it’s not my dream setup, of course I’m also concious I’m not exactly at Capella.

Club Lounge

While only a Rewards Category 2 hotel under Marriott’s new charts, Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel do offer club rooms with access to the Club Lounge.

The Club Lounge is located on the 16th floor and is open from 6am to 10.30pm daily, offering breakfast in the morning, light snacks in the afternoon and evening cocktails and refreshments from 5.30pm to 7.30pm daily with drinks available for another hour until 8.30pm. Confusing, yes I know.

Club lounge on 16th floor

The layout however baffled me a little. Most hotels that I’ve been to have the Club Lounge close to the lift lobby, or tucked away from most of the guest rooms, if not both.

In Renaissance JB’s case, given the unique layout of the hotel, the Club Lounge was located on one end of the building. While this is not entirely strange, what is strange is that the entrance to the Club Lounge faces a guest room — I would hate to be in that room.

Having said that, having arrived at the hotel only at about 7pm, I immediately dashed to the Club Lounge to check out what’s on offer. To my dismay, most of the snacks have emptied out, even though there was still half an hour to go. When I checked with the staff if they were still refilling the dishes, they initially said no, but I think enough people asked them so they eventually did so about 20 minutes later.

Evening cocktails and refreshments – lamb rendang, fish fritters, fried rice

What was on offer that evening was a chicken wrap, salted fish fried rice, a mushroom fritter and a mutton rendang. On the other side, there were some vegetable sticks and dips, as well as cakes. The food was actually quite palatable, even though the selection wasn’t wide. Perhaps I was running a little hungry, I actually went for a second serving of the fried rice.

The evening cocktail hours were also structured in a very confusing manner. Refreshments were available from 5.30pm to 7.30pm, while alcholic beverages were served from 5.30pm till 8.30pm, and non-alcoholic beverages for the rest of the evening until 10.30pm. It would have been heaps easier if they have aligned the food and alcoholic beverage service timings.

The Club Lounge is also furnished in an incredibly uncomfortable manner. All the seating were in the form of dining tables, and there were no sofa seating save for a couple of armchairs with a coffee table in the library corner. This also means that even if I had arrived earlier, I would have been rather unlikely to spend my day in the lounge reading over a cup of coffee.

Club lounge – Not the best latte I had

With a fairly uncomfortable seating for having a drink and reading a book, I lingered in the lounge up to about 9pm over a few more glasses of drinks, before heading back to my room for the night.

The facilities

Beyond the club lounge, Renaissance Johor Bahru also has a swimming pool and a 24-hour fitness centre, both on the 6th floor. For those who fancy some pampering at a spa, unfortunately there isn’t any at the hotel. However, you will be spoiled for choice with an array of options for massages in Johor, so the lack of a in-hotel spa should not be a problem.

Lap pool

There are two pools, a larger rectangular pool that you can do laps in, and a small whirlpool that’s good enough for you to let your kids play in. Alongside the swimming pool are deck chairs for those who love a good tan, as well as cabanas to lie in if you fancy that instead.

The gym is rather well equipped and spacious, complete with a dumbbell rack, cardio machines and various machines. The gym can be accessed with your key card 24 hours daily, so regardless whether you are an early riser who wants to get a workout before breakfast, or a late night gym junkie, you can get your workout anytime you wish.

The gym

For those who love a good spa facility, there’s only a sauna that’s available within the changing rooms, but not a steam room. The sauna is also fairly small size, but usually unoccupied during the few times I used it.

The food

The next morning, I had breakfast at the lobby restaurant. I typically love Malaysian hotel breakfasts as they have proven time and time again to have fantastic Asian offerings, such as the E&O in Penang which offered my favourites such as cooked-to-order roti canai.

As with most larger hotels, the breakfast restaurant is fairly large sized, with seating of over a hundred people from what I saw. Of course, the restaurants are fully halal, so don’t expect bak kut teh (pork ribs soup) here!

Breakfast restaurant at lobby

Just a sampling of what was available at the buffet: dim sum, roti canai, nasi lemak, congee, along with western options of eggs, sausages, waffles, pancakes, cereal, fruits, and more.

Given the glutton I am, I had to try a little of everything. The roti canai was not cooked-to-order, so there was only the plain ones on offer. However, there was thosai that could be ordered so that more than made up for it. The nasi lemak was pre-wrapped in a banana leaf, and offered the standard condiments including hard boiled eggs, sambal, ikan bilis and cucumber. The rice was on point: fragrant and not too soft, and when paired with the sambal, good enough on its own.

Breakfast at Renaissance JB Hotel

There was also dim sum available, although this was a little disappointing. There wasn’t the usual siew mai (dumplings) available, but instead there was many buns (not my favourites) and also some unidentifiable steamed items.

To top off breakfast, there was a soft serve machine too, serving up chocolate and vanilla soft serve, complete with toppings such as crushed peanuts, candy rice and more. This was certainly a great way to end the morning.

My thoughts

Overall, this is a fairly decent Marriott property, taking into consideration the price you pay for a club room.

The room itself was fairly comfortable, and I loved that couch at the feet of the bed, which allowed me a choice of either lounge on the couch or on the bed to watch TV. As with most hotel rooms, I couldn’t get the smart TV to cast my phone content so that was a pity.

The lounge was clearly a disappointment, since it wasn’t exactly designed for one to lounge in it, but rather built almost like a restaurant. Service was acceptable for the category, so I’m not going to lose much sleep over it. However, there are araes where the service can be tightened or simplified, for instance, ensuring that food is available right to the end of the evening cocktail hours.

Club Lounge

The highlight of the stay would most likely be the breakfast. While it was great on its own, it’s certainly not the best I had in Malaysia before. In fact, DoubleTree by Hilton over at Johor Bahru city centre might offer a better breakfast, although it’s immensely crowded.

Despite the above, Renaissance Hotel Johor Bahru is certainly a great value for money especially if you need a cheap option to clock nights to qualify for the new Marriott Elite status!

13 October 18
REVIEW: Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park, Deluxe Room

Being incredibly familiar with Bangkok and having stayed at over a dozen properties, I was looking to try out yet another one so I stumbled across Crown Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park, located in the Silom area.

Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park, access from King Rama IV Road

Crown Plaza Lumpini is located along the main street of King Rama IV Road, just around the corner from the more popular Silom Road and diagonally across Lumpini Park. Situated less than 100m away from the Silom MRT station and a little further away from the Sala Daeng BTS station, I actually kind of like where the hotel is – near enough to major transport options and yet away from the crazy streets that Silom can be in the evenings.

The hotel is co-located with the Ramaland Building, with the office space taking up the lower floors. The hotel technically begins on the 25th floor, and that’s where the lobby and the breakfast restaurant is. Rooms take up floors 26 to 33, with the club rooms on the upper floors.

Check-in lobby decked out in wood fittings and elegant decor

The room

For basic rooms, there are essentially only two room types: Superior and Deluxe, for both Club and non-Club rooms. Junior suites and executive suites are also available, all of which comes with Club access.

Deluxe Room

I had originally booked myself into the entry-level room type, the superior room. At check-in, I was pleasantly upgraded to the deluxe room, which was significantly larger at 46 square metres.

Guest rooms are all on levels 24 through level 33, of which levels 31 & 32 are reserved for club rooms, with the club lounge on level 33. I didn’t book myself into the club room this time, so I didn’t have the chance to check that out.

The building itself is triangular in shape, that also means that the rooms laid out across the three edges of the building with the middle of the floor hollowed out to form a large open void right above the restaurant on the 25th floor.

Deluxe Room

The deluxe room is a rather longish room, with a deep walkway from the door into the room. At 46 square metres, you are in no lack of space, and this was clear from the moment you step into the room.

The only notable difference in the layout from other standard business hotels is that the bathroom entrance faces the bed, but had a divider between the two in the form of a wardrobe. This creates a little walk-in wardrobe area right outside the bathroom, which was rather pleasing. What I’d like? Another door that I could close the wardrobe from the room, so that I could step out of the bathroom and get dressed in privacy if I had a person to share the room with.

Deluxe Room bathroom

During my stay, I noticed a good number of Japanese guests in the hotel. Upon closer inspection, I saw that most signs and notices, including the information booklet and the in-room dining menu, were not only in English and Chinese but also Japanese, hinting that this property may be popular with Japanese guests. There was also an option for a Japanese breakfast.

The bathroom featured a separate bathtub and shower stall, along with double vanities. The toilet has a Japanese style bidet as well.

The facilities

Like many other five-star hotels in Bangkok, the hotel has its own health club, complete with a spa, a swimming pool and a gym. Due to the size of the hotel, the facilities are pretty tiny.

Crowne Plaza Bangkok Swimming Pool

The swimming pool is an outdoor lap pool, probably about 20 metres in length. There is also an outdoor whirlpool at the end of the swimming pool, for those who may prefer a soak amid some hydrotherapy. For those who prefer sitting in a hot room, there is a sauna in each of the changing rooms, but note that there’s no steam rooms available in the property.

The fitness centre is small but packs a punch, with several cardio machines as well as a full rack of dumbbells, along with some cable machines.

Fitness centre

There are massages and other spa treatments offered by the health club, which can be taken at the treatment rooms. Do not expect a full spa sensory experience, given that these rooms are not within the confines of a typical hotel spa, but rather some random small rooms that spills out to the hotel corridor. Anyway, why would you be taking a massage in a hotel in Bangkok, given the plethora of good options in town?

The hotel also have meeting and conference facilities, located on levels 21 & 22, making it a possible location for business functions or events.

The main on-property restaurant is the Panorama Restaurant and Bar located on level 25, which is also the venue for the daily breakfast. Outside of breakfast hours, the restaurant offers all-day dining offering up an international cuisine spanning Thai, Asian and Western fare. What’s noteworthy is the open kitchen display where you can see your food being prepared in front of you.

Panorama restaurant at the lobby

On the 22nd floor, there’s also Xin Tian Di, a Cantonese restaurant better known for its dim sum. It offers a daily dim sum buffet at THB750++ on weekdays and THB900++ on weekends, with over 20 dim sum selections as well as some hot dishes and desserts that you can indulge in.

There is also a club floor along with an executive lounge, which I didn’t get the chance to check out on this stay.

In summary

While not in the heart of town closer to the big malls, the hotel is incredibly well located given the spitting distance to both BTS and MRT stations, making travelling around the city a breeze especially during peak hours.

The hotel has a pretty solid gourmet offering, although none of it particularly stood out in a city well known for its culinary scene.

Regretfully, it’s one of the few hotels I’ve seen in Bangkok that’s not entirely self-contained, but stayed as part of a mixed development building. This also means that the hotel could only offer a limited range of facilities, and I personally would have preferred if it had larger recreational facilities such as a bigger sized pool, and a larger gym.

City view from the room

The hotel is also looking tired. With its dim lighting across the common areas and within the room, the signs of age were still showing on the walls and in the bathroom fittings. Having said that, the hotel is still good in its own right, and definitely worth a visit if you ever need a convenient place to stay at with a wonderful view of the city from every room.

20 September 18
REVIEW: InterContinental Kuala Lumpur, Grand Premier Room with Club access

In a frantic attempt to complete the IHG Accelerate challenge by 31 July 2018, the end of the promotion period, I had to clock two nights at any InterContinental properties across Asia Pacific or the Middle East.

Given that I’m not going to hop on a seven-hour flight to the Middle East for a stay, I began scouring this region. The cheapest InterContinental property in Asia Pacific turned out to be right next door: Kuala Lumpur.

I booked myself into the entry level room for two nights at the InterContinental Kuala Lumpur for a total of just under RM1,100 over two nights. The property has also offered a e-Upgrade option where you can opt for certain payable upgrades, which will be confirmed at check-in.

For this stay, apart from offering a paid room upgrade opportunity, the hotel also offered Club InterContinental access for RM150++ per person per day. Since I was going to stay alone, this is much more worth it than paying RM230++ for an upgrade to a Club InterContinental Room.

The Hotel

InterContinental Kuala Lumpur is located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur near Ampang Park, or a stone’s throw away from KLCC. The hotel is easily accessible from KL Sentral via the LRT, so travelling from the airport to the hotel is relatively fuss-free on public transport.

InterContinental Kuala Lumpur, formerly Hotel Nikko

The 473-room property took on the InterContinental brand only in February 2011. Previously Hotel Nikko, the hotel was built in 1997, which explains the design of the hotel: a large front lawn lined up with flag poles and a large driveway; a voluminous lobby adorned with a giant and rather gaudy chandelier. Having said that, the hotel was renovated when InterContinental took over in 2011.

While this is touted as a five star hotel, the hotel had only rather standard amenities. Apart from meetings and conference venues, the hotel only had a 24-hour gym and a swimming pool for recreation. There’s an on-site spa, but beyond offering treatments, the spa did not have any relaxation facilities such as a jacuzzi or sauna.

Fairly good sized swimming pool

The Room

Checking in was a breeze considering I arrived in the middle of the day. The check-in staff did acknowledge my IHG Rewards Club membership, and proactively offered an upgrade to the Grand Premier Room.

InterContinental Ambassador dedicated check-in counters

Of course, while that sounded awesome, a closer look at the website showed that the first three room types – Deluxe, Premier and Grand Premier – were all of the same size, and offered the same amenities. And Kuala Lumpur is not a city with a great cityscape, so view is definitely not worth any premium.

Entrance to the Grand Premier Room

At 42 square metres, InterContinental Kuala Lumpur offers up a generous room size, consistent with other hotels built around the same time. The Grand Premier Room, later I found out, was more recently renovated than some of the lower tier rooms.

The room featured a rather standard layout, with an oversized King bed backed upon a beige soft panel against one side and the TV on the other. I believe the bed could take up to an entire family of two adults with two very small children.

Grand Premier Room, InterContinental Kuala Lumpur

The bed was rather firm to my liking, but the pillows were rather lacking in support. Both mornings I woke up with a slight neckache, which was a pity given that excellent bed.

The bathroom now has a see-through glass wall that looks into the room, a feature that I don’t quite understand especially for larger rooms like these. In smaller, newer hotel rooms, hotels often do this to make the room more spacious. But in this case, I don’t see any particular function for this except if you’ll like to watch TV while standing up in the bathtub.

Spacious bathroom

Having said that, I appreciated the large bathroom. Arguably one of the better designed toilets, with the details put in sensibly. When else will you need a phone unless you run out of toilet paper while you are on the toilet?

The toiletries were from Agraria as well, similar to what is provided to all InterContinental properties around the world. The American brand markets itself as an aromatherapy brand, but I’m not too big a fan of their bath gels and shampoos as they feel rather watery and I ended up using half the bottle each time.

Club InterContinental

On level 26, certainly not as huge and definitely not as wonderfully designed as the Club InterContinental in Singapore. The decor is a little strange in my opinion, with large gaudy marble table tops and matching ugly chairs. The carpet was incredibly worn out too while the armchairs looked like they needed reupholstering.

Club InterContinental Lounge on Level 26

The centrepiece of the lounge was a full marble countertop where food and drinks were placed throughout the day. Hanging above was an array of lights hung from an equally unappealing reflective metal piece. All in all, they looked like they were designed on a budget in the 1980s and never got refreshed.

As with other Club InterContinental, the lounge offers all-day refreshments, with a la carte breakfast, high tea and evening cocktails for guests to enjoy.

Afternoon tea at Club InterContinental KL

Right after checking in, I went to the lounge for the afternoon tea. The afternoon tea is available daily between 2.30pm to 4.30pm. Similar to InterContinental Singapore, there’s a three-tier afternoon tea set that’s served up, but you can also pick and choose from items if you are feeling peckish but don’t quite feel like a glutton.

Scones were delightful but a little too starchy, clotted cream was on point. The rest of the items were passable, but nowhere near memorable by KL standards, given that you could get incredibly delicious food anywhere.

Afternoon tea at Club InterContinental KL

I asked for a flat white to go with the high tea, but disappointingly what came was more like a cafe au lait.

This is when I start to find the service a little awkward. The staff were all incredibly polite and attentive, but the presentation of food and beverage is pretty much awkward. The coffee I requested for came filled to the brim of the cup, which also means that the wait staff struggled not to spill anything while bringing it to me. The sparkling water that I asked for came at room temperature and a single ice cube, again filled right to the brim and I found myself trying not to spill any while lifting it off the table to bringing it to my lips.

In the evening, cocktail hours was from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. Similar to the other InterContinental hotels, the Club lounge serve up a selection of hot hor d’oeuvres, along with a light buffet spread of canapés, cut fruits and cakes.

Evening cocktails canapés

I got there at a little over 6pm, and the lounge was well attended, but not filled to the brim. I ended up at one of the high benches as most of the choice tables were taken up.

What I thought was good effort on the hotel’s part was to have a theme each day. The first evening I was there, the food were essentially French, with a seafood skewer, some random beef cube and a mushroom tart. This was great, so I had a couple of servings through the evening along with the canapés and desserts.

Hot hor d’oeuvres, French themed

The second evening was Japanese, with a trio of karaage items for the hot food, and other appetising selections such as spinach in sesame sauce, unagi with seaweed, cucumber and ponzu sauce as well as an assortment of sushi (it was just California maki and inari sushi). Even the desserts were Japanese themed, featuring mochi, azuki cakes and azuki matcha creme.

Having said that, the quality of food was acceptable. It wasn’t mind blowing, but palatable enough for you to waste a bit of calories. Be sure to leave space to venture out and get yourself a wonderful Malaysian dinner.

Breakfast

As a Club InterContinental guest, you get a choice of breakfast either at Serena Brasserie at the lobby, or at the Club InterContinental lounge.

I checked out Serena on the first day. Even before 9am, the restaurant was filled to the brim and there was a line outside waiting for tables. Not totally unexpected, given the size of the hotel. I was seated rather quickly given I was alone and the groups ahead of me were waiting for larger tables.

Breakfast at Serena Brasserie

I usually have rather high expectations of Malaysian hotel breakfast buffets. In my opinion, they are always much better than the Singapore hotels. For instance, the made-to-order roti canai at Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang still lingers in my mind (and its imaginary tastebuds).

The variety of food at Serena Brasserie was pretty reasonable, with a splattering of offerings such as western options, to your local dishes such as congee with condiments, live cooking noodle station, dim sum and Indian curries. However, the quality was pretty dismal: while there’s a staff making roti canai, they were not cooked to order. It was more of a showroom, where he makes it, cuts it into smaller pieces and brings it out to one of the buffet tray.

Roti canai & dim sum, Serena Brasserie

The noodles were also incredibly underwhelming, lacking flavour in the soup base. The ingredients were pretty dubious too, and I had no idea what the balls were.

Above all, given the volume of guests, the trays often empty out quickly and the staff were slow in replenishing the food. I was staring at the empty tray of nasi lemak, with some remnants of rice left atop a banana leaf base, wondering if I should scrape the bottom of the tray.

The only thing worth eating in that place? The chicken siew mais. I probably had six.

The morning of the day I left, I decided to head up to the club lounge for my breakfast instead. As with other Club InterContinental lounges, it features a part buffet, part a la carte menu.

Breakfast at Club InterContinental KL

While the menu wasn’t extensive, it had a bit of everything: some local options, along with the usual western eggs and even lighter options.

Unsure of the portions, I decided to go for eggs first, done over easy. The single egg arrived slightly burnt, with two oily small tomatoes and some asparagus on the side.

Pancakes with berries

Obviously a single egg is not going to fill me up. So after I was done with the egg, I ordered the pancakes. The serving was small, but totally unappetizing. For some reason, the pancakes came slightly cold and almost tasteless on its own. I gave up after one pancake.

The buffet spread was slightly better, especially the nonya kuehs. That kind of was the saving grace for me.

Final words

Overall the hotel is pretty underwhelming for an InterContinental property. The rooms are decent, but the quality of food and service is pretty much lacking. For a foodie city, the quality of food, both in the lounge and at the breakfast restaurant, has to go up several notches to attract people to want to spend time in the hotel, although one can argue that you shouldn’t be spending time in any hotel in KL.

InterContinental Kuala Lumpur

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that the service is bad. What is lacking is the refinement in the service, particularly of the wait staff in the lounges. The staff were friendly, but when it comes to plating food, serving drinks, you could tell that they needed a lot more training.

While InterContinental Kuala Lumpur has got pretty good rooms and plenty of space to work with, the hotel will be hard pressed to compete with other properties in the city, especially if it wants to be a hotel of choice for business and premium leisure travellers alike.

18 August 18