The Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur is the epitome of the image we have of the brand: dusty. On top of that, the service is not at all up to standard.
I had hesitated for a long time when I booked this hotel. During his last stay in Malaysia Olivier had booked a room here until people working in the sector (and the same group) advised him against this property and recommended the Saint Regis Kuala Lumpur. The explanation? “It smells like death”. Appealing, isn’t it?
As I was only passing through for one night I decided to take the risk. And then, after all, sometimes my experience is totally different from what other people have told me, for good or bad. Of course I hope I will be pleasantly surprised.
You will find the list of articles about this trip in Malaysia at the bottom of the page.
Booking
I had booked a deluxe room for the equivalent of 150 euros on the Marriott app a fortnight before my trip.
Arrival at the hotel and check-in
It is without luggage that I arrived, my suitcase not having followed me during my connection in Singapore from Copenhagen. I took the excellent Klia Ekspres between the airport and the central station (not so much Ekspres anymore since it’s been an omnibus since the COVID but still faster and cheaper than a cab) and then took a Grab (the local Uber) to the hotel.
I had previously done my check-in online in the app and no upgrade will be visible until I arrive at the hotel. Not surprisingly, on closer inspection there are hardly any rooms available. On the other hand I had indicated my arrival time to benefit from an early check in.
The hotel is well located in the city center but does not look like much: a big old tower without much charm.
I head to the reception where I am quickly taken care of.
I am greeted without any mention of the loyalty program or any form of recognition. I am not told which benefits I am entitled to or which ones I can choose and my early check-in request is not mentioned. I give the imprint of my card and at this moment I am told that my room is not ready and that I have to wait between 3 and 4 hours, that they will call me when it is good.
And that’s it. They could have shown me where the bar was, told me what I could do meanwhile, or even, as is often done in this kind of property, offered me a drink or a snack while I waited…but there was nothing.
I will spend the next few hours waiting in the lobby and without any internet connection since I don’t have a room number to log in
At least I will have the time to visit it…
I must admit that at first sight it is rather pretty even if as the hour advances it will become noisy and crowded like a station hall.
I’m doing my best to keep busy but fortunately I found a seat not too far from a power outlet to charge my devices.
After 3 hours nobody has contacted me so I go back to the reception. There I meet a new interlocutor who tells me that…my room is ready since a long time and that “they must have forgotten to warn me”.
My suitcase should also be delivered around this time but I don’t see it coming and my airtag tells me it’s still at the airport. Never mind, if I can’t change my clothes, I can at least take a shower and rest.
The receptionist did not tell me how to get to my room or provided me with assistance to get there. No problem, the elevators are right in front of me.
So I go up to the floor of my room…. and I can’t find the corresponding room number. The corridors are old and do not look good, I even see pairs of shoes in front of the doors… strange…
I go back down and find a bellman to whom I expose my problem. He tells me that the elevators next to the reception do not lead to the guests’ rooms (but what do they lead to then?) and offers to accompany me to my room. Finally someone who is friendly and helpful.
He carries my computer bag (anyway I have only that to carry) and accompanies me by making conversation. Very pleasant and jovial! In passing he shows me a small, almost invisible sign that indicates the way to the guests’ rooms.
First, you have to take a staircase, go to a hall which is also a bar and there…
Unfindable if you don’t know. Then you have to cross the bar to reach the elevators.
The crossing of this room and then the corridor that leads to my room are less pleasant than the lobby of the hotel. This looks really old, or even worse.
Neither pretty nor convenient, but who could have designed this? Pleasant neither for the customer who has to reach his room nor for the customers of the bar who are in the middle of the passage.
Anyway, I end up in my room.
The room
It is perhaps the only positive point of this stay. It is a good thing, because in a hotel the room is still important, but in a hotel of this standing it is a bit meager.
When you enter you will find on one side a beautiful dressing room.
On the other side we have the bathroom, large, in marble, with shower and bathtub.
Then, opposite we have the bedroom itself.
There is a night part with the bed:
Then a large day area with sofa and desk.
They call it a deluxe and it is a nice deluxe as some hotels would not hesitate to call it a suite even if it would be misleading.
The office area is comfortable.
Beautiful volumes and a feeling of space.
Some will find that the style of the room is also a bit old-fashioned but as far as I’m concerned I find it more than acceptable, especially compared to the rest of the property.
The bedding is also very comfortable and of very good quality even if I slept rather little and badly but it is not the fault of the hotel. The time difference will prevent me to find sleep quickly and at 3 am there was the quarter final of the world cup between France and England. I didn’t watch it but that didn’t stop me from getting a ton of messages and comments from friends during the game which eventually woke me up.
A little attention was also waiting for me with a note from the management.
We finish with the usual video of the room.
Bar and restaurant
The hotel has several restaurants and a bar but none of them was really appealing except one!
It is a restaurant called The Library, located next to the bar of the same name which is none other than the room that we cross to reach the elevators.
I will not see any customers in the bar area and will be the only one to dine in the restaurant in the evening. I chose it for a particularity: it proposes a tasting menu not with a wine pairing but with a whisky pairing.
The setting is quite nice from a distance, old-fashioned up close if you look at the details.
The large table in the middle in the entryway looks a bit “we served a buffet and left it there in case we needed it”. Not really professional in terms of impression. I would say that it is both beautiful and sad.
I will be seated on the bench, not really comfortable.
I am presented with the whiskies concerned.
The meal can begin:
Homemade egg pasta, mushrooms from Italy Romagna and Gruyere from Fribourg
It is very good and the sauce is excellent. Too bad it was served more lukewarm than hot. Excellent marriage between the smokiness of the whisky and the cheese.
Ocean trout, marinated cucumber and fresh cream
Good and fresh. The trout has a lot of body. The cream is too much, the rest being self sufficient.
Fish in a crust of ginger, coriander, shallots, dill, baked with tomatoes, olives and basil.
Perfect fish in texture and cooking. As for the whisky, it is good but I am still looking for the added value of the meeting of the two.
I don’t remember what dessert was originally planned but it will be replaced by a chocolate pie.
Very good and the vanilla ice cream will be as creamy as can be.
I will take a glass of cognac with my coffee to finish not without the waiter rushing me a little: he closes at 11pm and it is already 10:20pm…
As for the service: good, polite, efficient but the waiter could have worked at the funeral home because he looked so sad and gave the impression of being bored.
But finally a very good meal.
I would then like to have a drink at the bar and buy a cigar to enjoy the property’s cigar lounge. I come across another server as friendly as a prison door.
“That’s not possible sir, we close at 11pm”.
“It’s 10:50 pm…”
“Yes, but I have things to do to close my bar and by the time I’m done it will be 11pm”.
“You have time to sell me a cigar, they are next to you”.
“No I have things to do and then it will be 11pm. But you can enjoy the cigar lounge without a cigar”.
“Okay good night.”
Fortunately I’m only staying for one night…
Facilities
I will not try the hotel’s spa but its gym and will have a look at the pool.
The gym is large and well equipped, nothing to complain about.
As for the swimming pool, even though it is large, it is not exceptional and does not look very premium for a property of this standing.
The staff and the service
At the reception: neither friendly nor professional.
At the restaurant: professional but sad.
At the bar: unpleasant.
I will add two things, one positive and one negative.
My suitcase was late in arriving and as I was leaving the next morning I tried to contact the airport baggage service at the number they gave me, in vain. As I was heading to a bar to have a tea I let out an expletive while hanging up my phone. A gentleman calls me and asks me if he can help me. It is the concierge of the hotel to whom I explain the situation. He asks me to follow him to his office and tells me that he has the phone numbers of the people in charge, as he deals with many such problems. He calls, puts a little pressure on them and even tells them that “if they are not able to deliver in the day he will send a car from the hotel to get my suitcase”. A few minutes later I will see my airtag in motion even though the suitcase will only be delivered to me at the end of the tour.
Thanks to him.
However, I will be in my room when it is delivered. The reception calls me.
“Your suitcase has been delivered”
“Great, can you bring it up to my room?”
“Ah you’re not coming down to get it?”
“Um…no.”
After a few seconds I will hear a weary voice say “okay, we’ll bring it to you”.
A 5 stars ?
Check out
I will do my check out online on the mobile app to save me the ordeal of going to the front desk.
Bottom line
I would like to say a big thank you to the bellman and the concierge. The rest is simply not up to par, dusty and old both in the building, the decor and in the attitudes.
If you want a nice hotel in Kuala Lumpur, forget about this one.
The articles about this trip in Malaysia.
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