hockeyinsider

Breakfast is in the restaurant, but the lounge was open all day when I was there and include junk food snacks, Pepsi and coffee. Booze and food is only during a late afternoon "tea" and at night.

ftrichard

Tell me more. I love to hear superstitious fairy tales. Who you gonna call?

On a serious note... hockeyinsider: did you really stay in the original building? From your description of the condition of the place it doesn't sound like The Majestic I know. The hotel was gutted and refurbished by YTL and the new block built on the back which contains all the rooms and suites. They're very high standard and well maintained. I don't know of anyone else who has been put in the original hotel but if these rooms exist then there's no reason they would not have been gutted and refurbished to the same high standard as the new-build block.

YTL is one of the few Malaysian hotel companies that knows how to manage and maintain hotels (the other being the E&O in Penang) so your observations surprise me. This hotel was a member of Leading Hotels of the World for a while before it switched to Marriott - not a surprise given that YTL also owns and operates the JW and RC in KL and they clearly have a good relationship with Marriott.

Shame you didn't take pictures of your dilapidated suite in the original wing. It occurs to me that maybe these original rooms are not actually open to the public and you went through some ghostly time dilation during your stay which would explain the dust, condition, lack of English, oatmeal and clock.

jennifurchua

Thanks! I did manage to check with the hotel the operating hours are from 7am - 11pm

hockeyinsider

Yes. I did stay in the old wing. Maybe dilapidated was too strong. It needed renovation and/or heavy maintenance -- tile regrouting, new paint on walls and balcony handrails, some stained carpeting replacement, and the like. I can see why room rates are well under $100.

Srisarin

Following your logic the refurbished KL Renaissance should be more expensive then the Majestic but that's not the case. The Renaissance is generally $50/night less then the Majestic. In fact my newly refurbished suite was only $67/night (but was chosen not because of its price but because we were meeting friends who work at Petronas Tower).

hockeyinsider

Kuala Lumpur's rates are very low, though the J.W. Marriott seems to have the highest rates. I can see why, though. It was a more elegant and refined experience.

Srisarin

having stayed at the JW on our first 5 trips to KL we found the traffic going to Pavillion and the limited SkyTrain option several blocks away the basis to go elsewhere

the nearby restaurant/club area called Lot 100 (or similar) has unfortunately gone downhill and couldn't even support the only Fuddruckers in Malaysia

although we do recommend trying Din Tai Fong on the top floor of the Pavillion if you are staying here

hockeyinsider

There is a lot if construction in and around this year. The shopping mall is pretty nice but I don't go to Asia to spend time in a mall.

There was a big street food night market, maybe 7 minutes by foot from the hotel. You turned left at the KFC onto Changkat Bukit Bintang. It looked very popular with locals and tourists alike. Along Changkat Bukit Bintang itself were many restaurants and bars, though there were also a lot of prostitutes peddling their services. I had a good authentic Italian-esque pizza.

Srisarin

The Pavillion houses Din Tai Fong - best dim sum outside of Taiwan (this type has soup inside).

The big food night market was likely Lot 100, the area I mentioned before (as losing Fudd's) - no longer a recommended area.

And BB is the local hooker hangout area.

hockeyinsider

I don't know how you can say that. I was just there. The market was jammed with locals and tourists. The street food vendors were diverse and quite affordable. The nearby street had a dozen-plus restaurants ranging from tourist trap pub/bars with TVs showing European soccer games to decent restaurants like the Italian place I ate.

Srisarin

While each of us have there own opinion, Lot 100 is not the place it was a few years ago.
Although within walking distance of the JW doesn't make it great since you don't know other areas, and IMO and that of locals who take me to other areas I would never find as a visitor, which are much better, but if you're satisfied great (and I spent my last 5-nights in KL "way back" in late July and doubt thins have changed much in the last few weeks).

Then again I don't go to Malaysia to dine on Italian food!

ftrichard

You're probably talking about Jalan Alor for the "night market" and Changkat for the restaurant/pub street. If you're in Changkat then head to the end and go to Rabbit Hole. Tell them I sent you. Changkat's not really teaming with obvious prostitutes apart from up-market African ones who hang out at the bar in Havana with a glass of water all evening "Come on, let's go back to your hotel. I'm from Ghana," said one to me once. "No thanks love." By 2-3am the skanky ones come out on the street corner by Opium restaurant but by then you should be tucked up in bed with your beauty from Ghana.

All quite off topic and nothing to do with the Majestic. I'm still waiting to hear more ghost stories about this lovely heritage hotel.

SkiAdcock

I'll settle for more reports re: the hotel & the others can take it to the appropriate travel destination forum for which area they're discussing

Cheers.

Vince Chan

I stayed in the old wing suite and it was a good value, however one of the hotel staff providing incorrect info to me on my check out date on Dec 31st that " all the road around pavilion area is closed for New Year's eve, you can just walked to KL sentral it was very close and take MRT to city center", however KL sentral is not walkable from the hotel and I stuck in the Muzium Negara and uber drive could not found me, very difficult to catch a taxi in the high way. This is really inconvenient and I end up find a car to the Pavillion and the road is not closed at all.

Srisarin

Since KL Station is a 3 minute walk from.the Majestic and all train lines feed into/out of Central Main Station no one with an once of common sense is going to think that Central Station would be less then a km away and therefore not within easy walking distance as substations are spaced out accordingly from Central