A late report from a trip in August...

This hotel is a dump and a half:

-rooms were bleak
-employees seemed downright grim
-service (other than the housekeeping) was excrutiatingly slow and inattentive
-restaurant offerings were poor and uninspired
-the "low end Euro package traveler" scene was not a plus in my book,
-RC snacks were remnicscent of high school cafeteria food (e.g., chicken nuggets), and,
-public areas were tired.

I understand that some renovations are underway, the suite upgrades are a good deal, and the hotel is inexpensive, but I wouldn't go back for half the price. The whole experience just felt cheap.

The deal sealer was the lousy treatment we received throughout the stay, and particularly annoying was the incredibly cold service my (gay) partner received. He's Filipino, but the staff were convinced that he was "pretending to not be Malaysian." It got old and awkward very fast.

We recognize that the east coast of Malaysia is very conservative and were 100% discrete during our stay -- for all staff knew, we could be two friends on vacation. (Trust me -- I am overly sensitive the regional cultural norms.) Nevertheless, we got plenty of weird looks during our stay.

On the streets of Kuantan -- if you want to stare, that's fine by me.
In an international hotel -- unacceptable.

Despite some other service deficiencies, our stay up the road at Tanjong Jara had none of the awkwardness of the stay at the Hyatt -- so I don't know if one can blame it on the culture...it sounds like more of a training issue to me.