saimike

nice. thanks for the info on neighborhood the hotel is in! it sounds like there'll be lotsa good indian food from what mario33 said.

mario33

Just completed my first ever stay at the new Kuala Lumpur Hilton.

I had problems with the air-conditioning as well and the instructions they gave me over the phone didnt lower the temperature. Eventually someone from Engineering came up.

I believe what happened was that your mode was set to "fan" or "no setting" instead of the "cool" setting. The control display was extremely small for you to notice the difference and even those guys on the phone at "magic" (express service) were not aware of this function. It might be useful if they have some sort of a written instruction on how to adjust the temperature.

And yes I know what you mean about the WC dials

mario33

As Gold, you will either be upgraded to a "deluxe room on the executive floor with lounge access" or a "larger room-grand deluxe with no lounge access". I suggest you opt for the former as the lounge is one of the highlights of this hotel.

As for the view, I personally prefer the Lake Gardens-Paliament House view which stretches from Bangsar to the City Centre. The other side of the hotel faces Brickfields and the view is not as nice unless you are into train-spotting Rooms with large bay windows will give you a better view than those without which has smaller windows.

Also I remember reading someone complaining about the room size. Apparently rooms towards the ends of the building (just before the end suites) are quite small as the building's width tapers towards both ends. Avoid these rooms if you are concerned with the room size.

mario33

If you are adventureous enough and are into the local scene, by all means venture into Brickfields

Otherwise, a safer option would be the fastfood outlets within the Sentral station as The_Diamond_Z suggested

Scott218

Based on all your experiences, would you stay at the KL Hilton over say the Oriental or the Peninsula? Right now, Mandarin Oriental and the Peninsula (without breakfast) are priced lower than the KL Hilton. I'm a Diamond and would be upgraded at the Hilton.

Also, in terms of location to shopping, nightlife and sightseeing, how does the Hilton fare over the MO and the Peninsula?

mario33

If you want easy access to KLIA or would be spending much time in the hotel watching tv (42inch plasma), stay at the KL Hilton.

If you are a tourist looking for nightlife,shopping and some sightseeing, stay at the MO.

I am not aware of any Peninsula Hotel in KL, are you getting KUL mixed-up with BKK

Scott218

You were right, I did get BKK and KUL mixed up.
I am now only scheduled to stay in KUL for one day. How should I maximize my stay at the KL Hilton or the MO?

mario33

If you have limitted time in KL and your journey to/from the airport coincide with the peak hour traffic, the KL Hilton may be a better bet.

Its difficult to suggest how to maximise your stay without knowing what interests you and the hours you have in KL. You can do a search for "Kuala Lumpur" in the Asia forum, and there are recent threads on places to visit for a short stay in KL (sorry I dont know how to provide a link).

The_Diamond_Z

I agree...but...

If you're doing a layover and think you'll be too tired to see anything (it's long flight from Toronto) the the KL Hilton is the way to go. Otherwise, if the price is near enough the same, I'd go with the MO. It's much nicer property (though not as new) in a better location for seeing stuff; it's next to the Petronas Towers.

Also, if you're going to hang around for a few days it's worth looking at The Ascott across the street from the MO. It's a few bucks more, but it's a very nice corporate apartment with all of the hotel amenities.

Scott218

Here's a little more details on my KL one night/day stunt.

I will arrive March 10 from SIN at about 9pm and depart next day at about 8pm to BKK. So technically, I am spending a night and can do a full day of activity.

If anyone's around during those times, PM me. We can go somewhere and have a drink or 2.

Thanks for advice on the Asia Forum (didn't know that existed).

sphere

I had 3 stays in the past month. 3 nights, 5 nights and 1 night.

I love this hotel! The lounge is excellent. 10K points per night for this hotel is definitely the best deal. They say that they have X-box, PS2, DVD player, printer etc for rent, but they don't have X-box. Also I tried to get printer almost everyday but to no avail. The PS2 is Japanese version and wouldn't play copy games (RM5 each) that are for sale in many places in Malaysia. The housekeeping was a bit annoying as they ring the door bell many times in the morning even though I had DND sign on my door and after I turned on the DND switch in the room, they called us on the phone. I don't understand why they can't understand what these DND signs are for.

Also, many people stated that the aircon is weak. But I felt the whole building was like a freezer. It's freezing cold everywhere. I turned off the aircon in the room but I had to grab a jacket when I go to the lounge.

First stay: got a room on 35th (top). Great stay. No wireless signal there.

Second stay: got a room on 32nd floor (3215). It's directly below executive lounge and you can pick up wireless signal. FREE Wi-Fi all day! But this room had so many small ants. Very disgusting.

Third stay: First they assigned me 2601. This room smelled like "public bathroom". It got worse after we turned off the aircon. We had to ask to move to another room. 2601 is right next to the elevator and also slightly smaller than other rooms. No wireless signal.

Keithl

Got an email from Amex today that the 2nd free night promo (code: plan2K) is extended till 28/Feb

Jetboy

I recently stayed at the Hilton KL . I thought I would share a few notes from my stay.

I had booked an executive room, none the less check-in was done in the crowded lobby after a few minutes wait. No offered the option of checking-in in the Executive Lounge. I don´t know if it is hotel policy or not, but no one escorted to the room either. Lobby was very busy, nothing spectacular.

Room itself was absolutely gorgeous in every way, just superb. Very Zen and open pålan with marble bath and rainfall shower, 42" plasma tv etc.

Room service was generally good, although turn-down service failed to materialize on the first night.

Pool area was gorgeous, but unfortunately that is the only positive side of the whole experience. Service at the pool was 3 * at best. Irregular patrols by pool staff made ordering drinks and food from the very limited menu difficult, unless walking to the Boardwalk bar itself. Menu offered only a few substantial lunch items, mostly light snacks. Are guests wanting to have a proper lunch expected to go to Studio straight from the pool area? I also noticed that one day when lounging in the Le Meridien end of the pool(due to the Hilton end being completely in the shade), the Le Meridien staff automatically brought ice water once setteled down. At the Hilton end it was made to understand that the only water available would be Evian or another brand, and for purchase. Felt more like a Holiday Inn that a 5* Hilton.

On a more positive note the Executive Lounge was absolultely fantastic, definate highlight of the hotel. The staff were the most accomodating and gracious I have encountered in a long time. The evening canapée service was superb as was the breakfast with made to order items.
Lounge seemed to offer 3 setting - breakfast - afternoon tea and cocktails and canapées.

A painless check-out and warm fairwells from the Executive Lounge staff ended my stay with mixed feelings.

The hotel seems to have great potential, but at the moment it just isn´t delivering a "true" 5 star experience in all areas. But then again I guess a 5* star experience can´t really be expected from a hilton family hotel.

Any questions..just ask

cheers

JB

mario33

Apart from The Datai in Langkawi, I cant think of any other hotel in Malaysia that delivers a "true" 5 star service, no matter how luxurious the property may be. Hence its not really a Hilton problem but more of a "cultural" problem.

I found the "HHonors Check-in Desk" agents on the lobby level to be rather cold and impersonal; reminding me of characters from fictional spaceage movies.

On the positive side, the highlights of this hotel are :

1) The Executive Lounge (very good !)
2) 42inch Plasma TV in the rooms
3) Easy accessibility to KLIA using the KLIA Express

tvl4free

I would just like to add my recent experience to the plethora of info stated above.

I agree w you 100%. Infact, I got a really wierd vibration while checking into this hotel. It was a bad karma 'type of thing.' The lobby was packed and I did not particularly like the way in which trafffic was directed to the next available agent. YES SIR! ACHTUNG! I'LL GET IN THE NEXT CATTLE CAR LINE, SIR!

In short, I did not feel welcome at all... even tho I was ultimately directed to the Honors Check-in stand.

One of the things that really bothered me is that many of the staff wear these earphone telephones. They reminded me of futuristic GESTAPO-like security guards! (To get the feel, imagine a Cathay Pacific FA uniform w an earphone headset). And they never really smiled or relaxed - it was like they felt that mgmt was watching their every move and ready to pounce if they made the smallest of mistakes! Well FWIW, I dont want the GESTAPO checking me into my hotel! These people tended to talk into space, and I didn't know for sure whether they were talking to me or talking to someone else on the phone. More often than not, they were talking to others behind the scenes. Infact, I got the sense that someone in 'Hilton Heaven' was watching every move via camaras. In short, I really felt that I was just another charge card number at this hotel.

Well, here I slightly disagree. The CONRAD BKK IT IS NOT! The food and munchies are on par with what is offered at the CONRAD BKK, however, and if you're familiar with the Exec Lounge there, you will find this one to have much the same feel... altho not nearly as warm and personal, IMHO. I really, really like the afternoon and evening little mini cakes and sweet desserts! Yummm!

Again, I agree. As a GOLD member, I was not upgraded to the EF, but was offered access to the Lounge. The best thing about the room is the plasma TV and of course, the cascading waterfall shower. But the room itself was very small I felt. Just a little too compact and hard to get around the bed. The space went into the 2 room bathroom.

If you have never stayed here before, but pass thru KLIA, you can get a feel for the room as there is an exact 'sales' mock-up in the airport.

BTW, the pool area is absolutely FABU! I loved the way that it winds from one hotel to the other! The fitness Centre is typical Clark Hatch, IIRC.

Two things of particular note I want to report:

1. As always, beware of phone charges. (I thought local phone charges for GOLD's were free - but on check-out, they insisted that that is NOT the case in this hotel). Anyway, I'll prolly need to review the rules on that and check my portfolio cos schzammm, local calls were very, very, high!!!.

Infact, I got hit extraordinarily hard for a 10 minute call to a KUL mobile phone. Hilton charged me $13 USD just for that single call. YIKES! OUCH! WILL I EVER LEARN???

ALSO

2. BEWARE THAT SECURITY IS SEVERELY LACKING IN THIS HOTEL!

Just anyone can walk up... they literally do... as they don't block visitors w one of their futuristic headset persons - or block visitors via an elevator card key system either. This is evidenced by the fact that I had friends just suddenly 'appear at my door' un-announced (on numerous occassions). Knock, knock, knock.

This is NOT GOOD I THINK!

T4F