Sep 12, 2023, 11:53 am
St Regis Langkawi, Malaysia [Master Thread]
Aug 8, 2016, 12:12 pm
#61
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott/SPG Gold, Alaska MVP Gold, Delta Gold, AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 64
Just returned from a 4 night stay at the end of July. Was a bit disappointed with the property, but still had a good vacation overall. See points below:
Good
Okay
BadIn summary I don't think I would return or recommend the resort unless you manage to get one of the private pool suites. There are just so many other aspirational properties in Southeast Asia that are magnitudes better than this property. I believe the service will vastly improve over time, but don't see how they can ever fix the issue of the poorly designed layout and overcrowding of the property. However, with rates now starting at $250/night and in combination with the Luxury Privileges benefits - it could make for a nice weekend getaway for anyone living nearby. Let me know if you have any specific questions about the resort.
Good
- Interiors were absolutely gorgeous - modern, yet classic; no expense was spared.
- Food quality was excellent, although the menu options were slightly limited. The pool menu had only 4 options. We ate at Kayuputi (nicest restaurant) for both lunch and dinner and the set menu was exactly the same. Breakfast was one of the best I've experienced - free flowing Tattinger included!
- Luxury Privileges rate was an incredible value - the daily lunch/dinner included was basically the same as the restaurant's normal fixed price menu (which I believe was around $130/person).
- Included Bentley airport service was a very nice perk. (actually got the Bentley)
- Setting was gorgeous with lush forest covered hills surrounding the resort and in the distance behind the water
Okay
- Upgraded to a St. Regis suite as a Platinum member (booked Premier Andaman Sea View), however they would not upgrade to a Pool Suite without a hefty fee (yet they upgraded our friend for free who was traveling with us and who was also a Platinum)
- Our friends pool suite was pretty bad (#105) - packed into a really small space with little, to no privacy. It appeared that only two of the pool suites were private, with much larger outdoor areas and pools - I believe they were #120 and #121.
- Pictures make everything look much more grand and larger than it really is. They had an excellent photographer!
- Prices were fairly high - a Bloody Mary was about $25. Not outrageous for a St. Regis, but was pretty high for Malaysia.
- I accidentally left my wallet at the restaurant one night and didn't realize it was missing until the following day. Frantically searched our suite turning it upside down. Finally called down in the early afternoon to see if they might have found it - and to my surprise they had found it the previous night. Thought it was really odd that they wouldn't have left me a message or attempted to deliver it.
Bad
- Resort layout was absolutely terrible - at least a 5 minute walk through a maze like hallway to our suite. I couldn't believe how much they packed into the small footprint of the resort - the pool villas were practically on top of one another. It was extremely difficult to navigate anywhere in the resort - nothing connected anywhere you thought it would - it just didn't make any sense.
- Hallways were open air with TONS of bugs everywhere. As a person who doesn't like bugs it was not fun walking to our suite at night as you basically got hit by flying bugs constantly
- The main pool was much too small for the resort. It featured an "island" with 2 loungers, yet you had to swim through the pool to reach them; ridiculous design.
- The sand and beach were not very attractive. Sand was subpar, palm trees looked sick and immature, and the water seemed dirty - nothing like the pictures. Low tide caused almost the entire lagoon to drain out - it was really not pretty when that happened.
- Hot water did not work the morning of our early departure... it was not fun taking a cold shower at 6am before our early flight!
- Airport lounge was advertised as being open at 7:30am on their website, yet was closed when we were at the airport at 8:30am - non St Regis airport staff said they are open at various times, but usually not before noon.
- Service was well-intentioned, yet pretty bad. I do not believe the hotel provided adequate training to the staff prior to the opening. I assume it will get better as the resort ages, but there were many things that were unacceptable for a St Regis, including:
- A phone call waking us up at 6:15am asking when we wanted our laundry delivered.
- Every time we dined our server would deliver our last course and then disappear - never to be seen again. All of the staff in the restaurant were more concerned with resetting tables and cleaning than helping the few remaining tables. We had to get up and leave each time - then someone would run out of nowhere and ask us to sign our bill.
- Shortly before the stay the rate lowered since originally booking (from $507 to $430), so SPG changed it to the lower rate. A few days before arrival I noticed the rate was back to $507. I called SPG and was informed that the hotel had changed it. SPG attempted to call the hotel a number of times but said no one would answer the phone (was calling the main number). Once someone finally answered, they informed SPG that in house reservations didn't speak English and to call back later. SPG finally talked to someone who changed the rate back to $430. Upon check-in the rate was back at $507; it took a decent amount of time speaking with the manager on duty to have it changed to the correct rate of $430.
- Bill was overly complicated - wasn't clear on the bill where they took off the $100 daily credits. Was an endless back and forth, but then magically the bill was slightly lowered...Still couldn't see where they applied any credit, but gave up as we were going to be late for our flight. Not sure why they couldn't just provide the full bill and subtract the daily credit as a line item.
- The second day they did not restock our suite with shower gel. We called down as we figured they just forgot and to our surprise we're informed that the entire resort was out of shower gel... Asked them to obtain some from the spa (even if it meant they needed to buy full size versions) and then they magically appeared with the standard body wash and continued to stock it for the rest of the stay.
- One morning one of the sinks in the lobby bathroom was completely filled with vomit. Not sure why they didn't immediately close the bathroom until it was cleaned – was quite the surprise! But I will give them the benefit of the doubt that they had not yet found this surprise (even though it appeared someone had been working to unclog the drain).
Aug 9, 2016, 8:26 am
#62
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: AA plat pro, HH Diamond
Posts: 429
Just got back from a stay as well, and I would echo most of the above comments:
Positives:
- nice property, nice rooms
- good food but very little choice at the beach/ pool
- great breakfast (real champagne and nice a la carte options)
Negatives:
- service and staff competence is simply very poor:
- processes don't flow (checkin, offer buggy to room, take us out to buggy, oh buggy has gone, go back in, call buggy again, wait etc)
- requests are forgotten (oh you wanted transport to the airport? Yesterday when you asked I handed over to my colleague.... Please wait again)
- staff explain poor service by stating that they are at capacity - but surely don't sell any more rooms than you can handle?
- our spa treatment (couples massage) was very poor, no pressure at all, despite being told it would be deep tissue.
- Inconsistent amenities in bathroom. No bathrobes when we got there (had to request), no body lotion in room, bath salts didn't get replaced after first day
Positives:
- nice property, nice rooms
- good food but very little choice at the beach/ pool
- great breakfast (real champagne and nice a la carte options)
Negatives:
- service and staff competence is simply very poor:
- processes don't flow (checkin, offer buggy to room, take us out to buggy, oh buggy has gone, go back in, call buggy again, wait etc)
- requests are forgotten (oh you wanted transport to the airport? Yesterday when you asked I handed over to my colleague.... Please wait again)
- staff explain poor service by stating that they are at capacity - but surely don't sell any more rooms than you can handle?
- our spa treatment (couples massage) was very poor, no pressure at all, despite being told it would be deep tissue.
- Inconsistent amenities in bathroom. No bathrobes when we got there (had to request), no body lotion in room, bath salts didn't get replaced after first day
Aug 21, 2016, 6:05 am
#63
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
Just finished a four night stay (4th night free) and I agree with pdrickey above that having a pool suite makes all the difference. However I would disagree with him that 105 is a bad suite. To me it is the best because it is the closest to the main building (just a few steps) and it is actually more private than most of the others. From above and on the sides the curtains block the view into the pool and from the walkway it is the only suite that has a high wall.
I booked through CTS and got the fourth night free, $300 in F&B credit, free wifi, noon check in, 4pm check out and the upgrade to the pool suite. Also the Bentley transfer.
The director of sales and marketing met us with an offer of lunch before check in, but we'd had plenty of food on MH business class and the lounge before that. So we accepted Champagne instead.
But we were very well taken care of due to SPG Lifetime status or maybe something else. I don't know.
The grounds are excellent and the overwater restaurant is pretty good too. They have mesh nets over the water with cushions so you can lie down at sunset and enjoy the awesome views with a nice cocktail. The degustation menu is pretty good too. You can get it with wine pairings or choose your own bottle. We had a nice NZ white which worked very well with the menu.
The pool bar is fun and the main pool is rather unique. If you can score the island seats, as I did on Saturday afternoon, you can sit back and relax with a bucket of Coronas for only RM78. But again, the private pool is the best. I was jumping in and out of that several times a day and thanks to the privacy (close your eyes) no need to get your swim suit wet.
For people with children the Kids Pass is a great deal. For RM40 per day kids eat free in all the restaurants and they can use the kids club at the Westin next door. You can also take the buggy over to the Westin if you like their pools better or their beach.
Langkawi is an amazing place to starting with, but the other amazing thing was no mosquitos!!! I was sitting out on the bar patio one night (two happy hours, 5-7 and 9-11) on a beautiful night, full moon, perfect temperature and I was shocked when I thought...I'm in the middle of a real grade A jungle and there are no bugs bothering me! Maybe I was just lucky or maybe there is something about the microclimate here.
The only negative I can come up with is that this place is very new and it will take time before they have a fully trained and experienced staff. Still the only problems I had were tiny issues that were fixed with a phone call. In fact a great thing about this stay was that I always got the benefit of the doubt. When there was some confusion about what drinks qualified for the 2for1 happy hour, they gave it to me anyways. When the new pool bar guy didn't offer me the Corona bucket at first, they didn't charge me for the first beer and allowed me to pay for a bucket. Lots of examples like that where the tie goes to the guest. ^
I booked through CTS and got the fourth night free, $300 in F&B credit, free wifi, noon check in, 4pm check out and the upgrade to the pool suite. Also the Bentley transfer.
The director of sales and marketing met us with an offer of lunch before check in, but we'd had plenty of food on MH business class and the lounge before that. So we accepted Champagne instead.
But we were very well taken care of due to SPG Lifetime status or maybe something else. I don't know. The grounds are excellent and the overwater restaurant is pretty good too. They have mesh nets over the water with cushions so you can lie down at sunset and enjoy the awesome views with a nice cocktail. The degustation menu is pretty good too. You can get it with wine pairings or choose your own bottle. We had a nice NZ white which worked very well with the menu.
The pool bar is fun and the main pool is rather unique. If you can score the island seats, as I did on Saturday afternoon, you can sit back and relax with a bucket of Coronas for only RM78. But again, the private pool is the best. I was jumping in and out of that several times a day and thanks to the privacy (close your eyes) no need to get your swim suit wet.
For people with children the Kids Pass is a great deal. For RM40 per day kids eat free in all the restaurants and they can use the kids club at the Westin next door. You can also take the buggy over to the Westin if you like their pools better or their beach.
Langkawi is an amazing place to starting with, but the other amazing thing was no mosquitos!!! I was sitting out on the bar patio one night (two happy hours, 5-7 and 9-11) on a beautiful night, full moon, perfect temperature and I was shocked when I thought...I'm in the middle of a real grade A jungle and there are no bugs bothering me! Maybe I was just lucky or maybe there is something about the microclimate here.
The only negative I can come up with is that this place is very new and it will take time before they have a fully trained and experienced staff. Still the only problems I had were tiny issues that were fixed with a phone call. In fact a great thing about this stay was that I always got the benefit of the doubt. When there was some confusion about what drinks qualified for the 2for1 happy hour, they gave it to me anyways. When the new pool bar guy didn't offer me the Corona bucket at first, they didn't charge me for the first beer and allowed me to pay for a bucket. Lots of examples like that where the tie goes to the guest. ^
Aug 23, 2016, 1:10 am
#64
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: bay area, ca
Programs: UA plat, , aa plat, marriott LT titanium
Posts: 4,833
What is CTS and how did you get the $300 credit?
How did you get the Luxury Privileges credit? Is this possible with the $250 rate?
Also - this hotel should be added to the master list - it isn't there now!
How did you get the Luxury Privileges credit? Is this possible with the $250 rate?
Also - this hotel should be added to the master list - it isn't there now!
Aug 25, 2016, 9:22 am
#66
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: London, UK
Posts: 1,095
The current Starwood Luxury Hotel Privilege benefits are:
St Regis, Langkawi - Cancellation Policy 7 days prior
The additional benefits you will receive are as follows:
◦One 100 USD food and beverage or spa service credit per room, per night
◦Daily half board for two guests (choice of lunch or dinner)
◦Daily full breakfast for two guests
◦Complimentary standard in-room internet access
◦Complimentary round trip luxury limousine transfers
◦Access to St. Regis airport lounge on departure
◦Upgrade on arrival, early check-in and late check-out which are all subject to availability
Room rate varies, but you can get this at an average of $370 a night at the moment. On paper, a good deal.
The additional benefits you will receive are as follows:
◦One 100 USD food and beverage or spa service credit per room, per night
◦Daily half board for two guests (choice of lunch or dinner)
◦Daily full breakfast for two guests
◦Complimentary standard in-room internet access
◦Complimentary round trip luxury limousine transfers
◦Access to St. Regis airport lounge on departure
◦Upgrade on arrival, early check-in and late check-out which are all subject to availability
Aug 25, 2016, 6:25 pm
#68
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: SFO
Posts: 218
I used Courtney Regan - she's great! Her email is [email protected]
Aug 25, 2016, 11:16 pm
#70
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
Aug 26, 2016, 4:18 pm
#71
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott/SPG Gold, Alaska MVP Gold, Delta Gold, AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 64
However I would disagree with him that 105 is a bad suite. To me it is the best because it is the closest to the main building (just a few steps) and it is actually more private than most of the others. From above and on the sides the curtains block the view into the pool and from the walkway it is the only suite that has a high wall.^
We were eaten alive, so YMMV.
Last edited by pdrickey; Aug 26, 2016 at 4:20 pm Reason: typo
Aug 27, 2016, 5:14 am
#73
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
Surprised you thought suite 105 was private. One of the main walkways is directly above and on numerous occasions I looked down and could clearly see right through the sheet into my friends pool..perhaps they replaced this sheet in the last few weeks with something you can't see through? I agree that it did have high walls, but it really felt like the whole thing was just shoved into an inadequately sized space, as though it was an afterthought.
Were other people actually using or wanting to use the seats? We never saw anyone (except children) even attempt to use them - and actually heard from a number of guests that they also thought it was a terrible design. How did they get the Coronas to you? Did they have a little float or something?
We were eaten alive, so YMMV.
Aug 27, 2016, 7:45 pm
#74
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott/SPG Gold, Alaska MVP Gold, Delta Gold, AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 64
Aug 31, 2016, 1:32 pm
#75
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SEA (previous locations: DTW, TLV, EWR, BOS)
Programs: AS: 75K; DL/NW: Plat; DL SC: Lifetime; Hyatt: Diamond; HH: Gold; SPG: Plat;
Posts: 3,383