Without getting into the debate about new members seeming to join just to rubish a hotel/airline etc....

I really enjoyed my stay at the hotel in December although there were a couple of very minor service issues.

I'd agree with Mario33 that the hotel is great value as a category 2 and also a bargain for cash at times.

Sorry I meant cat 2.

I have better news for you, its still a Category 2 hotel :)

Italian marble bathrooms with separate shower, newly refurbished, plasma tv etc and located at the edge of the CBD with a monorail station right infront; all for 3,000 pts per weekend night. Unbeatable value if you ask me though I think I prefer the "previous" decor.

Now should we stay away just because some FT newbie was quoted the wrong after-midnight taxi surcharge by the hotel :confused:

I stayed at the then Sheraton Imperial. It has an old world charm, but given the number of excellent hotels available in KUL, it has to really outshine itself.

I stayed at the Hilton KUL recently, and let's say, I was blown away... :)

Hotel Imperial KUL has alot of room for improvement...:D

Wow, still a cat. 2! Nice! And with cash and points available sometimes. :)With a higher paid rate than the new Cat3 LM at Sentral at times, it makes sense to use points here, esp. if you don't need the stay credit.

Is there any trick at this hotel of getting club eligible room at check-in? I'm SPG gold and have just checked in. I asked and they declined.

Then I find out later that of three collegues that were travelling with me, on the same rate with the dates, that are not even SPG members, 2 of them got club floors without even asking. Is there a plan to specifically prevent SPG golds from having the upgrades? It makes no sense.

I found the service there to be of a very good standard during all 4 stays there, 2 prior to the refurbishment, 2 during the actual refurbishment. I've not been back since it's been refurbished admittedly. Everyone was super friendly and efficient, apart from the slightly slow check in/check out during peak times.

You must have got the wrong end of the jackpot during your stay. I hope you expressed your displeasure by writing to the GM.

Whilst I prefer the Westin because of personal preference for more modern decors, I would not hesitate to go back to the Imperial if "the price is right."

Ooh and thanks to whoever made me thread starter of a "master thread." :D I'm easily pleased...:o

...... especially when your post predates the rebranding of the hotel :)
Must be the wonderful pictures that did the trick, though readers will be looking at outdated pictures of the lobby under renovation ;)

Apparently the name change has not brought much benefit to the hotel. Its often priced below the Le Meridien and on some weekends not much more than the Sheraton Subang. Trouble with the local/asian market is that when they see the "Sheraton" name they think of 5 star, and when the "Sheraton" name is dropped many would think it has been downgraded inspite of the millions spent on upgrading :confused:

Rebuttal to Mario33
 

Mario33,
I may have only a few FT posts but that does not change the facts. "The Luxury Collection" is a brand.

The brand is intended to be an improvement over the previous Sheraton brand (ref: Sheraton employee). The brand effort is aimed at both the facilities and the service.

I'll concede that the rooms, restaurants, lobby etc are very nice looking and well appointed. I never stated otherwise.

On the other hand the service was poor and the service failure was more than a misquote on the price of a taxi (see my OP). Two hotel Guest Managers both agreed that the service was below their expectations but were unable to offer better.

Hotels are commonly rated on a star system and the ranking is based on BOTH facilities AND service. Not either/or.

The number of points required to book a room is not relevant. I paid $ and the price was not any cheaper than other comparable hotels. Why should anyone accept a lower level of service when paying the full price just because the hotel is a Cat 2? Answer: They shouldn't have to.

And to answer your question, I have stayed at the Imperial in the past as well as placed visiting colleagues there. It should also be noted that the Imperial won several awards in back in the 2000-2002 era but has apparently not won any since. What does that tell you?

Mario33 seems bent on defending the Imperial despite the poor service that I've noted. What is your hidden agenda?

Finally, the GM, to his credit has since investigated my concerns, agreed that what we experienced was not acceptable and instituted training for the staff. That pretty much settles whether or not my concerns were legitimate.

It was never branded as a "Sheraton" though it was called "The Sheraton Imperial". It was a "Luxury Collection" right from day one.

I never recall service at this hotel to be execellent, and "awards" are not accurate measures of any hotel standing. My "hidden agenda" is for posters to get their facts right ....

I'll be staying at the Imperial next week. Is there a train station near the hotel? I assume that I could take the KLIA train from the airport to KL Sentral and connect to another train but I have no idea which line I would use or which station I would get off at.

The "monorail" station infront of the hotel is "Medan Tuanku". The monorail station at KL Sentral isnt exactly at KL Sentral but across the openair carpark and main street in Brickfields. Just take a taxi to the hotel once you arrived at KL Sentral, its prepaid and coupon counters are straight ahead after you exit the ticket gates.

I stayed at this property earlier this week. 1 night. cash and points.
I requested a non-smoking room. but the reservation was changed - without my intervention - to a smoking room. I contacted the hotel about it. They were completely unhelpful. phoned SPG plat concierge , they told me that I need not worry as they could see that I'd been assigned a "club-level, non-smoking room"
checked-in at the hotel only to find myself assigned a smoking floor room.
The best effort that the front desk could come up with was that they'd thoroughly checked the room and that there was no residual tobacco odor.
Needless to say I'll not be staying there again.

This hotel has one, and only one, good thing about it. Its cheap.
Its blown away by both the Westin and the Le Meriden.

and to be fair, the rooms are quite nice ;)

Apparently their FOM does have a certain reputation even within the Starwood group. She has been working there for quite a number of years, and she seems to believe shes the ultimate authority on SPG.

Mario33,

Thanks for the transportation info.

werldporks,

No mention of a suite for Plats? I heard that they were very good about providing Suite upgrades to Plats and that is the primary reason (along with the fact a room only cost me 4000 pts pepr night ;) ) for choosing the Imperial.

I had a one night stay recently that included a RM100 F&B credit. I was upgraded to a suite at check-in. The lounge is satisfactory with 4 internet computers, evening drinks and snacks and a decent breakfast buffet. I used the RM100 for the buffet at the Essence restaurant. However at checkout the credit did not show up on my bill until I pointed it out to them. The stay credit and points and Platinum amenity points posted correctly.

I consider it a good value at RM450 all in (including the RM100 F&B) and would stay there again. I do not see the F&B promo but there is an even better deal where you get 2 weekend nights for the price of 1 with breakfast for 2 - as low as RM517.50 all in for June 27-29.