A Bit of Getting Used To... The Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur

Everyone wants to stay at the Grand Hyatt nowadays. Only because it's posh, and still considered a novelty to many. Interesting to see in years to come if it'll remain one of KL's sought after hotels. The Hyatt caters to the discerning business traveller and it did give us the impression that a huge investment was made toward this end. 

So okay. Another company meeting. Upon being ushered into the main foyer by the well dressed and extremely helpful guest relation officers, one can't help but be awed by the skyhigh ceiling and the grand staircase. For me, it was a bit more daunting than it is welcoming though. The good impression I had of this establishment was somewhat shortlived thereafter. Only because of the hotel logistics. It starts with, you have to go up the elevators immediately to get to the reservation desk. Then you have to switch elevators to go down to the rooms. Breakfast is not at the "usual" ground floor cafe but up in the clouds, a floor below the reception / reservation floor. If you're at one of the meeting rooms, you can access the reception via the pool and back up the elevators... whaaaa'??? It can be loads of fun if you play hide and seek though!

(pix taken from hotelmanagement.net. there's no reception on the ground floor!)

Now, when you're checked in to organize an event at the hotel, it gets a little frustrating with all the "ups and downs" but if you're on holiday, it won't matter much. Being right on the edge of the KLCC Park, the hotel rate commensurate with the address. Rooms are expectedly well appointed but nothing that would really "wow" me for the hefty price we paid. Having said that, the overall decor screamed "new" and modern with beds and pillows that were fluffy for a thoroughly good sleep. Like I said, it's expected of a five star and they delivered. I wish I could say to my friends, "OMG, you have got to stay at the Hyatt!" but hmm... I dunno. I would definitely recommend it but wouldn't be all bright eyed and tail-wagging about it. 

The restaurant at the ground floor (I think it was called the JP Teres?) has a nice outdoor seating and provides a nice ambiance especially at night. Food there is quite good too. Good place to chill with a bunch of friends with a pretty good menu selection. We especially loved the oyster-filled omelette. 

Staff are eager to please unless of course when they're inundated with groups of guests - then they become a tad robotic and sometimes a little flustered. But that's understandable. Can't say much good about the staff at the lounge though. We went there for aperitifs and waited for one of them (there were three!) to approach us with the menu. We waited for a good 10 minutes (fairly long enough, I think, especially when they were just a "backhand smack" away) until one of my colleagues couldn't stand it anymore. It would've been fine if they were tied up with something but the three ladies were just chatting with each other. They did smile to guests who came out of the elevators but that was about it. Maybe we were tired from a long day of meetings to be patient but really? 

On the other hand, I'd like to compliment the maintenance team. We only found out later in the evening that the shower drain in our room was a tad clogged but we didn't have to wait long at all for them to come fix it in a jiffy. They were courteous and mindful of the time taken to rectify the problem (it was already quite late at night).  

The meeting rooms were clustered on a different floor and had a cool concept to it. Apart from the Grand Ballroom, there's the Grand Salon and Grand Residences. We had the Grand Residences cluster. The decor was refreshing and facilities were up to snuff. The refreshment spread was pretty good too. If you're planning for some group "away day" you may want to consider this. 


(pix taken from rakuten.com)

My overall sentiment of the hotel is one that is mixed. It's far from bad but it's not awesome either. It is quite convenient and one can access both the Suria KLCC and the Pavilion via the Convention Center and covered walkways. Since it's currently more expensive than the Mandarin Oriental neighbor, one would've expected the feeling of luxury with higher level of attentiveness than most hotels but not really when compared. All in, we don't mind going back but it's not going to be top on our list - we can't get past the price! 

If you've got a lot of moolah to splurge then, as I've said many times before, go for it. But remember, it takes getting used to - you have to go up, in order to go down. Or you can go down, across and go up again. Or was it the other way around? (Suddenly "Do the Hokey Pokey" and "Get Down On It" comes to mind. hmmm). 

Otherwise, until Mandarin Oriental revise their room rates, you may want to reconsider as MOKL's proximity to the Twin Towers and KLCC is still hard to beat and levels of service and rooms there are maintained so far.