There are hotels views that are so spectacular you don’t know which way to look. I heard so much about the view of the Petronas Twin Towers from the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur that I made absolutely certain to arrive at the hotel during the day. No way would I have been able to arrive at night and have to wait 10 hours for the view. The view is stunning, and I couldn’t wait to start gathering information for my Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur review.
What I didn’t realize is that when I entered the hotel, check-in is in a lobby on the 39th floor. From here, the Petronas Towers view is so gorgeous that I was hoping check-in would take a while!
Petronas Towers view from the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur
The Grand Hyatt was my obvious choice on a recent four-night stay in Kuala Lumpur, as the other Hyatt property is a Hyatt House. I had high expectations for this hotel based on what I’d heard from others, and I was not disappointed. In fact, my expectations were exceeded and I was thrilled to be upgraded to a Grand Executive Suite on the 33rd floor.
The suite was positively gorgeous. The Grand Hyatt is about five years old, so it is very beautiful and modern and suited my tastes in hotel decor.
Throughout both the hotel and the rooms there are expansive views due to what the hotel calls their floor-to-ceiling window concept. Missing the views of the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur city skyline or KLCC Park would be impossible!
Early morning view of the city.
View of Kuala Lumpur and KLCC from the 33rd floor.
And if the views from the Grand Hyatt aren’t impressive enough, the suite I enjoyed during my stay at this hotel was amazing. I need to increase my vocabulary of superlatives when writing about this hotel experience!
Lovely welcome amenity. I prefer fruit, so this was perfect for me.
Using my Hotel Room Scorecard I broke down the individual elements of my Grand Executive Suite at the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, which scored a 38 of 40 points.
Booking
When looking at options for paying for my stay, the Grand Hyatt is a World of Hyatt Category 3 property, costing 12,000 points a night. Cash and points would have been 6,000 points and $73 for my stay. The all-cash rate was $180 a night so I decided the best rate for me was to pay using my Citi Prestige Credit Card, which gives me the 4th night free benefit.
I prefer to transfer my Chase Ultimate Reward points to Hyatt when cash rates are higher than at the very least $200 a night. And if I’m paying cash for a hotel stay, I always use Pruvo to monitor for price drops.
Location (5/5)
As mentioned earlier, the hotel location is near the Petronas Twin Towers and KLCC Park in what’s referred to as the city center. KLCC Park is a 50-acre garden adjacent to Suria KLCC shopping centre. It was designed by Roberto Burle Marx to provide a green space for the Petronas Twin Towers and the areas surrounding it. The park has play equipment for kids, a running track, and active fountains that are going all day long.
The hotel is an easy walk to the KLCC mall, as well as the metro stop. I used the metro a few times to get to some locations for site-seeing and found it easy to navigate. I walked almost everywhere else and as you might know, I’m a big advocate of walking as the best way to get to know a city.
The Grand Hyatt is in an interesting location for walkers like me. There’s an easy route to what I’d call the downtown district, called the KLCC – Bukit Bintang Walkway.
Traffic and the street conditions in Kuala Lumpur are awful. Using the walkway, people can stroll safely, conveniently, and comfortably (it’s air conditioned) from Bukit Bintang all the way to the Kuala Lumpur city center: two major retail and tourism spots. I used the bridge every day and it took about 15-20 to get from one end to the other.
Of course I walked the city streets too, but if you’re staying at the Grand Hyatt, make sure to have someone show you how to access this walkway.
Lighting (5/5)
There were more than enough well-placed lights throughout the suite. Some were overhead lights with dimmer switches and then there were lamps placed throughout the rooms. Great combination. The windows were almost floor to ceiling, so plenty of natural light entered the suite. With an east facing view, I enjoyed brilliant sunrises, which I usually only see when I’m working through jet-lag.
The curtains in the rooms were fabric with two layers. One layer was lace, which worked well for privacy while still letting in plenty of light. The outer curtain layer was a heavier fabric and provided good blackout for sleeping.
Window Access (4/5)
There were no windows that opened. I’ve yet to see a new hotel, especially one under five years old with high floors, having windows that open. It’s understandable, though I still do enjoy a window that provides air. My rooms had beautiful views — in fact view from everywhere in the hotel were fantastic.
Bed Comfort (4/5)
The bed was too hard for me, though there were many different kinds of pillows to choose from, so it was easy to find a pillow that was comfortable without having to call housekeeping for a pillow selection.
Spacious bedroom with lovely hardwood floors.
Extra seating in a bedroom is always welcome. City skyline just outside.
View of bedroom with windows for natural light and cityscape views.
Bathroom (5/5)
This was a fun bathroom! The bathroom was huge with plenty of hooks for towels and amenities. There were actually two bathrooms because it was a suite. The main bathroom had a large soaking tub, which faced a big window with an awesome view. One feature which struck me as being unusual, but that I totally appreciated and would think I’d find in more newer hotels, was that the shower head was easy to adjust to different heights and angles. And yay for bidet!
Full length view of the huge bathroom. The Kuala Lumpur skyline is just out that window.
Big shower with adjustable shower head.
There are hotel bathrooms and then there is THIS hotel bathroom!
If you were ever to use the tub in a hotel room, this would be the one.
The bathroom had the largest amenity list I’ve ever seen. My two favorite items, which I did indeed order, were baby powder and eye masks. It was the plushest eye mask I’ve ever received in a hotel. And being able to get baby powder in a hotel is something I’ve not seen before. Excellent idea.
Great selection of amenities! Eye mask and baby powder, yes please.
Interior Appointments and Furnishings (5/5)
There was a large walk-in closet just off the bathroom with plenty of space to unpack, should you be lucky enough to stay here a long time!
Spacious walk-in closet off the master bathroom.
The living room was well-furnished with a comfortable couch and a plush and comfortable chair and ottoman.
Beautiful, spacious living room with great natural lighting.
Living room and very functional workspace.
Living room with view towards the entry way.
Full view of living room seating options. Plenty of choices!
As at the Hyatt in Singapore, the desk chair wasn’t adjustable, though the desk did face the window for good natural lighting.
View of living room from the front entry way.
I noticed that the door peephole was a good height for me. Sometimes I wonder if only very tall people become hotel architects. I’m average height for a woman and more often than not, peepholes are way too tall for me.
I think the worst one ever was at the W in Santiago, Chile. I swear that hotel should have provided a step ladder by the door. There was very little artwork throughout the suite, which seem appropriate because the suite itself seemed to be a work of art. The rooms had beautiful wood floors with area rugs.
Electronics (5/5)
As does seem to be the case in newer higher-end Hyatt properties, plugs and outlets were plentiful and well-placed throughout the suite. There were outlets near the beds and universal plugs and USB charging ports at the desk. This property gets a big business crowd, so it works well tech-wise. The TV screens were medium sized, which I prefer. They were not the center of attention, which is too often the case in a hotel room.
Snack and Minibar (5/5)
I use a kettle in hotel rooms so one plus was that there was an outlet for a kettle on the counter. You’d be surprised, or maybe not, how often there is no outlet near a counter for a kettle. In fact, there was lots of counter space and the snack surface area was plenty big.
My reputation as dragonfruit lady follows me throughout Asia!
They provided me with LOTS of bottled water: sixteen bottles total!
Won’t get dehydrated in Kuala Lumpur!
I noticed that there was bottled water everywhere in the hotel and also hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the hotel. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before in a hotel. Nice touch, Grand Hyatt KUL.
Nespresso is always welcome in my hotel rooms.
Hotel Service
The service at the Grand Hyatt was indeed in all ways very grand. From my email exchanges with the staff prior to my stay, I could tell there would be attention to detail from this hotel staff.
The front desk crew was always helpful and open to talking with me whether I was asking them questions about sites, food, or coffee places to visit. We also shared many fun conversations about our favorite Hyatt properties around the world. They gave one hotel which I haven’t had the chance to experience yet, the Park Hyatt Chicago, rave reviews.
Club Lounge and Restaurant
I was expecting the club lounge to be over the top great and it was. The floor to ceiling windows meant there wasn’t a bad table, as the whole lounge had spectacular views. The lounge was heavily used due to a few large business groups in-house during my stay. However, that never detracted from either the offerings or the service.
I did sample the restaurant in the hotel, which I had access to given my Globalist status with Hyatt. It was probably the most incredible breakfast buffet I’ve ever seen. But for me it was too much and felt too crowded and noisy, so I preferred the club lounge. The food during breakfast in the lounge had more than enough choices and left me wanting for nothing.
The lounge staff was wonderfully and warmly attentive. When I would come back to the hotel in the afternoon after being out in the humid Kuala Lumpur weather all day, the lounge staff made sure I rehydrated with a big glass of watermelon juice! The evening food choices were for sure more like a dinner menu than the snacks and small bites often served in other hotel lounges. During the day the lounge was a welcome place to get some work done, though it was hard to concentrate with all the amazing views.
The lounge staff also gave me some great restaurant recommendations as well as a coffee house recommendation I would have missed on my own. Really great staff!!
On my last night at the hotel the lounge staff delivered a box to my room. A special parting gift, they said. I was already all packed and didn’t want to open the box then and there. However, when I got to my next destination I opened the gift to find a beautiful box of small traditional Malaysian cakes. So sweet of the staff and delicious, too!
Upshot
The Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur is an outstanding value whether you use Hyatt points or pay cash. That said, there are some hotels that are absolutely special, wonderful in so many ways, but that are in locations that I don’t see myself going back to. Though my Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur review rates the hotel as one of my all time favorites, it fits that category for me. However, if I had business or a conference to attend in Kuala Lumpur, this property would absolutely be my choice.
I did enjoy my time in Kuala Lumpur seeing the sites and sampling the great Malaysian food, but it’s just not a place I’d head back to anytime soon. A pity though, because this hotel really does have me searching my dictionary for superlative adjectives……..yes, it’s that GRAND of a hotel.
Shelli Stein is a health and fitness entrepreneur who travels the world in search of culture, food, and fun! Besides contributing to PointMeToThePlane, you can find her at Joy in Movement.
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12 comments
@ Shelli — This is perhaps my favorite hotel! Amazing in just about every regard. Too bad it is so far from the US and not IN the US!
I agree, Gene! Thanks for reading, and have a great day.
Going to be in Kuala Lumpur next January. Besides the towers, interested in what sights you especially enjoyed. Thanks!
Hi Kate, I found the Hindu Temples, Mosque, and museums very interesting. I didn’t get out to the Batu Caves because they were closed due to some construction issues. Most of the time I just wandered around going into stores and shops, restaurants and coffee houses. There’s a lot to explore. Have a great trip!!
Best hotel suite we’ve ever had! Felt like a luxury apartment rather than a hotel room. Took photos to show our architect the “mood” we were after in our remodel.
Hope your architect was able to duplicate the “mood”! That’s a good way to put it…….luxury apartment. The whole ambiance of the hotel was above and beyond. Thanks for reading, Jennifer.
Two words- Hotel Bathtub! I can imagine taking a bath and looking at that view. I’ve heard so much about this building. Thanks so much for giving us a peek inside.
Thanks for the laugh, Kelcy. I did take a turn in the tub 🙂 It’s a wonderful property, so hoping you get to experience it for yourself. The tub awaits you!
Great review, Shelli and I 100% concur. I loved that hotel and would go back in a heartbeat if I had to be in KL again.
Thanks for taking the time to add another love-note for the GH. It’s a special property for sure!
I am incredibly happy to read your review and the comments. Took us 4 years of planning to built it and what a journey it was but the ‘destination’ was as spectacular as our vision before embarking on the journey.
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