GRAND!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by me

I was in Kuala Lumpur for a work conference last month and stayed at the Grand Hyatt. This is my second time at the relatively new hotel  (opened in August 2012) and countless times in Kuala Lumpur. I chose the Grand Hyatt not only because of its location, but after a not-to-satisfaction first stay, I thought I'd give them another try. I wished I had more time to take pictures of the hotel (beyond my suite) but as you can see, I was lost in the suite they gave me.

Location: Ideally located in the city centre, literally 15 meters from the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the iconic Petronas Towers), walking distance to the next major shopping centres (Pavillion, Star Hill Gallery), famous food areas & restaurants (Jalan Alor, Bukit Bintang) and swanky bars and clubs (No Black Tie, Butter Factory, Marini's on 57).

Rooms: OK, so the pictures above are that of their suite room (which is bigger than my actual apartment at the moment), but the first time I was there, I was in a regular non-smoking room and even that was big enough to make my voice echo haha. Oh, and they have a separate vanity stand in the rooms. The rooms, as like the rest of the hotel, has a 360 degree feel to me, that is, the room feels more like a Soho loft with partitions to divide the bathroom, walk-in robes and sleeping area (rest assure privacy is not compromised). The king size bed feels a lot smaller than usual though (I'm a star fish style sleeper). It is adjacent to the Petronas Towers, hence only some rooms have the view.

Lobby: It's a top floor lobby concept, meaning you go all the way up to check in and out, and guest rooms are below the lobby. Although not a new concept, you will see many confused hotel guests and or, what I coined, 'elevator-coasters' - guests riding up and down the elevator (not for fun, but because they are lost, forgetting that the hotel lobby is on the top floor and the need to get out of one set of elevator, walk around, to the next set to take it back down - separate elevators to the guest rooms and the ground floor to exit the hotel).

Amenities:

Gym: New and five star equipments (think Internet connected screens) with Personal Trainers on site for you to book sessions with (not complimentary). Although, I disagree with browsing the Internet while running or riding the stationary bike, this is a win for some of the pathological social - media - I - like - to check into - everywhere - I - go type. The swimming pool is reasonable size for laps, however, at peak hour (4pm - 7pm), you may find it a little hard to clear a full lane for laps. Separate sauna and steam room and jet spa are in the locker rooms.

Spa: Combination of separate and couples' treatment suites. I got the 60 min traditional massage, although the pressure from the masseuse was not as hard as I requested, I was, nevertheless, totally unwounded (I think at some point I fell asleep).

Executive lounge: To be honest, whenever I'm in Asia, I don't make much use of the executive lounges' cocktail hours as food and drink choices are always aplenty and a step away. I did use the lounge for meetings during the day which were great as it was private, spacious and staff were cheerfully attentive. The breakfast selection was enough to satisfy the fussiest of diners.

Restaurants: THIRTY8, JP teres and Poolside. I didn't get a chance to try THIRTY8 for dinner but I had a breakfast meeting there, and it was a FEAST! I would recommend the made-to-order omlette (one of the few places that can cater an egg-white omlette without much fuss), if you are feeling adventurous, try some of the local breakfast fried noodles. I was a little pushed for time this time around, so stuck to JP teres for dinner (and room service) - I only order local delights, the roast chicken rice (or you can request half roast and half steamed) was perfectly cooked (portion size is very generous, so beware of over ordering) is one of my favourites.

Tip: The rooms are light filled, thus any mirror is good to use for applying make-up. In the evenings though, I recommend switching on the lights in the shower to balance the white lights atop the vanity. I didn't try the cocktails at THIRTY8, but I would recommend you walk across and try Marini's On 57 (one of the few places in KL that enforces a strict dress-code, do go back to your hotel to change, especially in appropriate footwear, after a day of site seeing). Marini's is a sky bar (indoors) with spectacular views of the Petronas Tower and Kuala Lumpur - if you like your gin, vodka and rum, you must try their G&T, Dirty Martini and Mojito...

Until next time xOxo.