For my next two nights in Kuala Lumpur, I shifted over to the Hilton. I have been wanting to try out this property for a long time after hearing so much about it. This can also be said as the best Hilton property in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia. This is also the flagship one. The Hilton have a fantastic location and sits right at KL Sentral with a direct connection to both the station and a connecting mall. It is very easy. With this, you can make full use of the KL Express Train which takes you to and from the airport in just 24 minutes. This is very handy as taking a taxi or grab to and from the airport takes around an hour. This is the third Hilton property that I have stayed in Kuala Lumpur. Besides this flagship Hilton, you can also check out the DoubleTree and the Hilton Garden Inn.
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
I booked directly with Hilton for this stay and got the Deluxe Twin room for around 150 SGD including tax. It is slightly more expensive than expected given how late I booked the stay. I was extended an upgrade to one of the Executive Lake View Rooms ahead of the stay. This would usually go for around 230 bucks! A Junior Suite was offered during check-in but I needed a twin bed. Excellent value and elite recognition for being a Diamond member. A day out from my stay, I also received a message from the hotel to check in and see if I required any assistance or information. This is very polished and attentive. I appreciate it. Hilton Kuala Lumpur features 512 guest rooms and suites spread across 11 categories. You can find the breakdown below.
| Rooms | Executive Lounge Access | Bathtub | Room Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deluxe | No | Yes | 38 Sqm |
| Deluxe Lake View | No | Yes | 38 Sqm |
| Deluxe Plus | No | Yes | 38 Sqm |
| Executive | Yes | Yes | 38 Sqm |
| Executive Lake View | Yes | Yes | 38 Sqm |
| Executive Plus | Yes | Yes | 48 Sqm |
| Junior Suite | Yes | Yes | 59 Sqm |
| Grand Executive Suite | Yes | Yes | 89 Sqm |
| Lifestyle Suite | Yes | Yes | 130 Sqm |
| Presidential Suite | Yes | Yes | 175 Sqm |
| Penthouse | Yes | Yes | 250 Sqm |
Checking In
I arrived at the hotel shortly after noon. We came after having brunch at Village Park. The hotel has a driveway but is quite a turn from the main road and entrance via the carpark. There is no staff on hand to help us with our bags which seems kinda of weird for a full property. The lobby is grand and spacious. The Le Meridien is right next to the hotel. The check-in counters are found towards the left. There is no wait at this hour. There is no elite line here. I was warmly welcomed and thanked for being a Diamond member. The staff also offered a Junior Suite upgrade but I wanted a twin configuration room. A late checkout was also extended till 4pm for my stay. I was also told to check the night before for a later time and got a 5pm late checkout.
I was given all the information for the stay. My room was not ready at this time and I was ushered to the Executive Lounge to wait for the room. The room was ready at around 1.30pm. The hotel also has a direct connection to KL Sentral. You can easily use the pathway to get to and from the station. It is all covered. This is very convenient and it takes about 5 mins to get to the train station. It is side by side with Le Meridien.
Executive Lake View Room
I was assigned a room on the 32nd floor, room 3205 to be specific. It is just a short walk away from the elevators. Upon entering, you can find a rather long entranceway. It is quite lovely with a light feature. Immediately to the left, is the bathroom. I love the design quirks and configuration over here.
The bathroom can be accessible from both the entranceway and the room. The wardrobe is specifically designed for the sides. You can access it from both the entrance as well as from the interior of the bathroom. I love the setup and it makes it quite convenient since you can grab your belongings from the bathroom directly. The wardrobe comes well stocked with plenty of hangers, bathrobes, bath slippers, a safe and a hairdryer.
The bathroom is lovely and one of my favourite spots in the room. It’s spacious. The bathroom only comes with a single sink but is well equipped with all sorts of amenities including dental kits and a cosmetic mirror. The bathroom comes with both a standing shower as well as a bathtub. It is also equipped with a bidet toilet.
The tub is spacious but seems a little short for me. I love the standing shower. It comes with both a handheld shower head as well as a rainforest shower head. The water pressure and temperature control is excellent. With how high the ceilings are here, it feels like rain cascading down on you. As per usual, Crabtree and Evelyn’s amenities are stocked here and in large pump-size bottles. You can access the bathroom from either the entranceway or the bedroom area. The concept allows you to open up the bathroom towards the room and this takes in the views while soaking in the tub.
Along the wall, you can also find a nicely designed cabinet that comes with a luggage rack and an ironing kit.
The main space of the room itself is in a squarish configuration. I love the high ceilings here which makes the room much more spacious than it is. I got a room with twin beds. On either side of the bed, you can find nightstands alongside controls for the lighting as well as power sockets. They also have USB ports here.
The bedding and mattress are top-notch and high quality. I had a lovely rest here. I appreciated that the mattress was on the firmer side and provided good back support. You can also customise your sleep experience with the pillow menu. I got some foam contour pillows which were lovely. Right in front of the beds are ottomans that offer some extra storage and seating area.
The television is mounted on the wall. I did feel that the TV is the smaller size for the room. It does come with a good number of local TV channels. I would appreciate it if it is a smart TV and supports casting so that you can stream content from your devices.
The minibar chest is found below the TV. It comes with some packaged tea and coffee alongside a kettle and a mini fridge. The mini fridge is left empty for your use. I was a little disappointed not to see a proper coffee machine in the room. I am sure a Nespresso coffee machine won’t be too hard to ask for in one of your higher categories rooms.
Next to it is a circular table that acts as the working desk. It is also huge enough if you need to dine in the room. The office chair offers pretty good back support for a short period of work. Power outlets are within reach. The wifi connection is good and strong in the room but can be spotty in the common areas around the property.
The room comes with a rather lovely view of the vicinity. The view is unblocked and you can see pretty far out. By the window, you can also find a day couch which is great for lazing and reading a book. I did wish that the curtains and sheers were electronically controlled here. Turndown service is automatically provided.
The air conditioning is also kinda weak in the room. You can’t go below 21 degrees and it gets warm during the day. Housekeeping is also a mixed bag. When I first checked in to the room I found hairs on the pillow.
There is also some positivity on this end. Housekeeping preemptively left numerous bottles of water in the room after realising how many I was consuming. This is very thoughtful.
Fitness Centre
The gym is open 24 hours. It is located on level 8. The facility is super huge and nicely appropriate. I love the high ceilings and how bright the place is. This makes it a very welcoming space. The facility comes with tons of equipment and you should have no trouble finding one to use. There are multiples of each type of equipment. Check out some pictures of the place. Everything is well-maintained and clean. Towels are available and they also have filtered water here.
There is also an exercise room and they hold classes from time to time on Wednesday and Saturday. You can find the schedule here. This is subject to changes.
Pool
The pool is also located on level eight and is a very nice space. This is rather impressive. The pool is open from 7am to 11pm. The common facility is shared with Le Meridien. The pool area is huge and comes with plenty of different areas. There is even a waterslide and jacuzzi area. While the pool is not a regular shape, it does allow you to get in some laps too.
There are plenty of sunbeds besides the pool area and it is a rather lovely space. There are plenty of sunbeds by the side of the pool. This is a great place to work up a tan. You can order drinks by the pool too. A rather lovely spot to catch the sunset. I love the resort vibes.
If you fancy some foot massages by the pool, this is possible as well.
Executive Lounge
The Executive Lounge is open daily from 6am to 10pm on the weekdays and from 6.30am on the weekends. They offer 3 services a day, breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails. Executive lounge guests can also enjoy breakfast at Vasco’s. The lounge is located on level 33. You can also access it via the staircase from level 34. I love the high ceilings here. The lounge staff are fantastic and polished. The main lounge space is on the right and there is another small overflow area on the left. Here are some pictures of the place.
The view is lovely on the right with a nice sunset. The lounge is great to work out from and the seating is comfortable. It is a well-maintained space. This hotel does see a high number of elite guests and the lounge can get full at times.
There is a business centre if you need some computer or printing services.
You do have to arrive right on the dot for evening cocktails if not there might be a wait for a seat. Outside of the 3 services, you can find all-day refreshments consisting of some snacks, soft drinks, coffee and tea. The staff are very attentive with drinks orders and refills.
Afternoon Tea is served from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. It was pretty packed. It is a nice way to grab a bite while working. The spread isn’t overly huge but good quality. There are some sandwiches brownies, quiche and scones. The brownies and scones were delicious.
Evening cocktails are happening from 6pm to 8pm. This is undoubtedly the highlight of the facility. Do come down early if you want a nice table. I was down at 5.45pm and 80% of the tables were taken up. There is a nice selection of canapés and this can be a small dinner replacement. The hot food is delicious. On my first night, there were some stir-fried noodles, chicken and vegetables. All of them are delicious.
There are also some fresh fruits, a salad bar, a cheese platter and desserts. I enjoyed the brie!
In addition, they also have a live station and the item rotates every day. Throughout my stay, they had curry laksa, popiah, pasta and roti john. It is lovely that they switch things up which will be nice for guests on longer stays.
There is an extensive selection of drinks. You can find the menu here. They have both cocktails and wines. The staff are proactive in helping you with the drinks. I tried both the sangria and Campari spritz which was excellent.
The executive team is excellent and I am always addressed by name in the lounge. This is especially true for Halimah, the executive lounge manager. They are a step above the front office staff. You can also order more substantial food from the restaurant to the lounge. It might be a great way with a 25% dining discount and unlimited drinks. Breakfast is also served at the Executive Lounge. It is at the same time as the restaurant. It is a nice alternative to the chaotic and busy restaurant. The selection is much smaller but with better service and environment. They do have better coffee and drinks too.
You have some fresh fruits, yoghurts, a cheese platter, a small salad station, cold cuts and your typical breakfast items such as hashbrowns and bacon. They also have some congee, nasi lemak and continental selection.
They also have a chef live station in the lounge that can whip out eggs cooked to your order. My strategy here is to head down to the restaurant for breakfast before coming back up here to have coffee in the lounge.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served at Vasco’s which is on the ground floor. It is just opposite the reception. Breakfast is served from 6am to 10.30am on weekdays. On weekends, this is extended till 11am. The breakfast service features an array of items. I enjoyed this on account of my Hilton Diamond Status. Vasco’s huge and very busy when I went down to have breakfast at 9.30am. Numerous food areas are serving up different cuisines. I will share some pictures here.
Drinks-wise consists of some juices, coffee and tea. There are only machines for coffee and the quality is very bad. The same goes for the juices which tasted like syrup water.
Some of the more memorable items are the noodle station as well as the Indian kitchen. I got some freshly made Thosai and they were amazing. This is something that I look forward to every morning.
The breakfast is good but just a little too crowded and the staff service can be more polished. They should improve the quality of drinks. My strategy here is to come down for breakfast and then retreat up to the lounge for coffee.
Conclusion
I had a lovely stay and this is the best Hilton property in the city so far. Certain aspects of the room can be refined and housekeeping is a mixed bag. The hotel facilities are top notch and I enjoyed the pool and well-equipped gym. I do love the room configuration and design. Special mentions to the Executive Lounge Team. Every staff at the lounge is polished and attentive. They are proactive in offering drinks and engaging guests. The lounge manager was a gem. I am looking forward to being here again the next time I am back in Kuala Lumpur.
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