Which door - loyalty can cause problems - a stay in Kuala Lumpur

[markis10]

Many of us belong to two or more program's, which often gives us a choice of where to stay, sometimes the choices are so close, it's a matter of picking the right door:



This is a report on two stays at two hotels with two different programs that were the part of one property, a case of same same but different.


More to come.

 

[markis10]

This is not the first time an AFFer has been in a similar position, see:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....omparison-le-meridien-kuala-lumpur-23661.html

Unlike Drron (our resident purveyor of quality bucket list trip reports ) I am a humble SPG Gold, having lost interest in SPG back in 2006 when quite a few local properties changed management so I let plat go, hence a different experience for me.

As its still early it's time for a coffee, and one of the nice changes in Asia is the rooms getting a good quality coffee option at times, in this case the Le Meridian offers a plunger with remarkably good quality grounds:

 

[kpc]

Many of us belong to two or more program's, which often gives us a choice of where to stay, sometimes the choices are so close, it's a matter of picking the right door:

View attachment 13398

This is a report on two stays at two hotels with two different programs that were the part of one property, a case of same same but different.


More to come.

I always take the door to the left, as this is the door to my home in KL:mrgreen:. I think in the last few years, I have slept here in excess of 50-60 nites, and will be back here for a week in April. They have a common pool area tho., and if I'm not mistaken, you can charge back restaurants etc in either hotel to the one you are staying at as I believe the 2 hotels have common owners.

 

[mella2007]

LOVE LOVE LOVE the Hilton in KL...had a fantastic terrace suite last 2 times I stayed there. Looking forward to reading your thoughts

 

[moa999]

Doubletree in KL is also very good....
Doing Hilton KL, Aloft KL (opening night) and Doubletree KL over KL F1 weekend.

 

[markis10]

Doubletree in KL is also very good....
Doing Hilton KL, Aloft KL (opening night) and Doubletree KL over KL F1 weekend.

If your staying at the Hilton then Aloft it will be a short walk, given the view from the Hilton Executive lounge:

 

[k_sheep]

I'll take the right hand side door anytime, just about the best breakfast in the world I reckon Also helps that one of the check in managing staff seems to recognise me everytime I go there (even though it's probably 6 times ever!) and arranges me a nice corner room

Mind you I haven't stayed at the Hilton, so huge bias there!

 

[markis10]

As it turned out I was given the exact same room in terms of building location in each hotel, its interesting to see how the space differs despite it being the same shape!

Hilton





Le Meridien

 

[markis10]

Bathrooms





LM

 

[markis10]

I held off completing this as I wanted to be fair to both hotels and compare like for like, which necessitated another visit to the Le Meridien with an executive room booking. Having now done that I have a few thoughts:

1. Rooms are small in either hotel by local standards, with artificially high ceilings boosting the sqm count by a bit without being useable unless your high tower.
2. Executive lounge, Hilton wins on style while Le Meridien wins on food choices in the evening, although its fair to say fried macaroni was not my first choice after a long J flight.
3. It gets a tad bit annoying that the lobby is not on the same level as Sentral, while I am sure most may arrive by taxi, using the LRT or KLIA express means sharing one of two small lifts up to the lobby level for either hotel often with stops on each floor of the car parks, not much they can do to fix that now but it's still a small gripe.

If I was to pick a winner I would take the Le Meridien for its breakfast and better rates, I thought MYR$349 was good value as a star pick for my stay despite being only SPG Gold, if I was top level in both the suite options might change my mind. Would either hotel be my first choice in KL for that chain, I would honestly have to say no, the Double Tree offers better value for Hilton Diamonds especially during the week with its hawker food court offering cheap eats, while the Sheraton rooms have the older style charm but with far more usable sqm of room, with both being closer to KLCC should shopping be on your mind.

As it stands, any of the four hotels make for a great choice given the room rates in KL so my preferences are based on small differences, and they all make you feel welcome. With Aloft opening Friday, SPG matteress runs will be very easy and cheap given you get credit for up to three rooms per night, which could be another deciding factor for some.

 

[mel-world]

I can only really report on the Hilton as I have stayed there over a 100 nights during the last five years or so. As a Diamond, I always get an upgrade and they look after me very well. Having said that, I would not plan a visit to this property for the next couple of months until they finish their renovations. Presently the lobby and some of their catering facilities are a mess. Check in is crowded and as two of the six lifts are also out of action, the small lift lobby can be a crush at peak times waiting for a lift to arrive.

The Le Meridien has had a revamp of their public areas and looks much more open and brighter than previously. I have used their catering a few times and have found it okay. Both hotels used to enjoy a great view over the park but a new building has blocked the view for Le Meridien so this is a small negative against this property. There is nothing better than watching the (almost daily) thunderstorm from the 33rd floor Executive Lounge at the Hilton. I always get a cheerful welcome back from the staff up there - there is almost no change to the team in the Lounge that also offers two hours free in the meeting room attached to the Lounge but on the floor above. The breakfast is good with an egg station and specials but the evening snacks can get a bit boring although some guests like it enough to eat it clean.

With the Aloft opening at the weekend and a St Regis property nearby opening within a year, both of these properties will have some opposition in the KL Sentral area. Mind you, the Hilton is more often than not full to overbooked. If you have business (or shopping) planned at Mid-Valley, Bangsar or PJ, there are plenty of transport options including the 30 min express train to the airport. The traffic around the KLCC area hotels can delay you a lot, especially at peak times - that is almost all day! So unless you have business downtown, I would recommend KL Sentral and either the Hilton or Le Meridien.

 

[markis10]

A bit of an update to this thread with a few notes/tricks:

1. Try and get breakfast included at Le Meridien, its very good both with quality and range.
2. the Club at Le Meridien is also good but don't book it online, book a classic room and then check your reservation for this link:

http://upg.starwoodpromos.com/?u=280C187959282F9

MYR 100 for a club or MYR200 for a suite.