The Westin Kuala Lumpur (7-8/12/24)
This week, I checked into a hotel under the Marriott umbrella, located right in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. It's been around since 2003, and they gave it a refresh in 2020. Even though it's part of Marriott Bonvoy, I booked through Trip.com because the prices were better. A Deluxe room was going for RM450 (that includes tax, but not breakfast). I actually stayed here before, during the Movement Control Order (PKP) in May 2021, and a Premium room was only RM290 back then.
I arrived around 1 PM and went straight to the reception at the lobby. It's a simple space. Check-in was quick, and the staff were really helpful. They gave me my access card right away, since my room was ready. My room was on the 22nd floor, and there are four lifts to get around. Breakfast costs RM108 per person.
The Deluxe room is spacious at 452 square feet. Inside, there's a closed-off area to the right of the entrance with a closet, safe, an iron and ironing board, plus a couple of bathrobes. The bathroom is located just past this area.
The room has a king-size bed and a medium-sized sofa next to the window. There's a cabinet near the sofa, with a mini-fridge and drawers with drink-making supplies, like a kettle and cups. On the right side of the bed is a desk and chair for some work. The hotel has a big TV, maybe 60 or 65 inches, mounted on the wall across from the bed.
The bathroom is also quite big, with a sink, toilet, shower, and bathtub. The shower and toilet areas have clear glass, and the shower space is a bit tight. The bathtub is big, next to the shower and sink. They have a hose next to the toilet and two types of showerheads. The hotel provides complete toiletries. The room I stayed in faced the back of the hotel, towards The Ritz Carlton Hotel.
The pool is on the 4th floor, open from 6 AM to 11 PM. The pool area is spacious with nice landscaping, but the pool itself isn't huge. There's also a 24-hour gym and a kids' club on the same floor. The hotel offers in-room dining, and the prices aren't too high. I tried the Nasi Goreng Kampung for RM42, and it was tasty, though a bit salty. Parking is available, but it costs RM6.
The free wifi in the room was around 19mbps. For mobile networks, CelcomDigi had 217mbps, and Tune Talk had 100mbps. The water pressure in the shower was strong, which I enjoyed, even though the shower space was a bit small. The hotel provides many free TV channels in HD (including 8 Vision Four channels).
As a hotel under the Marriott brand, it's on the pricier side, but considering the room size and location, it's worth it for the price I paid. The hotel is clean and in great condition, although the air conditioning in the room wasn't very cold (but it was still okay for me). I didn't love the lighting in the room; it wasn't balanced and there were some dark areas. The location is excellent, right in the heart of Bukit Bintang, and directly in front of Pavilion. For public transport users, it's only 350 meters from the MRT station and 550 meters from the Bukit Bintang Monorail station. The location really makes it a great choice.
