Not another Kuala Lumpur hotel review I hear you all groan??! But yes, there are still more reviews to come and today’s installment will share with you the highlights of the Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur.

For those who are unfamiliar, the Ritz Carlton chain is part of the Marriott group and provides seventy upscale luxury properties over the world. The chain is arguably one of the west’s finest hotel chains with it’s closest rival in Canada’s Four Seasons chain. Ritz-Carlton is luxury there is no doubt, but how does it compare to Asian properties? Lets find out…

Booking

I booked my one night stay at the hotel over the telephone. The reservations agent was most helpful and took all my details. She provided full details about the property and all the arrival information to ensure I could find the property.

She also sent over an e-mail confirmation to ensure I had written confirmation.

I booked a club room at £70 for the night.

I could have also booked at www.ritzcarlton.com but preferred to deal direct with the hotel.

Arrival

Finding the hotel was straight forward as it is located off Jalan Imbi, one of KL’s major roads. The hotel is quite narrow, but rises to an impressive 25 floors.

On arrival I left my car with the valet for the princely some of £2. You just have to love the value of Malaysia!

Check In

Once I had left my car I ventured into the lobby, greeted by an extremely well dressed and friendly doorman. Instantly as you entered the lobby could you get the feel for the place in true traditional western style. The architecture and design was full of dark woods and traditional French fabrics. It was all very Ritzy!

The receptionist was most helpful and confirmed my booking, as I had a club room I was assisted to the elevator and taken to the room to complete the check-in. I signed the registration form, was shown the facilities of the room and taken to the club lounge for another guided tour. A great way to start my stay.

The Room

The hotel has three main room categories, standard, club and suite. Both club and suite also include access to the club lounge.

My room was a club room, which had relatively good views of the skyline but was sadly obscured by one tower for the most part.

At the time of my stay in 2006 the hotel was only 2/3 years old. It still felt very modern and fresh. The room had been styled in true European style and there was nothing to hark back to the local area. Asian is one thing this hotel wasn’t which was quite sad. Whilst a posh and opulent room, it felt disappointing that the American owners of the property hadn’t made any effort to bring a local element into the room.

The room was fitted with the following,

• Excellent king sized bed with the high quality French linens. Sleeping was an enjoyable experience and I had a woke up feeling refreshed.
• 32” TV with full selection of satellite channels and on-demand movies.
• Complimentary wireless broadband
• International telephone
• Writing desk and seating area.
• Large built in wardrobe.
  
  The bathroom was extremely bright and is one of the larger hotel bathrooms I have experienced in Kuala Lumpur. The bath and shower were separate and there was a double sink. The towels and bathrobes were extremely luxurious and the bathroom was well stocked with the finest French toiletries from Givenchy.

The only thing that was missing from the room was a tea tray or mini bar, which I found quite odd. Instead there was a menu on the table and the room came with full butler service. Whenever you felt like a tea or coffee or a soft drink then all you had to do was order over the phone and your floor’s butler would deliver this within minutes. Whilst certainly different and a nice touch, sometimes you just want to lock yourself in your room and look after yourself. There is a little too much of a good thing and I feel this service could get like that.To be fair though when the butler did deliver items he was most friendly and built excellent rapport with me, but it would be one of those love or hate scenarios.

Club Level

A large part of any major hotel chain is now the provision of an Club Level or Executive Level where guests in these rooms are extended a variety of privileges. Those at Ritz Carlton included,

• Access to the club lounge where complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails, beers, champagne and canapé’s would be served.
• Full soft drinks service all day in addition to the in room butler service.
• Complimentary access to the business centre and boardroom should you need to hold a meeting.
• A wide selection of the latest magazines, international newspapers and books.
• Complimentary internet access
• Complimentary butler service as already discussed.

The club level on average in MO is around an extra £20 a night compared to the standard rooms and in my opinion is worth it. You will certainly get the value out of the breakfast and drinks alone and it is up to you how many of the services you utilize.

Restaurant/Bar

With only two restaurants and one bar the choice is limited, however there is still plenty of menu choice for diners.The Lobby Lounge provides a typical hotel bar serving afternoon tea and a wide selection of alcoholic beverages. Reasonably priced for a hotel there is a good atmosphere in here.

Li Yen is the main restaurant of the hotel, providing a typical Cantonese menu in elegant surroundings. It always seems busy and I am told the food is excellent.

The final restaurant is Cesar’s and serves what it describes as pacific rim cuisine. The food looks stunning and the prices do reflect that. If you are wanting to treat yourself then go for it!

If you can’t find what you want in the hotel then venture out to the adjoining Starhill Gallery shopping mall. This is one of KL’s most luxurious malls full of designer shopping and some excellent restaurants. Connected by a walkway you are bound to find what you want for an excellent price.

Facilities

The hotel has a small number of conference rooms to accommodate the needs of corporate clients and has a full business support service package should you be a corporate client.

The hotel has good leisure facilities with a gymnasium, sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi and an excellent outdoor pool with sun loungers a plenty to relax on. There are plenty of staff on hand outside and it is great to see that they take things seriously when it comes to looking after the guests needs.

There is a spa service but I cannot offer any advice on this. Treatments can be completed in either the Spa or your bedroom.

Breakfast

In the morning I took my breakfast in the club lounge. There was a continental and Asian buffet spread and a western table service available. Service was prompt and the quality of food was excellent. I left feeling well fed and watered!

Check out

After my one night stay in the hotel time came to check out. I returned to the reception and settled my bill. I was wished all the best and the bellboy took my luggage to my waiting car. My Ritz-Carlton journey was over.

Summary

Ritz-Carlton is one of the strongest luxury brands from the West and it certainly delivers. You will find excellent service that will look after your needs but there is no real effort to connect with the local Asian values that other KL properties do. This hotel comes from America and you will know that!

One thing to mention is that Ritz Carlton take security very seriously. Many Western properties in Asian countries have extra security measures, particularly after recent terror activities such as the bombing of the Ritz-Carlton in Jakarta in July this year. The war on terror has made Western brands easy targets and it is important to remember this when booking a place to stay. In KL the property leaves you feeling very secure with a clearly high level of security that blends subtly into the background, you won’t feel that you are living in an army compound!

A stay in Ritz Carlton will treat you very well and it does live up to it's 5 star luxury, but if you are looking for something more authentic to Asia then another property will suit you better.

Stay completed April 2006. Booked via the hotel direct or you can look at www.ritzcarlton.com and book online.

Enjoy your stay!