Hotel Review: Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel (Club Deluxe Room) - Affordable Marriott Hotel Near City
If you are a Marriott Bonvoy elite member, Kuala Lumpur is one of the best cities to visit - there are plenty of hotels that you can choose from (most of the are really affordable) and you typically get treated quite well as a top-tier member across properties. When I visited Kuala Lumpur late last year, I decided to stay at the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel which is approximately 10-minutes away from the Petronas Twin Towers on foot.
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Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is located relatively far away from the city so it is quite common for the journey to take at least an hour. While I do like staying in Sentral since that allows me to hop on a train and get in very quickly, there is absolutely nothing exciting around that area and most of the hotels (with the exception of Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur) do not really appeal to me personally. For this stay, I was given a customary upgrade from a Deluxe Room into a Club Deluxe Room as a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member. I know it upsets plenty of top-tier members to get upgrades like that since Platinum Elite and higher members already have guaranteed access to the Club Lounge (regardless of room type). With that said, all of the higher tier room categories were indeed unavailable at the time of check-in and the team was also nice enough to find a larger corner room for me during my stay.
The Club Deluxe Rooms here at Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel are located on higher floors and they feature access to the Club Lounge which is open from 6:00 AM to 11:30 PM daily - this exclusive club also serves complimentary alcoholic beverages and canapes in the evening but I will cover a little more on this later. Most Club Deluxe Rooms are 38 sqm in size but since mine was a corner room (and thankfully Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel does not sell this as a higher-tier room), the actual size of this room is larger than what is on paper.
It is worth noting that the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel opened back in 1996 but the rooms and suites were renovated late-2018 so the restyled rooms look modern and relatively sophisticated. With that said, a lot of the public areas still look like it belonged in a different time period but hey with the price you are paying for this property, it really isn't a terrible deal. Every room in the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel comes with small table which also doubles as a workstation. WiFi is complimentary for all in-house guests and it was fast enough for me to stream shows on Netflix so if you need it for work, it should be sufficient.
I do like the warm tones in the room and there is plenty of space for you to lounge about despite being only 38sqm in size (for most rooms). The TVs in the corner rooms are placed on some kind of swivel stand which allows you to adjust the viewing angle depending on where you are at. There is a cosy seating area located in one corner of the room while the bed is located on the other side - you can shift the direction in which the TV is facing so you can enjoy your favourite programs on the sofa or in bed.
The room that I booked comes with a comfortable King-size bed but Twin-beds can also be arranged for if that is something you require. The Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel also advertises a sofa bed for this room type but I cannot confirm whether or not this is something you can set up on your own (or something that you will have to pay extra for). There is a small chair located by the window as well so you can enjoy your favourite book in the day but honestly, you are much better off by the sofa if you wish to get more comfortable.
The renovated rooms also come with universal power outlets which make it convenient for international travellers - you will find them by the bedside as well for easy access. I did find the beds here at the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotelto be on the firmer side but they were comfortable enough for me to get some quality rest.
My room at the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel did not really have a view (unless looking at the top of the Petronas Twin Towers counts) and since it was relatively close to the apartment across the road, I left the curtains drawn for most parts of my stay. Looking for a hotel with the best view of the Petronas Twin Towers? I highly recommend the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur or the W Kuala Lumpur (even though it might be a little bit close depending on where you are).
As mentioned earlier, the corner rooms are significantly larger than regular rooms but a lot of the space simply separates the bedroom from the bathroom (which may be a good thing if you are sharing this with a friend). Due to the layout of the room, the work desk is located in the middle of the room so it does not actually get much natural daylight.
The Club Deluxe Room that I was upgraded into also came with a coffee machine in the room, on top of the mini-bar area. However, if you are an elite member, or if you have booked a club room, you are better off getting a coffee in the club lounge (which looks great!) anyway.
Complimentary coffee pods are provided in one of the drawers under the coffee machine but unfortunately, they are not Nespresso-branded ones and they are compatible capsules which tasted a little bit odd to me (maybe I am just used to the regular coffee pods). Alternatively, teabags and freeze-dried coffees are also provided if you prefer that. Do remember that water from the tap is not potable so you should use one of the bottled waters to fill up the coffee machine if you wish to use it.
The bathroom of my Club Deluxe Room at the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel was located at the front of the room (it is essentially the first thing you see when you enter) and while it may be simply furnished, it was functional, modern and clean. There is a deep-soaking tub located on one end of the bathroom as well as a separate standing shower area on the other side.
Like a handful of other Renaissance properties that I have been to, bath amenities are provided by TokyoMilk which I do believe is part of the brand’s standard. As we all know, Marriott International is going to reduce the use of single-use plastics so we might see the installation of soap-dispensers in the near future. While I do not particularly like this series of bath amenities, I was there only for the weekend so it did not bother me much (otherwise, I would have gotten something from the supermarket nearby).
The Club Lounge offers complimentary alcoholic beverages from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM each day and food is also served from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. While the selection of spirits is rather limited, there is plenty of value since the room rates here are pretty low (even if you were to book a suite or a club room). The Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel is a Category 2 hotel and it is not affected by the upcoming hotel category changes that will go live on 04 March 2020. A standard night here will require only 12,500 points (or 10,000 points on an off-peak day) and you can stretch the value on your points by redeeming five consecutive nights.
Swissôtel The Stamford offers stunning views of Marina Bay and a prime City Hall location, making it an excellent choice for international visitors. While the L65 Lounge serves substantial evening food, the limited alcohol selection might not suit all guests, but the hotel is still a great option for those wanting to experience Singapore’s iconic sights.