I had the chance to stay at the JW Marriott at Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and it was honestly an eventful time. Now if you’re not familiar with the JW Marriott brand, it’s basically a part of the Marriott group that’s targeted mainly at the more affluent traveler demographic. Knowing this, I expected a lot from the hotel and unsurprisingly, it actually lived up to this expectation and then some.
JW Marriott Hotel Bukit Bintang KL: Luxury and Comfort at a Price
Upon seeing the hotel’s entrance, I immediately knew this stay was going to be a different experience. The entrance just looked really opulent with the silver links, marble, and the tall glass panels. Now, what really impressed me more was that even though it looked luxurious, it still looked very welcoming.
The whole check in process here was a relative breeze. After entering, I queued up to one of the check in counters in the lobby and was immediately entertained. It should be noted though that there really weren’t that many people when I checked in so your experience might differ.
So one thing that’s unique about this JW Marriott Hotel is that it’s connected to a luxury mall called The Starhill Gallery (this is also where Shook! restaurant, the place where I had breakfast buffet is located). Actually if you want to check out the mall’s luxury shops then you can do so via the main lobby. This one in the image is a Patek Philippe outlet run by Cortina Watch Singapore and it’s just one of many that can be found in the ground level.
Here you can see a glimpse of one section of the Main Lobby. On the left you can see the elevators for the upper levels. Like with a lot of luxury hotels, there’s also a grand piano here (you can see it off in the background) on display.
Perhaps the most notable feature of the main lobby though is this enormous chandelier. It positively screams opulence and luxury. I’ve been to plenty of hotels in the past couple of months and this is the few chandeliers that really awed me. Like I had to pick up my jaw from the floor (figuratively of course) because who wouldn’t marvel at this thing?
Another feature of the hotel that contributes to the luxurious and opulent vibe is the presence of mirrors and reflective surfaces. This is pretty evident with the main lobby’s ceiling but you’ll also notice this in the elevator hallway. Some might find this tacky but I actually think it really fits the kind of hotel that it’s marketed to be.
Here’s a view of the entrance from inside of the hotel. From here you can actually see some of the stores and shops at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur Mall. Much like the Starhill Gallery, the Pavilion is also a luxury mall and the shops there reflect that. Aside from Burberry and Richard Mille (which you can clearly see in the image) other luxury brands that I saw there include Balenciaga, Tiffany & Co., Fendi, Ferragamo, and Gucci (just to name a few).
This is the elevator hallway that you saw in some of the previous images. Like I said, there are plenty of reflective surfaces and gold accents here that really reinforce the idea that this is a luxury hotel. If there’s one thing that does feel out of place though, it’s those flowers you see at the end of this hall and on the table on the right. It’s not that they don’t look fancy. Rather their color just doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the hotel’s aesthetics and color scheme.
So this is a directory that features the shops and establishments that you’ll find at the Starhill. As I said earlier, the mall and hotel are connected. The mall actually has 7 levels but only the first four of these (L1, G, UG, and LG) are reserved for commercial use. As for the top three floors, those are for JW Marriott’s hotel rooms.
Oh look, it’s the grand piano that I talked about earlier. This area is already part of the Starhill Gallery. On the right of the image you can actually see a Davidoff branch. Now If you’re not familiar with this brand, it’s actually from Switzerland and is known for its premium cigars.
Since I was done with my check-in, it was now time to go up to my room. Before that though, here’s another look at the hotel’s entrance from near the Starhill Gallery area. While I did say that there weren’t that many people checking in to the hotel when I was there, it should be noted that the area was still a little busy due to its proximity and connection to the mall.
So I finally managed to get into my room and it was honestly homey while still giving off that luxurious vibe. The warm earthy tones and the neutral colors of the room made me feel like I was at home. At the same time though, there were plenty of amenities here that you wouldn’t find in the typical home setting.
The first place I looked into was the closet. Here I found a safety deposit box that was decently sized. If you’ve bought jewelry and/or other valuables and you somehow can’t bring them with you at all times, then I’d suggest you make use of this. Other than the safe, you’ll also notice a complimentary robe hanging on the rack.
The closet was also where I found the complimentary slippers. These were pretty comfortable to wear and like with a lot of the complimentary gifts by the hotel, you are actually free to bring these home with you. I personally didn’t bring home mine as I think I already have plenty just from this year’s travels.
Much like the room, I feel like the closet wasn’t that spacious. That said, this shouldn’t really be a problem unless you’re spending more than a week here. And even if you did extend your stay for more than a week, I think it still could have room enough for your clothes. Moreover, this isn’t the only closet here as you’ll find out in a while.
Yes, there is an additional closet which has some clothes hangers, a clothes iron, and an ironing board. Now you’ll also notice that there’s an umbrella hanging on the clothes rack together with the hangers. Unfortunately, you can only use this for the duration of your stay and you won’t be able to take this home with you.
On the floor of the closet, you’ll find these Laundry Valet and Garment Care labeled bags. Garment Care is basically the name of the hotel’s dry cleaning and laundry service. Place your used clothes inside these bags to then have the service’s professional valets clean and maintain them.
So this is what I meant when I said the room still gave off luxurious vibes. As with the elevator hallway in the main lobby, the room also does not suffer from a lack of reflective surfaces. The floor to ceiling mirror here is the most egregious as it’s one of the first things you’ll notice upon entering the room.
Even the appliances here have reflective surfaces. Both the electric kettle and the coffee maker feature chrome silver surfaces that give off not only luxurious but also vintage vibes. By the way, the shelf as well as the appliances and chinaware pictured here are just opposite the floor to ceiling mirror in the previous image.
I found this brochure for Starhill recommendations on the shelf on top of the coffee maker. It’s pretty much a listing of the luxury items, shops, and food that you’ll find in the mall. If you plan to go shopping here then you’re really going to want to take this as it has information on discounts for guests.
Just below the brochure is the coffee maker. It’s Nespresso compatible so you can pop the Nespresso pods in the box next to the bottles of water on it and you should have your coffee in about a minute or two. If you’re someone like me who enjoys coffee then you’ll likely find yourself getting a lot of use out of this.
Here’s a close up of the box containing the Nespresso pods. On top of those, you can also find packets of creamer and sugar. Now if you’re more of a tea person then there’s no need to worry. The hotel also included packets of tea in the box.
In the adjacent shelf, you’ll find a box tray containing an electric kettle, a pair of glasses, an ice bucket, a pair of cups and spoons, and even a cork opener. The electric kettle actually saw a fair bit of use. Since I’ve recently cut down on coffee (I still drink it but not as often as before), I’ve been drinking more tea as a result.
Below the shelf with the electric kettle is the room’s refrigerator. I don’t remember ever using this since I typically ate out. Still, it’s great that the room has one as some people might want to enjoy their food inside rather than go out to eat. With the fridge, they can store their leftovers instead of just chucking them in the bin.
Next to the shelf is the door to the bathroom. Unfortunately, there is no dedicated living room area here. This was perhaps one of the more egregious drawbacks of this room for me. Thankfully, you kind of get over this since everything else here is really top-notch.
Is a dedicated living room area really needed? I actually asked myself this question one night after a day out walking the streets of KL. By the time I got back to my room I was quite tired that I just finished my bedtime routine and went on to sleep. Of course, this was my experience. Your needs could be different and in that case, you probably should just upgrade to a larger room.
Now if you want to work then there’s a section of the room that has a small desk that should be perfect for your laptop and maybe a tablet or two. There’s also an outlet here so this would be a perfect spot to charge your gadgets if you’re not using it for work. As for the chair, it was okay. Not as comfortable as I would’ve liked but I also used it mainly as a rack for my clothes more than anything else.
This is the night table in between the two beds. It features a digital alarm clock as well as the room’s telephone. Behind these, you can find additional outlets for you to plug in your other gadgets (especially if the outlets near the work desk are already occupied).
The telephone here was rather basic and from what I understand, it’s the same model and design regardless of the kind of room you get. Look closely and you can see the contact number and email of the hotel. Now you can use this to dial both local and international numbers but remember that any fees you incur from the calls will be charged to your account.
Now the JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur website talks about the rooms in the hotel all having stunning views. That’s simply not the case as you can see in the image above. There are rooms like the one that I’m in (it’s a Superior Twin Guest Room) that only have these containers containing tropical ferns in them in lieu of a “stunning” view.
Now I’m not saying that the ferns look bad. In fact, they actually look nice. That said, it would have been nicer if this were a view of the city scape or even just of Bukit Bintang.
Despite my complaint, I still think this room is a good deal. At around 550MYR, it’s more or less 200MYR cheaper than the most expensive room with a view. If the lack of a view doesn’t bother you then the room is probably still better than what you’d find at budget establishments and maybe even some 4-star hotels.
Thankfully, JW Marriott didn’t skimp on the bathroom’s amenities. The moment I stepped inside, I was again reminded of the luxury and opulence of the main lobby. Marble was again everywhere as evidenced in this image of the toilet area. Fixtures like the toilet and sink also were squeaky clean and you could tell from a glance that they were more than well maintained.
Here you can see the toilet area’s extremely large vanity mirror with a reflection of the shower. As with a lot of hotels at this price point, the bath and toilet areas are separate for privacy, comfort, and hygiene. I also liked the illumination in the room which is thanks to those lights you see below the mirror.
Opposite the large mirror and the toilet is a smaller vanity mirror. Now I say smaller but it’s still fairly large. I will say though that I would have wanted this mirror situated in another area of the room or even outside in the bedroom. It’s probably just me but I really don’t like seeing myself while I’m doing number two on the toilet.
Just to the right of the vanity mirror is the door to the shower. As you can see, it’s made of glass and you actually see what’s inside. Don’t worry though since this fogs up easily especially if you showered with hot water.
In terms of length, the bath tub seemed quite small. If you’re tall (or heck, even of average height) then you’re going to have to tuck your feet in. Thankfully, the tub makes up for the short length by being a little deeper. I honestly didn’t see this as an issue and my baths here were still very comfortable.
This is a closer look at the shower. It’s pretty standard which means you have the option to shower using cold or hot water. I typically use the hot option in the mornings and depending on the weather, I cap off my day with a cold shower (if I’m not dipping in the bath tub or the swimming pool).
To the left of the shower are the toiletries. These are pretty standard dispensers containing shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. I bring my own toiletries so I have not tried these. For what it’s worth, I did give them a smell, and they actually weren’t that bad. These toiletries were supplied by Aromatherapy Associates, a brand based in the UK that has a partnership with the Marriott Group.
Here’s a final look at the shower and bath tub. Again, this is pretty much the same with the bedroom. Not as spacious as I wanted but still had more than enough room for me to shower/take a dip in the bathtub comfortably.
Once you’re done taking a bath, you can then proceed to the vanity mirror and pull out one of its drawers for a hair dryer/blower. This unfortunately isn’t one of those fancy wireless models but it still does the job extremely well. It was a little loud for me personally but it might have just been that specific dryer/blower.
The vanity mirror also has a stool that you can use. This is especially helpful if you think your prep is going to take a while. Rather than stand (or sit on the toilet seat), you’re probably better off hunkering down on this stool.
Here you can see the sink and the cabinet it’s sitting on. On the open shelves on the cabinet, you’ll find the towels and towelettes. There’s also a recess just below the mirror where you can find another set of toiletries.
Much like the toiletries in the shower, the facial soap and body lotion pictured above are supplied by Aromatherapy Associates. I did end up using the pictured facial soap once and I thought it was okay. I’d still prefer my own toiletries but if you happen to not have brought any with you then these will do more than fine.
Aside from soap and lotion, there are also toiletries here for your oral hygiene. The boxes pictured contain brushes, mouthwash, and even dental floss. Take note that unlike the umbrella earlier in this write-up, you’re actually allowed to bring these home with you.
In the recess above the toilet, I found these small boxes containing sanitary bags. If you plan to dispose of any of the toiletries that you’ve already used/used up then make sure to place them on these. Set this and its contents in the trash bin and housekeeping will then take care of its disposal.
This is a close up of the cabinet that the sink is sitting on. Like I said earlier, you can find the towels and towelettes here. It’s quite easy to access and the top drawer is actually lit up so that you’ll have an easier time seeing what’s inside.
Underneath the cabinet is a digital scale that should prove useful for those who are conscious of their weight. The scale is made by a Malaysian brand called Swissman which specializes in bespoke hospitality products. In terms of functionality, this scale was fairly accurate in measuring my weight. I used it only once though as I knew I gained a little after enjoying the food here in KL.
If money is not a constraint then I think you might be better off booking a more expensive room than the Superior Twin I got. Still, I wouldn’t say that I regretted getting the room as it was genuinely comfortable. If you do plan on coming here, make sure to choose a room with a better view or maybe one of the cabanas in Level 6 (those near the pool). Ever had the chance to visit the JW Marriott Hotel at Bukit Bintang in Indonesia? If yes, then please share your experiences in the Comments Section!
