Mandarin Oriental Hotel - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Located minutes from the Petronas Towers in downtown Kuala Lumpur, The Mandarin Oriental is the perfect location for a stay in KL.

First Impression/Lobby - Pulling up to the hotels entrance showed just how busy the Mandarin was. And with many people coming and going, the bell boys and doormen were eager to welcome us and help us into the hotel showing us the service we you would expect from a hotel of this caliber. Based on the welcome we received on the outside the hotel quickly gained points.

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Reception - The points gained were quickly erased at reception. It has been a very long time since I have gotten such a rude welcome, especially at a 5-star hotel like the Mandarin Oriental. We had requested a room on a high floor with a great view and when we asked the receptionist about this, she not so politely snipped something to the affect "you will get what I give you". So much for that Malaysian, warm welcome.

The Room - Our room, as we had expected after the reception's comment, was not on a high floor and the view was anything but great. That is unless you stoop to the bottom of the window and crane your head and neck up to see Petronas Towers.

The room itself was nicely appointed in the typical hospitality browns, tans, maroons and greens. The seating area was small but cozy. The bathroom on the other hand, was small and cramped. I am surprised they were able to fit a bathtub, shower, sink and toilet into an area that small.

Room Service - Room service was consistently on time, accurate and offered a good selection of items at reasonable costs. The fare was not the quality of a five star restaurant but it was on par with room service food from any five star or luxury hotel I have ordered from in the past.

Concierge - The concierge service was disheartening. Each restaurant they recommended was worse than the previous. On our last night they recommended Inagiku, a Japanese restaurant, which looked like it had not had a good cleaning in years. It was not representative of what I would expect The Mandarin Oriental to recommend. At first, I thought maybe it was because the concierge was young, but thinking back to the recommendations from the young ladies at The Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong, and the treatment from the receptionist upon arrival, I surmise it has more to do with lack of training than age. Regardless, it was a major miss for The Mandarin Oriental.

Overall Impression - In today's competitive hotel market, especially in a city the size of Kuala Lumpur a five star or luxury hotel must be exude style and comfort but even more important, it must consistently deliver or over-deliver service. The Mandarin Oriental - KL feel short of service and on that alone makes it a mediocre hotel. Would I stay at the Mandarin in Kuala Lumpur again? No. Would I recommend it to others? No, there are many other hotels, both major chains and small luxury or boutiques hotels in the market, I would recommend looking elsewhere. On my next trip to KL, I will try Hotel Maya.

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