Hotel Lobby on the 40th floor

Element by Westin at Kuala Lumpur is located near Kuala Lumpur City Centre (known as KLCC), just a 15-minute walk to the most famous structure in KL, Petronas Twin Towers. By car, it takes 5 minutes. (Element provides free shuttle there.)

The hotel lobby is situated on the 40th floor of the Ilham Tower so when you check in, you will already be greeted with a bird’s eye view of the city.

View from my room

ROOM

I was placed in the Studio Skyline (approximately 400 ringgit, S$130 for weekend), just one step up from Studio. The difference is I have a view of Petronas Twin Towers. For 50 ringgit more, you can upgrade to a suite.

Entrance: behind the mirror is the toilet. On the right, it is the wardrobe.

There are many things I like about the room:

-there is so much space. So much. Which is great and liberating. I feel like I can dance in the room.

-the bed is the most important thing in a hotel for me. And this bed is very comfortable. You sink into it, doze off, and cannot wake up like Sleeping Beauty. Two of my friends missed roll call because the bed is so comfortable. It is slightly too soft for me but I’d rather a soft bed to a rockhard bed.

Large space

-there are usb outlets by the side of the beds to charge mobile phones. YAY.

USB ports by the side of the bed

-My favourite part is they treat you like adults. Most hotels design that you place your keycard into a receptacle to connect electricity to the room.

But at Element, they don’t. They have a master switch at the entrance of the room and when you leave, you just need to turn it off. When you enter, turn it on. That is, Element trusts you enough to be responsible for saving electricity and the environment like an adult should.

–kitchenette: for you to heat up leftovers with a microwave.

Kitchenette

No bottled water but they have 3M filtered water

–nightlight. Many people like to keep a light on when staying in a hotel. But at Elements, you can switch off al the lights because there is a nightlight, which is bright enough in case you want to visit the toilet in the middle of the night, but yellowish enough so that you can sleep without interruption.

–Amenities: they have all the standard hotel amenities here: hairdryer, iron, ironing board, safe, etc.

–Eco-friendly: They don’t give bottles of water (yay, cut down on plastic), but they provide a 3M filtered tap for water. The shower gel and shampoo come from dispensers (again, no plastic) although you can request for bottled shower gel and shampoo. They change bedsheets only when you place a card on the bed, and change towels when you throw them on the floor.

–Pricing: really fantastic pricing for a city hotel.

View from the room: one of the Twin Towers is obstructed, but you can see the Menara

-The view: you can see a partial view of the Twin Towers from here. One of the towers is blocked by Four Seasons hotel, but still, it’s a good view.

Nightview. DAMN YOU, Four Seasons, for blocking the view.

Things I don’t like about the room:

–no bathtub at entry-level room although there are bathtubs in suites. The toilet is huge enough to put in a bathtub.

Toilet

Rainshower

For a video of the room:

INDOOR SWIMMING POOL

This is one of my favourite hotel swimming pools. Pools are important for me because swimming is my favourite exercise.

Firstly, as a business hotel, the hotel caters to adults. So the indoor pool is 1.2 metres throughout. Which means few children get to enjoy the pool. Which also means peace and quiet for the two times I was there.

Brrrr… it’s cold.

Second, it is a saline, not chlorine, pool, which means you don’t have to wear googles.

Third, it is long enough (about 20m) to do laps.

Fourth: the design is spectacular. I’m not referring to the deck chairs and wood panel flooring, as if we are in someone’s penthouse. The exterior design is nice but I’m talking about the pool itself.

The mosaic tiles in the pool vary in different colours of blue and mother-of-pearl, arranged in a wave-like pattern, so you feel like you are swimming in a clear ocean. And the ceiling is made from reflexive metal, so when you swim on your back, you get to see yourself floating on an ocean. That’s a very relaxing image.

However, unfortunately, as an indoor pool, the water is cold. Usually, the body warms up after swimming a few laps but I swam for 30 continuous minutes and my fingertips and soles still felt chill.

GYM

I did not use the gym although the equipment looks adequate.

Gym machines

Free weights

HOTEL BREAKFAST

The hotel breakfast (70 ringgit, S$23) is fantastic although in KL, you may want to consider street food, a cheaper alternative. It’s international buffet, which includes an egg live station, western breakfast, and Asian breakfast.

Trace Restaurant, which is at the lobby

Western selection including baked egg

The Western section is extensive, but it’s really the Asian food that shines. The Malay food is so tasty. The fish gulai (fried fish in tamarind curry) is tender and aromatic and not really spicy, ideal for breakfast. The filaments of spices of ayam goreng berempah (spiced fried chicken) add flavour and texture to the dish.

Malay selection is delicious!

Have to praise their beverages. They freshly squeeze fruit juices once they run out such as yellow watermelon, cucumber + guava, carrot + pineapple, etc. Their coffee is also of a good quality, not the shit that most hotels serve.

CONCLUSION

I highly recommend the hotel. It is stylish and comfortable.

Pros:

-in city area, near Petronas Twin Towers

-provides free shuttle to Twin Towers

-fantastic, saline pool.

-Nice view

-Relatively new

-large rooms

-kitchenette

-very good value for a city hotel

-eco friendly

-good breakfast

-good gym

-complimentary wifi

Cons:

-need to heat the pool

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–3D2N Genting Highlands Itinerary: Day 1 – SkyTropolis Funland & High Line Roof Top Market
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Written by Dr. A. Nathanael Ho.