Review: Hilton Petaling Jaya (King Executive Room Plus)

Hilton took over the management of Jaya Puri Hotel in 1982 and completed renovation in 1984. Located right beside the federal highway, this building has been a landmark in the Petaling Jaya area for decades now.

Arrival

Upon arriving, I was asked if I want to complete the check-in process at the Executive Lounge when the front desk officer saw that I am a Diamond member. I was needing a good cup of coffee, so why not?!

I was offered a complimentary one-level upgrade to King Executive Room Plus. When asked, I was told that the Suites were fully occupied on those days. I was given a welcome letter listing down all the Diamond-member benefits offered by this hotel. That is already a much better first impression over my experience at Putrajaya Marriott!

Room 2061 looked great. I always appreciate a dedicated work desk in my hotel rooms. Quite a nice view of the city from the window too.

The suite (King Executive Room Plus)

Executive lounge

The Executive Lounge got pretty crowded during the hours of evening aperitifs and breakfast. It is mostly empty outside those times.

Breakfast

Paya Serai Restaurant was under renovation while I was there and the makeshift restaurant looked a mess. I decided to have my daily breakfast in the Executive Lounge instead.

Other facilities

Bad mark in an otherwise very good experience

On my final night, I saw a roach crawling around the sink near my toothbrush. I dialed “0 for magic” as stated in the welcome note from the Director of Operations, Mr S.Tharmaraj. I waited 4-5 minutes for someone to answer the phone. The phone was answered rudely by a guy named Azam. The conversation went like this:

Me: Hi, I found a cockroach in my room
Azam: Okay, I will send someone to spray it
Me: I would like to have a room change
Azam: You have to go to front desk to change your room
Me: Get them to call me

A few minutes later, front desk called and asked “Hi sir, how can I help you?”. Azam put in no effort to explain the situation to the front desk. The lady at the front desk called me back knowing absolutely nothing about what has happened.

I then requested her to get the duty manager to call me back. Mr Martin and Premjit from concierge were amazing in helping me move rooms. They were really courteous, right in line with what I love most about this property. I wanted to move because I did not feel that the room is clean. The cockroach was running around near my toothbrush for goodness sake!

I wrote an email to Mr S.Tharmaraj through the email listed in my welcome note. I did not get a reply after a week despite getting read receipts multiple times. I decided to send another email to him as a reminder, requesting for an explanation. It has been 3 months and I never got a reply. At this stage, I have to question the point of the welcome note which also spelled my name wrongly. Does Mr S.Tharmaraj sign these notes blindly everyday? Do the notes even mean anything or are they used just to make guests ‘feel’ like they are being taken care of?

Location

There is nothing much within walking distance from this hotel. You will need to get your own ride or use the complimentary shuttle service to get to nearby malls or Kuala Lumpur City Center.

Conclusion

Although nowhere near as bad as my experience at Putrajaya Marriott, I am very disappointed by the level of professionalism shown by the person answering the ‘magic’ hotline and the Director of Operations, Mr S.Tharmaraj. I really wanted to like this hotel but I will not be staying here again because of this huge dent in an otherwise good experience. The only time you should be staying here is on nights when Sheraton Petaling Jaya (next door) costs a lot more.

Worth Noting

Breakfast hours: 0600 – 1030 hours (weekdays), 0600 – 1100 hours (weekends)
Price of breakfast buffet: 69 MYR
Evening aperitifs in the Executive Lounge: 1800 – 2000 hours

Ratings

Breakfast: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Location: 6/10
Room: 7/10
Facilities: 7/10
Executive lounge: 8/10
Elite member recognition: 8/10