Feels like a studio home
THERE are 108 rooms at the Ramada Suites KLCC in Kuala Lumpur, and each one is a suite.
The hotel is within walking distance to the KL Tower,
Petronas Twin Towers, Petaling Street and Brickfields, and the monorail and MRT stations are easily accessible.
I checked in to the hotel one weekend and got a spacious room; I felt at home instantly. It didn’t feel like I was staying at a hotel. With its ambient lighting and plush furnishings, it felt more like staying over at someone’s studio apartment.
Suites are equipped with a kitchenette with basic cutlery and crockery (although cooking facilities are available upon request) and a fullsize refrigerator, dining table, lounge area, a flat-screen television, bathroom and high-speed Internet Wifi.
“Say hello to red” is the hotel’s tagline, featured in the welcome brochure and door signage in the room, and there were also hints of its red theme in the room furnishings.
I was informed that the hotel was at 90% occupancy as it was the summer holiday season overseas. The guests were a mix of business and leisure travellers. On average, guests at the Ramada would stay for three days, but there are also longstay guests who stay for several months.
On the ninth floor is a spacious recreational area (which doubles up as an event space) comprising three breezy cabanas, an infinity pool with a beautiful view of the city, a hot tub-cum-children’s pool, a 24-hour fitness centre, a cosy lounge with a library, massage chairs and large flat-screen television, and a coin-operated laundrette.
There are also disabled restrooms and other facilities for people with disabilities in the public areas.
Level 10 is the business floor which features a flexi-function room that can cater for small events, as well as a boardroom-style meeting room.
All the public areas (and even rooms) are designed to be eco-friendly and utilise natural daylight.
On the ground floor is the hotel’s resident restaurant, Hugo’s KL, which offers local, regional and international cuisine.
I had the opportunity to try the buffet and it had a good spread of local and Western fare.
Hugo’s KL also transforms into a happening nightspot where you can “paint the town red” in the evenings.
There is a live band on Wednesdays, ladies’ night on Thursdays, salsa night on Fridays, and beer promos on Sundays. It also hosts special events such as “Chocolate Day” and “Tattoo Day”.
The hotel was named the “best four-star hotel in KL City Centre” by the Malaysia Tourism Council in 2018 and “best business class hotel in KL City Centre” by Asia Pacific Travel and Tourism Federation this year. Hotel guests having their international buffet breakfast at Hugo’s KL. — MING teoh/the Star