U X U R for less
This hotel in “old KL” has pared back excess and frivolity to focus on the essentials – comfortable, stylish rooms, art-filled public spaces and good food. Julie Miller reports.
The hotel
The Chow Kit, an Ormond Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Check-in
An anomaly in the concrete jungle of Kuala Lumpur, the inner-city neighbourhood of Chow Kit is an authentic slice of old Malaysia, with the city’s largest wet market and a tatty edge harking back to its recent past as a red-light district.
But gentrification has arrived in the form of the Chow Kit, an Ormond Hotel, awarded Malaysia’s Best Boutique Hotel at the 2023 World Travel Awards and described by the Michelin Guide as “the first properly swanky luxury boutique hotel in town”.
With a mantra of “luxury simplified”, the hotel has pared back excess and frivolity to focus on the essentials – comfortable, stylish rooms, art-filled public spaces and good food.
You won’t find a pool, spa or even a fitness room; but with a focus on local artistic and design partnerships, this property celebrates its namesake neighbourhood’s history while still offering contemporary accommodation at an affordable price.
The look
With a six-storey exterior resembling a NYC brownstone, the interior – designed by Brooklyn-based collective Post Company – marries classic colonial Malaya (rattan and songket furnishings, ceramic bowls, lazy palm-leaf ceiling fans and lantern lights) with a fresh, modern vibe.
Contemporary curated artworks by up-and-coming Malaysian artists line the walls, while off the main lobby is the wood-panelled library, its jewel-box Thai silk wallpaper depicting scenes and characters from the Chow Kit neighbourhood, including prominent businessman Loke Chow Kit himself.
The room
As a nod to the neighbourhood’s seedy underbelly, the hotel’s 86 guest rooms and 27 suites are named after the area’s notorious gambling dens and those who ran them, and decorated boudoir-style, with curved wooden bedheads and tasselled velvet drapes.
With the standard Den rooms rather compact in size (and with some facing an inner light well, rather than having external views), it’s worth spending a little extra for the Towkay (meaning “boss” in the local Hokkien dialect) or Towkay Soh (“boss lady”) suites, which feature a lounge area and floor-to-ceiling windows.
In-room toiletries are from Jeanie Botanicals using Southeast Asian herbs and aromas. While other amenities in the room are limited, the lift lobby on each floor features a water dispenser and a self-serve “essentials” cupboard that is accessed with a room key.
Food and drink
In an area where street food is king, the excellent Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar pays homage to traditional Malaysian cuisine, celebrating legendary dishes with a modern interpretation.
Start the day with local favourites such as kaya toast or a delicious, fiery nasi lemak, while the dinner menu features a four-course Modern Malaya menu that utilises fresh produce from the Chow Kit Market, such as an asparagus pomelo salad, masak belimbing hitam (stewed chicken glazed with a sweet and spicy sauce, served with rice in a banana leaf and sambal) and, for dessert, a creamy caramelised jackfruit creme brulee. All totally delicious.
For a cheap and cheerful lunch, the adjoining sister budget hotel, MoMo’s, serves an array of Japanese street food in a funky setting.
Out and about
To get a feel for the neighbourhood, and as an introduction to Malaysia’s incredible and crazy-cheap street food, join a free walking tour with gregarious local guide Fuad Fahmy.
From learning about the chequered history of the area – from its seedy underbelly to the site of the first open-air concert by legendary Malaysian singer Sudirman in the 80s – to chowing down on roti canai in a back alleyway, Fuad’s tour will open your eyes to a vibrant part of Kuala Lumpur rarely seen by tourists.
While the hotel is several kilometres from the city’s CBD, Grab ride-share (Southeast Asia’s version of Uber) makes getting around easy, with sights such as Petronas Towers, Chinatown and Central Market just a fixed-price (no more than a few dollars) ride away.
The highlight
Fuad’s informative walking tour takes you off the beaten tourist track and is an immersive introduction to the bustling neighbourhood. Go easy on breakfast to save room for some of KL’s best street food.
The lowlight
The hotel’s free yoga class on the rooftop deck has been suspended since the pandemic and it seems the open space with city views is rarely accessed these days, with the door jammed and unable to be opened during my visit.
The verdict
With rooms from around NZ$100 a night, the Chow Kit Hotel offers remarkable value in a fascinating and eclectic part of Kuala Lumpur.
The writer was a guest of The Chow Kit, an Ormond Hotel.