njihan357I wanted to make my husband’s birthday special since it’s his 40th so I planned an impromptu surprise birthday stay at Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur. I made a booking from their mobile app at around 9 AM and sent an email to get help arranging for a birthday cake in the room. Sadly my email was not replied to until 4 PM when I was already checked in to the hotel! For a 5-star hotel, they definitely took their time in responding to emails.
The arrival
When we arrived around 3 PM on a working day, the hotel was very busy. During check-in, I asked the staff if a birthday cake could be arranged to be sent to our room and how much it cost. He immediately helped us to arrange it and told us that it was free of charge. Awesome! Check-in was smooth and there was a bellman who assisted us with our luggage. He was very friendly and informative. Explained where some places are around the hotel and checked our room with us. We were very happy with our room as it was huge and the bed was very comfy.
The negatives
After receiving our cake and celebrating for a bit, we came downstairs to the lobby planning to get the afternoon tea. I called a few minutes before we came down and booked for two. Upon arriving at the restaurant, nobody greeted us. We were asked to go out from there because there was a private event! We were transferred to another section of the restaurant but it was full of business people having meetings and discussions. I felt disappointed and angry. I did not have lunch earlier and was hungry and was also looking forward to the high tea. The waitress recommended another restaurant in the lobby but when we got there, the staff told us that they were closed and had to wait for dinner time.
The change of plan
The whole experience made me feel like a simple and unwealthy person like me is being overlooked and second-classed by a five-star hotel. Sad, angry and hungry, we decided to go out and have lunch at Burger & Lobster Suria KLCC. While queuing up at the concierge to validate the parking card, I was greeted by another staff. While chatting I can’t help but tell her about my whole evening starting with the unanswered email. She apologized on behalf of the hotel and suggested we go to level 1 where there were 2 other restaurants. I was not about to give support towards a hotel brand that just disregarded me so we went out instead.
The upgrade
We had an amazing lunch in Suria KLCC but by the time we drove back, it was 6 PM and traffic was so bad that it made my day even worse! All of a sudden I received a call from Shangri-La and the lady at the concierge greeted me. It turned out she was the floor manager on duty and she was “investigating” our case. She finally saw my email and as for the high tea, there was an emergency event from a certain company. She offered us an upgrade and a late check-out at 4 PM the next day. We were very happy that somebody actually helped us out.
Our new room was a 1 bedroom suite with complete kitchen, living room with sofa and TV. A massive bedroom with another TV and it has a nice city view (the old room’s view was just another building), a walk-in closet that cat literally fit both me & my husband (yes, we tried) and a big toilet with a separate shower and bathtub. It was even bigger than my rented apartment. We didn’t leave the room and ordered their in-room dining for supper and watched TV after.
The breakfast & lounging
The next morning, we had to drag ourselves out of the comfy, large bed to go enjoy the buffet breakfast at Lemon Garden Cafe. It was PACKED with guests! The crowd slowed down as 9 AM approached as most of them were foreigners who stayed as business travelers. The breakfast here was good and came with a wide spread. Love the meatballs, lamb rendang and nyonya laksa. Their croissant and Pain Au Chocolat are my favourite of all favourites. So good, best in Malaysia! Might come back just for these.
After breakfast, we enjoyed the gardens. They are green and make you forget that you are in the middle of Kuala Lumpur city.. until you look up at the tall buildings surrounding you. No noise from the traffic just outside too! There is a big pond with koi fish and the trees are labelled with names and some information about it. We came down to the pool at noon when it was super hot but this is the least crowded time for the pool. The staff here are great – helpful and friendly and served us freshly cut watermelon. We didn’t get any tan tho, since we are local to Malaysia. Our skin has had enough sun as it is.
The end
As 4 PM came and we had to say goodbye to the awesome, upgraded room, we were feeling very happy with our stay. It turned out good at the end. During checkout, the same floor manager came to check in on our stay and said goodbye. Overall, we had an enjoyable stay. Definitely memorable on both positive and negative sides. Do I want to come again? I don’t know, possibly not, or perhaps during a non-peak weekend.. maybe.
I have had other stays in some lower-star hotels such as Sheraton Imperial, Hilton Garden Inn and Swing & Pillows. Do check them out because they are worth your visit as well!