Hotel Review – The Kuala Lumpur Journal
The KL Journal is located in the heart of the Golden Triangle at Bukit Bintang, conveniently 10-min walking distance of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. If you are wondering where the hotel is located, you may look for HSBC Bukit Bintang building as the landmark for the entrance’s hotel.
There are plenty of delectable and mouth-watering street foods near the hotel that for sure will drive you crazy! There are many entertainments and shopping options near the hotel such as Lot 10, Fahrenheit 88, Starhill Gallery.
The Room (Deluxe King)
Check-in is at 2 pm, and check-out is at the noon for The KL Journal. The room that I booked on Agoda is Deluxe King, which can accommodate a maximum of two adults. It cost me RM348 per night including breakfast for two people.
I can easily enjoy the city view through floor-to-ceiling windows, and you can even see the famous skyscraper twin towers KLCC just right from your bed.
The backdrop at the wall of the room brings you an exclusively commissioned Kuala Lumpur street photography. The best part of the room is you can enjoy watching your favorite series or movies because the television provides a Netflix channel. The internet connection is quite fast in case you need to do some work or tasks.
The KL Journal Hotel Rating
Following my one night stay here, I’d like to give ratings base on these criteria.
1) Staff Service: 9/10
From my first arrival to the hotel until my check-out time I felt very welcomed, the staff here was super friendly at all times, no matter what time of the day. The staff has been very helpful and responsive when I called the receptionist for assistance.
I recalled when the time I arrived in front of the entrance hotel, one of the staff give clear directions on how to park the car and pick up my luggage directly to the room.
2) Cleaniness: 7/10
The room is well-cleaned and neat. A few specks of dust in the room are not cleaned properly though but it would not affect your overall comfort of the room. The rest of the services and cleanliness in either the room, lobby, or facilities room are satisfactory.
3) Comfort Level: 8/10
The rooms are of generous size, clean, and comfortable to stay in. High thread count linen and microfiber pillows gave me a deep sleep of the night. The hotel provides complimentary drinks and basic amenities.
They do provide JBL wireless Bluetooth speakers with an alarm & radio and two charging USB points in the room.
4) Vibe/Environment (8/10)
The cozy atmosphere here is an interesting contrast compared to the hectic KL city. Love the vintage retro of the interior design. The beautiful rooftop pool bar is their signature that gives you an ideal place to relax your mind.
Chilling at The Swimming Club gave a different oldies cool vibe with a tropical concept with a neon light and a very groovy playlist.
5) The Facilities: 7/10
Facilities here are quite convenient; I do love the concept of the swimming pool, which is located at the rooftop hotel. The pool is quite small and depth of just 1.2m, for adults you can only do a short lap. For kids might be suitable but be alert that they do not have a lifeguard on duty, so make sure you take care of your kids.
On the same level, a poolside bar served you a variety of snack bites and drinks. While you are swimming, you can straightaway order the menu near the pools. Since the pool bar is open to the public, the outside guest may come here to enjoy the drinks, and those who are looking for privacy slightly feel inconvenienced swimming.
The swimming pool is available from 8 am to 8 pm while the rooftop poolside bar operates from 12 pm-12 am (Fri-Sat) and 2 pm-12 pm (Sun-Thu).
At the upper level, there is a small gym room but it is enough for you to do some exercise. I love how the hotel provides towels and minerals inside the gym. It may seems insignificant but these little things made things easier for us.
6) Breakfast choice and taste: 4/10
Breakfast at The KL Journal offers a sumptuous and varied breakfast buffet. The breakfast area is located on the lobby floor and offers Malay cuisines, a range of bread, cereals, fresh juices, and many more.
I love how they present the food buffets in a very stylish concept that drives me crazy to eat all of them. I always enjoy coffee in the morning and yes, they provides us free-flow brew coffee machine.
However, the food overall tastes just average to me. Since breakfast includes in my hotel package, you may add on breakfast as low as RM32 per pax, the breakfast time starts at 7 am and until 11 am.
7) Parking Accessibility: 6/10
The parking is provided at the basement level, there have two level parking spaces and even stacked parking to accommodate in-house guest vehicles.
If you are first time visiting here, you might get confused about where the basement parking locates, you need to take a turn beside HSBC’s building and follow the arrow on the signboard to the hotel’s parking.
During the check-out, you need to verify the parking ticket at the reception counter and make payment at the auto-pay machine before exiting. The parking rate is RM10 per entry.
8) Disabled/OKU friendly: 9/10
The hotel is designed for easy access for OKU guests. There are disabled parking lots and slope wheelchairs. Even the toilet’s lobby makes it easily accessible for disabled guests.
Overall thumbs up to KL Journal for making it a smooth and convenient experience for the disabled guest.
Conclusion:
The KL Journal is a great gateway to the city and perfect for weekend staycations, anniversaries, or business trips. The food and beverage are a bit on the average side but the helpful staff made your stay feel at home.
Despite the hotel has been established in 2015, it’s well-maintained and looks fresh & new. The hotel gave me a pleasant stay and it is beyond my expectation.
Overall, I recommend The KL Journal to everyone, I will come back stay again in the near future.
Period: 25-26 Sept 2022 (1 night)