Superb Hideout in KL: Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur [Review]

In outright honesty, I would not visit Kuala Lumpur for leisure; food in Singapore is much better than Kuala Lumpur, and the stuff there is not much cheaper, when you factor in the travelling and accommodation cost. The cultural value of the city is low, as compared to many other Southeast Asian countries. Therefore, the only reason I was at Kuala Lumpur was for work; and I found that Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur fit the bill for a short business travel.

Location of Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur

The hotel is located in the business district of Bukit Bintang. If that does not ring a bell, think Petronas Towers. Yes, the hotel is so near KLCC (a.k.a Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre) of Petronas Towers (and the Suria Mall), that the hotel offers a buggy service to ferry guests across the park in between the 2 places.

Convenience

This meant that it would be very easy for one to do a quick shopping, either to top up on mineral water (like me), or to buy something back for family and friends. For me, I knew the stuff at Uniqlo would be dirt cheap due to the prevailing exchange rate, so it was one of the places I made sure I visited when I was there.

Room of Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur

I stayed in a typical Deluxe room with a double bed, and that was sufficient for me! The room was spacious, and even had 2 reclining chairs for lounging (unfortunately, I did not have time to do that). The bed was comfortable and large, and I had a great, even though short sleep.

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The work desk had plenty of space (even though the TV was placed there too) and if you opened up the power socket panel, you would find plenty of power points and USB ports to charge your devices. On the flip side, there were no sockets at the bed side, so if you needed to charge your devices overnight, it would be very inconvenient to check for urgent messages from work.

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There were also sufficient closet space for hanging clothes and wet towels. The best was the suitcase corner; many hotels have relegated that to an expandable rack, but Traders Hotel has maintained the good old sturdy counter, which is also good for when you want to rest on it to wear shoes. There was also a coat hanger here, by the way, in addition to the usual ironing facilities, safe, bathrobes and slippers.

Bathroom

The bathroom was incredible, if I could say. The lighting was warm, and the décor was well done. There was plenty of space, in terms of moving around, and placing my toiletries. It was so spacious that the shower and bath tub were separate. The bathroom was well stocked with common toiletries (which was also pleasant-smelling), so one only needs to bring very personal stuff like contact lens solution and facial cleanser along.

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Security

Malaysia is not known for being a safe city to wander around at night, so it was commendable that Traders Hotel was sufficiently staffed to take care of that. And with the buggy service provided, one need not walk through the dark, secluded pathways of the park.

Service

The hotel reception was on the 2nd floor, which provided a very cosy and intimate environment. They had a very modern design for the reception, with the guys (yes, I only saw guys at the reception, which was a very marked departure from typical hotel receptions) were behind kiosks very much like that of a restaurant reception. The check in and check out process was smooth and the guys were actually very well-spoken (no “Malaysian” accent in their spoken English!). Unfortunately, due to my short stay, I did not call for room service or dine in their in-house restaurants, so I could not comment on the other aspects of their service.

Gym of Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Being a full-fledged hotel, Traders Hotel has a pool, a rooftop bar and of course a gym. I did not have time and energy to use any of them, but I made sure I toured the gym, also known as Health Club. I was not sure if it was because of the very deceptive name, or because it was late at night, the gym was empty, which was sad because it was a YUGE gym. It was so huge that there were different sections, a ‘resting area’ (not simply a corner equipped with a water cooler) and even a studio for gym classes!

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If I were to stay in Traders Hotel again, I’d make sure I have enough time to use the gym! Other than the spaciousness, the gym looked out to the Petronas Towers, which will make a very motivating night workout.

Verdict

The Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur may not rank top in terms of technical hotel rankings, but the combination of convenient access to shopping malls (that takes care of food and necessities), proximity to the offices (that takes care of the travel to work) as well as the provision of amenities (allows one to pack light) makes the hotel a very value-for-money place to stay for a night or two for business.

How to Get There

In KL, take Uber. The express train is too slow and infrequent, and Traders Hotel is too far from the nearest LRT station. And yes, take Uber instead of the conventional taxis, because Malaysia’s taxis are notorious for over charging and refusing to use the meter. Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia traderskl.fortecrestgroup.com +60 3-2332 9888 [googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d20076.88365357509!2d101.70350840560526!3d3.15824621000497!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x31cc37d3a880566d%3A0x777619bf0fbbc576!2sTraders+Hotel!5e0!3m2!1sen!2ssg!4v1487407338344&w=600&h=450]

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If you find the tips helpful in deciding whether to stay at this hotel, or what to do when you stay here, do go to Tripadvisor, search for “Zenov” and like my review. Thank yoU!