Hotel Review-Thistle Johor Bahru

It's sad to see a gem diminishes its shines and color....well that's the metaphor rightly suited to explain this hotel im writing about-the Thistle Hotel, Johor Bahru.

Thistle Hotel was previously known as Hyatt Regency Johor, however i never had the opportunity to stay there in it yesteryear but only in 2010 was the first time i stepped into its grand lobby and slept in its wonderful bedroom and experience its excellence services where they really gave a 5 star treatment.

Fast forward to 2012, i was hopping to sample the same wonderful experience that i had 2 years back but was greatly dissapointed with the overall offerings of this hotel, from the lack of warmth in its staff's services, to the dated rooms and mediocre facilities.

The external facade....

and looking down to its swimming pool........

The disappointment started right from the point of check-in. I noted that the hotel was fully booked and i had to wait for a good 10 minutes before i could be attended by the receptionist. This reception, who happened to be a trainee was so slow in conducting the overall check-in process of the people before me and me myself. When he realized that his line of attendees are already queing, he should have expedited his movement and could not just leisurely do his things. When it was my turn to be attended, there's no warm welcome or enthusiast to serve and eventhough i was booked in CLub Room, he did not even bother to explain the availability of the CLub Lounge for my use, the very distinctive element which differentiate your stay from the normal rooms. As expected, nobody offered to take my bag or accompany me to my room. In Bangkok, 4 or 5 stars hotel will make sure that all guest will be escorted to their rooms and rooms features are explained in detail. Malaysian hotels really need to learn hospitality values of the Thais.

I made my way to the room and i noticed that there's no physical distinction of the Club Room with the Standard Room that ive stayed before, be it in its size or the furnitures and fittings.This even made me wondered whether they actually allocated me the correct room or not.

 In anyway, i love the room layout whereby the entrance is quite curved in so that you dont get a direct view of the bed from the room until you have actually stepped into the room and passed the bathroom door. To your right is the spacious bathroom which is nicely tiled with golden-orange marbles and to your left the closet with electronic safe, slippers, extra pillow and weighing scale. I remember previously they provided bathrobe and iron and ironing board, but that's not the case now.


the bathroom view......

 

view of the bed and the large ceiling high window..........

the closet........you can even hide yourself in here...

the minibar..........

 

 As i was on a business trip and having a tight schedule, i really need to use a PC and a printer. Luckily those are available at the CLub Lounge. The Club Lounge is exclusively opened for CLub Rooms guest whereby free drinks are made available and complimentary snacks and light meals are served after 5pm. You may also opt to have your breakfast here for want of privacy. It consist of 2 levels whereby the dining area is located at the 1st level and the 2nd level housed the PC facilities and seating area with audio video equipments. Not sure whether you can have a karaoke session here though. There are also balconies at both levels whereby you may have your drinks and snacks while enjoying the sea breeze.

view from 2nd level........

my evening snacks and my favourite drink, ice cold ginger ale........

 

next morning, breakfast with a wonderful view of the clock tower.......

another thing that tainted my stay here was the attitude of a male servant in the Club Lounge during breakfast. When he enquired for my room number he made it with a facial expression that was so unwelcoming. Then when i wondered around taking pictures of the lounge he made this disapproving look. Very unfortunate to say that he's the only sour grape among the other staffs serving the Club Lounge who were generally friendly. It really made me wonder how people with this kind of attitude would want to work in the service industry at the first place??

Despite all the impressive facade of this hotel from the outside, and having reputation as one of the high-end hotel in the city of Johor Bahru, i really think that Thistle Johor Bahru has started to lose its charm. Without immediate refurbishment of its dated furnitures and fittings and especially proper training and having the right people to work in this hotel i do believe that it doesnt have any winning point except to stand on its name as being managed by an established international hotel chains company.Kay2012

Hotel Review-Somerset Suanplu Park-Bangkok

My recent finding in Bangkok...this property is more of a service residents which also caters for short terms visitors. It is located in Sathorn area of Bangkok, area where most foreign embassies are located. 

external view of the hotel....i stayed at the 10th floor

 

while waiting for the staffs to prepare my room, i wander around at the lovely garden fronting the lobby area..

prior to that, the staffs offered me to take a shower at the spa facility located at the 5th floor of this hotel. This is where the swimming pool, gym, spa and sauna is located.

At almost to 2pm, my room was readied.

As you enter the room, you'll be greeted with contemporary arts decor....

Needless to note that the room is so spacious with separate living area, bedroom, kitchen and dining area

the bedroom is furnished with comfy king bed, and appliances are well kept in the ceiling high cupboard. There is also a tv set in the bedroom for bedtime viewing

The bathroom is accessible from the living room and the bedroom. It is medially sized with minimal amenities.

the kitchen area is well stocked with kitchen appliances such as microwave and refrigerator as well as cooking utensils and cutlery and dining ware. I really love how attention to details were reflected in the manner they arranged the cutlery and dining ware

now the best part of the room is it's balcony..offering unprecedented view of Bangkok skylines...i could sit here for hours watching the sun down......

breakfast in this hotel is nothing to shout about..it was not elaborate but rather simple...what i like is that they have a coffee machine whereby you can choose different types of coffee from mocha to cappuccino to your likings.

All in all, Somerset Suanplu was a wonderful stay and if the price is right i wont hesitate to stay here again. It is located near to the centre of actions in Silom road whereby a taxi ride will only cost around THB60. It is also nearer to the city centre compared to my last stay in Chatrium Residence. The staffs were friendly and greeted you with smiles all the times. If you need to be in the heart of the city but still want some peace and quite time...this is the place to be-Kay 2011

Hotel Review: The Madison Washington D.C "Luxury in D.C"

 I will definitely continue my trip report of my North American odyssey afterwards. However, as a starter for my stories on Washington D.C i want to review our place of abode in the capital city first and it was the Madison Hotel.

Surprisingly enough, we found the the hotel rates in DC are much lower from those in Manhattan. For this, a night's stay at a 4stars hotel in DC would be equal in price to that of 2.5/3 stars hotel in Manhattan. Due to this and due further to our short stay of only one night in DC, we decided to pamper ourselves (a bit) in a little luxury by staying at this 4 stars boutique hotel located right in the middle of DC townsquare.

The external facade and the main entrance to the hotel

We arrived around 10am from New York and directly made our way to the hotel which was a 20 minutes taxi ride from the train station. In a stark contrast to New York's scene, DC is more quite and less crowded with the overall backdrops of the city were made up of offices (mostly governments). One more thing about travelling in USA, do keep an extra cash in hand for the tips as literally everyone (that's what i believe!) is expecting for you to give them some tips.

So we arrived at our hotel and was pleasantly happy to see the luxurious feel of its decor for which was influenced by the American style and not those of European heavily-chandeliered decor mostly found in luxury hotels. This is more like a luxury American homes-the thing that i like and hope to replicate the same in my future home.

Lobby area and the hallways to our room

A slight hiccup during our check-in process when the reception lady couldnt find our reservation.However it got sorted out by the very nice Manager of Nigerian descent. We were promptly lead to our Deluxe Room.

I can't say enough how much i love this room. It was perfectly sized and equipped with amenities and equipments and the touch of colours which are warm yet cozy. 

The bedding are marvelous as there were 2 queen beds with soft and comfy mattress and yes most importantly sufficient pillows.

32" LCD TV with cable channels including pay-per-view channels....

I want this chair in my room!

Lets look at the bathroom............

Sparkling marbles will greet you in the bathroom and soft fluffy towels are ready at your perusal. The amenities are also customized for the hotel guest and of environmentally friendly products.

One of the feature which i love the most in this hotel is the coffee brewing facility in your room.Yes, here they do not provide you the 3 in 1 instant coffee but each room is provided with coffee brewer for the guest to brew their own coffee fresh every day. There are few types of coffees to choose from as well, to your likings.

you can also have some snacks with your coffee-chargeable of course..............

If you are traveling by air you dont have to worry about checking in for your flight as airline check in can be done in the business centre-compliment of the hotel. For us, we were promptly assisted by the front desk manager himself and his colleague and they were so patience and friendly lot.

The city centre is just around 10-15 minutes walk from the hotel but if you insist taxis are at abundance around the hotel.

According to their website http://www.madisonhoteldc.com/, the hotel is currently undergoing renovation to rejuvenate its rooms and i believe this will  promise better service and comfort for the guest. I believe it does stood up to its 4 stars status and even for me they deserve a little bit more star as the service was at par with some other 5 stars establishments.Kay2011.