Review: Element Kuala Lumpur Hotel

As a lifetime Silver-Elite member of Marriott Bonvoy, I always love the experience at the nice ambience that those upper scale hotels offer. My view is that rather than having your own place done up to that standards (which is very costly), we can spend some money to stay at those places occasionally, especially when there is a good deal.

Throughout the months of August till October, I stayed at a few Marriot Bonvoy's properties and one of the happened to be Element Kuala Lumpur (by Westin). You will be wondering that what does by Westin means? Westin used to be a Starwood brand (before they were merged with Marriott) and they have their famous heavenly bed, which costs RM10,000 for just the mattress. Element is a scaled down version of Westin. When I mean 'scaled down' it means that services offered is lower than Westin but on the hardware, they went for the 'simplicity feel'. Instead of more furniture in the room, they offer more spaces but still premium hardware like the same Westin Heavenly bed, Westin toiletries. However, as Element KL is a designed as Green Building, they do not offer bottled water but instead offer 3M Filtered water and plenty of culinary like cups, plates etc.

Some photos:

Welcome gift - Lifetime Silver Elite

Views from the bedroom

Hotel Lobby (downstairs)

King Bed

Bedroom

View of the room

Pantry

Shower Area

Entrance

Art Deco at Lift Lobby

Lift

During my first stay, I was offered a Welcome gift as a Silver Elite Member. Normally it's reserved for Gold Elite Member and above but kudos to them for the membership recognition. The room was very spacious (400 sqft+), it has a sink, lots of plates, fork and spoons, cups and even dish washer. The room deco was actually simple and modern and it's marketed as "studio".

Oh, did I mention that this building is designed by Foster + Partners? It's one of the world's most renowned architecture firms. The hotel is part of Ilham Tower, which the lower floors are all office space and an art gallery (a personal collection of Tun Daim himself).

It has an indoor swimming pool (named Ombak) and it's definitely a plus for Malaysian weather, especially the pool is heated and water is comfortable to swim in. I did not managed to take photos of them unfortunately. In general, the few stays there were perfect (that's why I went back for more nights). Breakfast selection was limited but food quality is fantastic. And imagine sitting right next to the window, enjoy the KL skyline view, what else more can you ask for?

What I like about the hotel?
1. Big spacious room with big bed and 50" television
2. Pretty good soundproofing
3. Good views of KL, Ampang skyline (depending on which room you get)
4. Very good built quality and very comfortable room

What I feel that can be better?
1. Service is inconsistent but some staff are superb (especially if those who used to serve in Westin), enjoyed the check-in process and talking to them.
2. Car park is situated 'behind' and 'in a separate' building. You need to go down to ground floor to access the hotel lobby. Upon arriving at the hotel's lobby, you will still need to take the lift to level 40. During COVID19's season, one lift can accommodate just 1 family of 4 and the wait might be long (considering guests use the same lift from G to Level 40 and later on from Level 40 to their respective rooms).

Overall, it's a hotel that is worth paying for, even for a weekend getaway or staycation.

Review: Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur Room

Hotel rates has fallen dramatically this year and I like one of the many has taken advantage of it to try those nice (but expensive hotels out). Since I am a lifetime Silver Elite of Marriot Bonvoy membership programme, I had tried a few of the hotels out. It's also due to the familiarity with them (not on the promotions they offered). 

In September, I took up a promo where I paid RM320/night for 1 night stay at Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur and was being offered another night's stay at Majestic Hotel Melaka. It came just a room without breakfast but it's a pretty enjoyable stay. 

The hotel has a Tower Wing and the "old" Majestic Wing. Tower wing is a new building completed somewhere in 2013 where Majestic Wing is part of the original property and brings lot of heritage to the place. The ballrooms is situated at Tower Wing and between the Tower Wing and Majestic Wing, it houses Orchid Conservatory Cafe. Meanwhile, Colonial cafe is situated at the "old" Majestic Wing.

Now, let's have a look at the series of photos below.

Upon arrival at Majestic Hotel, we were 'welcomed' by a long queue.

Bathroom is equipped with a big bathtub and also a TV. It has separate bath area and WC.

The bedroom's design is inline with Majestic Classic look and feel.

The view of the very sizeable bathroom from the bedroom

You can lie down in the bathtub and enjoy your favorite TV programme

Coffe and tea making facilities in the room. It comes with a capsule coffee machine

Room

The room

What I like/enjoy:
1. The bathtub with TV is certainly the most exciting feature of the room. I have stayed at many hotels but first with such a sizeable bathtub (standalone) and you can close the area with a sliding door (so that it's not cold) and curtain for extra privacy. Light a candle and watch your favorite TV while soaking in the warm comfy bathtub is definitely heaven on earth.
2. The 'classic' design of the room - it's classic English design in-line with the hotel's theme. Even the security wears shorts like the good old days English policemen. 
3. It has a coffee machine with capsule vs almost all hotels will offer you sachet of Nescafe.
4. It has many unique offerings like Orchid Conservatory which serve English style afternoon tea.

I have not tried out food and beverages during the stay. I will be returning for another stay with Buffett dinner and Breakfast as part of the package. Stay tune.

Hilton Honors Membership - What are the perks for different Elite Tiers

In my previous article, we discuss about the big Promo for Year 2021 which Hilton Honors is running. Here we are going to discuss the different Elite Ties of benefits that you're going to have with Hilton Honors membership programme.

I am not going to mention the basic member but will straight jump into Silver Elite. Head over to Hilton Honors website for details of the Perks

1. Silver Elite
Key highlights: You'll Earn 20% extra Bonus Points and 5th Night Free when you book a room with points.

2. Gold Elite
Key highlights: On top of Silver Elite's perks, you'll Earn 80% Bonus Points, Larger room (Space Available room upgrades), Free Continental Breakfast.

3. Diamond Elite
Key highlights: On top of Gold Elite's perks, you'll Earn 100% Bonus Points, Executive Lounge Access and Premium Internet (normally faster connections).

So, let's ask ourselves, what is the most valuable during a hotel stay? 
1. For me, the main attraction of the programme is free Breakfast for two
2. Secondly will be the Room Upgrade where you can book a basic room and get upgraded to a bigger room including suites etc. 
3. Thirdly, access to Executive Lounge is an added benefit where you can get free drinks and food (and probably dinner) at hotels with a lounge.

In view of the above, with the promo, you will just need 20 nights or 10 stays to get Gold Elite status where you can start enjoying free room upgrades and Free Continental Breakfast. Just split out your stays (i.e. one night every other weekend and you'll be getting all your perks).

Back to the Future anyone, with a DeLorean Time Machine?

Trapped at home and watching too much of movies and series? And I am one who actually ran out of things to watch. While doing some shopping at MPH bookstore Midvalley Megamall, I ran into something pretty interesting: The DeLorean Time Machine! Oh boy, if I could take that car and either go into the future for a COVID19 vaccine or back to time where we didn't have to mask up every time we are out in public will be fantastic.

Eaglemoss is a company which sells a lot of collectibles, including the evergreen Back To The Future Delorean time machine where a lot of us will be thrilled to assemble and 'test it out'. However, it comes at a cost, not cheap especially for those in Malaysia.

The weekly magazine has a total of 130 issues. After the car is fully assembled it will be a Dolorean DMC-12 model with a scale of 1:8. Material used is die-cast metal and ABS, with details including working interior and exterior lights, gullwing doors.

Below are the photos I took from MPH bookstore. For those who wants an entire collection, you might want to ask the importers if you can get all of them. Price is RM34.90 per copy but understand that you can get it for RM24.90 without delivery. If you're buying the whole 130 issues (to enable you to assemble the car), do negotiate for a special price or free shipping/delivery. The entire collection will easily set you back RM3300, it's a pretty expensive hobby to have. Good luck!