Mutiara Gurney, Genesis IVF Paragon , Georgetown

We were staying here with 12 families for two nights while our girls competed at Paragon. At first we were impressed by how clean the place was. Then electricity went out in half the block at 11:30pm. At 2am, as I write this, it still hasn’t been fixed. I’m holding my mini fan on my eldest and fanning my youngest by hand while she sleeps. We’re on the ground floor, where pests come out at night. There were two full-grown cockroaches, one inside our room and one outside. It doesn’t take many to put you off. Staff said it was TNB’s fault and that they’d called TNB several times, but the power was still out. This is the worst hotel experience I’ve had. Everyone’s sweating in their rooms and hoping to fall asleep before tomorrow’s competition. Our windows and door are wide open. I just hope no aedes mosquito gets in.

By the time we left, the experience had scared my 90-year-old mum off staying anywhere like this again. We weren’t told in advance about the lift service outage on checkout day, even though Ms. Sim knew we were heading to the airport around noon. We came back from breakfast at about 11:15am and the lift was still working. Half an hour later, with two large and two small suitcases, staff told us it was out. Luckily, one staff member on the fourth floor helped me carry a large case, and another came to help with the two smaller ones. Mum took nearly five minutes to walk down all four floors, one step at a time. Before leaving for the airport, I called Ms. Sim. She said the lift hadn’t broken, it was being serviced. Shutting down the only lift at noon with a 90-year-old on the fourth floor, when she knew we were leaving then, was unbelievable. She apologized and said she was inexperienced. I kept thinking, what if Mum couldn’t manage those stairs, how would we have got her down safely? Two women were walking up to the fourth floor while we carried our luggage. What if a guest couldn’t climb that far? We also hadn’t been told when the WiFi was changed, or when a pin lock suddenly appeared on the front entrance one night. I had to call Ms. Sim, who apologized for forgetting to send me the code. My mum and I stayed at Mutiara Gurney from 3 to 11 Oct 2025. It’s a four-storey condo-style “hotel,” either newly built or recently renovated, as work was still going on during our stay. There were eight or nine differently configured rooms on the fourth floor, one lift and parking within the small compound. Our twin single-bed room had air conditioning and a ceiling fan. The temporary WiFi was so slow it wasn’t usable, and we were told proper WiFi would be installed soon. The TV used internet and had no free-to-air channels. Building and room access used four- or six-digit codes. It’s well located, just behind Paragon Gurney shopping mall, though that meant we could hear karaoke from “I am Singer Paragon Gurney” until 11:30pm. The light doors let corridor conversations through clearly, and there was a lot of door slamming. It’s simple, no-frills accommodation. The bathroom was basic, with a tiny basin even though a normal-sized one would have fit. There was no shower screen, so showering left the toilet and whole floor wet. There weren’t enough hooks to keep clothes and towels dry. A hair dryer was provided, but there was no bathroom outlet, so you couldn’t use it in front of the mirror. Tiny ants were often scouting around for food, so be careful if you bring any into the room. The common area had a hot and cold water dispenser and a small fridge. On the second or third night, the toilet stopped flushing properly. We contacted Ms. Sim, who apologized and moved us to another room on the same floor. After a morning shower there, I noticed the floor drain was slow. After another shower that night, the bathroom flooded. Ms. Sim sent a staff member, who opened the drain cover and removed a tissue-like layer of fiber. We were offered RM100 compensation for the trouble. On the first day things seemed okay. Before the checkout day lift issue, we’d already had to change rooms because of the toilet problem. I can’t recommend this “hotel.” The person running it doesn’t seem able to put herself in the customers’ shoes or understand basic customer service.

The room was too small and didn’t have extra space for us to pray. I did appreciate the cleanliness and security system, which were really good.

Gurney Plaza is very close, which is convenient. But at a price comparable to a hotel, the room feels like a prison: extremely cramped, with barely enough room to walk around. It may suit someone who has money and no other choice because they need medical treatment.