YMCA Penang

Do not book. This was advertised as a hotel but was actually a hostel. We paid for two double rooms, yet had to spend the entire stay in one triple spare room. The first “deluxe” rooms smelled bad and had none of the basic bathroom amenities. They moved us to the spare room to quiet our complaint and promised premium rooms the next day, then later denied that promise. It was misrepresented, badly managed, and a complete rip-off. I have all the evidence.

My stay at YMCA Penang during Thaipusam 2026 was a really bad experience. They charged RM100 for two towels that had no stains, just ordinary body sweat. That’s ridiculous. Room service didn’t clean the room either, which was very disappointing. I feel many people don’t know about YMCA’s bad intentions, and many have apparently been charged RM100 as well.

The location is handy if you need Island Hospital, which is right across the street, and there are plenty of food stalls and hawkers within walking distance. The room was tidy and very clean, and the air conditioning worked well. The shower was loose at first, but staff fixed it quickly after we asked. I’d recommend this hotel.

The room quality was average, though it was quiet and fine for resting, and breakfast options were average too. The main issue was the inconsistent hot water. We booked two rooms: one had a broken water heater, which YCMA staff replaced right away. In the other, the shower pressure was low and the water temperature kept varying.