Attrus By LSE - Hostel

The hotel is close to the main spots in Johor Bahru, including the Old Temple of Johor Bahru, Skyscape Johor Bahru, JB Sentral and City Square. There’s a restaurant downstairs, with plenty of other places to eat nearby. I stayed one night in a bunk, and the bunks were clean and comfortable. This works fine for a short stay. The custom-built bunk was sturdy, with firm bedding and a thick duvet that helped with the strong AC. It had a good privacy curtain, its own light and an electrical socket. The locker underneath fit my backpack and a small trolley case. The shared bathroom had both shower rooms and toilet-shower rooms. They need more upkeep: the wooden doors are rotting, there’s mould on the shower walls, and it gets hot and sweaty after a shower since there’s no air conditioning. I also found the staff not especially friendly or welcoming.

The room was clean and comfortable, and the location is great. City Sentral mall is a five-minute walk away, with a good restaurant just across the street. The price is very reasonable for a short stay, and the staff service was acceptable to me. The restroom area was unacceptable, though. Even with regular cleaning, it’s old, broken and seems neglected. Some other tenants weren’t considerate either, walking half naked in the hallway, taking phone calls in their rooms at 3am, or talking loudly in shared areas. The Wi-Fi in the capsule area was poor. At least on the second floor, YouTube would barely load.

I’m being generous with a solid 2 🌟 🤩 ⭐️ 🌠 💫. The receptionist and one of the cleaning staff were exceptionally rude. I booked because it was cheap, but that doesn’t excuse their behavior. The bathrooms are dirty and filthy, and some people staying here are too, though I know not everyone is spiteful. Most are probably just trying to get by like me. My wife and I tried respectfully to get online, but kept getting blocked. When I asked the front desk, they didn’t seem to care. A young Bangladeshi man having dinner with the receptionist in the ground lobby gave me dirty looks, yelled loudly and put their food away as if I’d intruded. I love Malaysia, but these bad apples don’t help. I’m emailing the main office to escalate the complaints. This is a hostel, not an “hostile” place. We’ve stayed at nice accommodations like the Amari next door and many others in Malaysia and singapore, but sometimes a good deal makes sense for our weekly budget. I’ve got more complaints, but I’ll leave it there. If you need to save money while transitioning, this place is what you make of it. The capsules are modern and comfortable for resting and sleeping, but the Wi-Fi doesn’t work even with full bars. We suspect there may be eyes in the sky colluding in bad ethics. After three months of consecutive travel, I can be frugal sometimes, but not at the cost of bad attitudes, rude behavior or other foul play that might be happening behind the scenes. It was frustrating having to clean up after everyone else, including myself, while dealing with rude staff. This wasn’t the worst place, but I won’t return. Take it as you will and book wisely, each to their own. If I’m paying for honest service, don’t be rude. You aren’t the only country with entitled hourly wage workers. Come to Korea and Japan and see how hospitality is done. Do better and be a better reflection of how foreigners may judge you as a nation. Not all Malaysians are like this; most we met were outstanding, accommodating, warm and welcoming.

Vicky at reception was so polite and kept smiling. I was waiting to check in, and he seemed to feel sorry for me. As soon as a bed was ready, he let me in a little earlier than usual. That kind of hospitality deserves a mention. I usually only experienced it in Thailand or Vietnam. Malaysia Boleh!