Holiday Villa Johor Bahru City Centre

We enjoyed a memorable two-night stay at Holiday Villa JB and would happily return on our next visit to Johor Bahru. The room was clean and well-maintained, and housekeeping was efficient throughout. We also really enjoyed the breakfast buffet and its wide range of tasty options. Check-in went smoothly thanks to Lubeeta and her team. Lubeeta was especially helpful and went above and beyond to make us comfortable, particularly as we were traveling with an elderly family member. Her thoughtful service made a real difference. Thanks to the whole team for the warm hospitality.

The location is superb, within walking distance of KSL Mall. The hotel faces a rather new hotel called Novotel, and several restaurants are nearby. K Fry Restaurant is connected via the hotel lift, but you need the staff’s access card to enter that way. K Fry does not have its own lift. There was plenty of parking, and valet was available for about RM30+, though I’ve forgotten the exact price. We paid about RM300 per room per night for a Twin Room with breakfast. Breakfast had a good variety, and the restaurant was spacious with plenty of seats, but the queue was really long when I went down at 9:30am. Breakfast ran until 10:30am, so I should have gone earlier. The rooms were spacious and clean, although there were some stains on the curtains, nothing too obvious. The toilet drainage was a bit poor, and water didn’t drain properly during a shower. The toilet glass is see-through, but there are blinds. I was quite disappointed to be put on a smoking floor, so remember to request a non-smoking floor from staff if you want one. All in all, a great stay.

The location was good, but the smoke situation made our one-night stay on 12 Jun really frustrating. I’d requested a non-smoking room, yet room 1320 smelled strongly of smoke when we opened the door. Reception said it was a non-smoking room and, with the hotel fully booked, couldn’t move us, so we had room service spray air freshener. The smell was back early the next morning, while the guest next door had apparently been smoking all day with his children in the room. I asked room service outside our door whether this was a smoking floor and was told it was. At checkout, reception also said my room was on a smoking floor. The Floor Manager then explained that there wasn’t a clear division between smoking and non-smoking floors, and that our room was non-smoking while the adjoining room was a smoking room. That setup makes little sense when smoke can drift straight into the next room. I was frustrated by the conflicting answers from staff. The Floor Manager’s reaction made it seem like she’d heard similar complaints before, and I’d already seen reviews describing the same problem. Please think twice before booking, especially if you’re travelling with children or are sensitive to smoke.

We had a wonderful honeymoon at Holiday Inn JBCC and loved how clean the room was and how good the amenities were. The four-course meal arranged as a surprise on our last night was the best food we’ve had, thanks to Chef Asyraff and Chef Zahid. We also had a great In-Room Dining meal on our third night: the beef and chicken satay were lovely, the signature char kway teow was stunning, and my husband really enjoyed his grilled chicken chop. Jeffri from the F&B team brought it with a cheerful smile. Breakfast had a great atmosphere and a huge choice of dishes and drinks. Annie from Dine @ Eight greeted us there. We also appreciated the swan arrangement Rakibul made from Housekeeping and the delicious cake from F&B Team Jeffri. Check-in with Syamsul, Wan and Elisabeth was quick and easy after we arrived on 19 May. I asked the front office about a romantic lovebird setup and Thara and Catherine were so friendly and lovely. They kept checking that everything was going well, and the hospitality was just the best. Darma, Alan and Dion from F&B were sweet too, as was Omar from the pool. Aregia handled checkout smoothly, and Ridzwan from Concierge stored our bags quickly. We’d had a horrible cockroach infestation at a separate accommodation we booked on our wedding night, so this stay was a lovely change. It made for the perfect honeymoon, and we’ll definitely come back. Thanks to all the hospitality staff for the work you do to make special moments better. See you soon, Holiday Inn JBCC team ♥️🌺🪴