ZEN Rooms Metro Hotel @ KL Sentral

There’s reception staff around 24 hours, which was useful when I needed to check out early. The hotel is clean and well kept, and felt like good value. It’s close to KL sentral station too. Just be aware that early check-in costs extra, and regular check-in is only after 2pm.

The staff were friendly, but I was pretty disappointed with the room. We booked two months ahead after seeing reviews mention spacious rooms, yet were given a tiny room beside the lift. There was no window for ventilation, and once our luggage was open, two people could hardly move around. The lift kept pinging whenever it reached a floor, day and night. I might skip it next time. If we’d booked at the last minute, I could have understood the room assignment, but we hadn’t.

The location is the one good thing: in Brickfields, surrounded by Indian restaurants, and within walking distance of KL Sentral. My double deluxe room was on the first floor, with reception on the ground floor. Room 101 was dirty, the shower room was empty, and there was no soundproofing at all. I could hear the 24-hour restaurant downstairs, people walking and talking outside, and traffic. Early in the morning, staff started cleaning and making noise too. The morning receptionist had a poker face. Maybe it’s luck, but I’d avoid room 101, and I’d avoid the hotel.

I knew checkout was due, but after I went out for tea and got delayed by 20 minutes, I returned at 12:20pm to find the receptionist had already opened my room and brought my bags downstairs. They hadn’t packed my things properly, and handed them over very badly in front of other guests. No one had called me even once. The reception staff were very bad. I wouldn’t recommend booking here, or you may have to deal with staff like this.