Hotel 98

I appreciated that the pubs in the same building block didn’t cause any noise in the room. We stayed two nights over New Year’s Eve 2026 in a Standard Twin room. Check-in and check-out went smoothly, and the staff were professional, friendly, and helpful with clear details about the room and facilities. The hotel was clean throughout, from the lobby to the room and bathroom. The bathroom has frosted glass walls and a door without a lock, so privacy could be a concern depending on your preference. I may have missed that in the room description. Wi-Fi was mostly fine but occasionally fluctuated, and there weren’t many power points for several devices. The location made getting around easy. It’s not right in the city centre, but Kuching City Centre is about 10 minutes away. Free self-service laundry was a nice extra, though there are only two washing machines and one dryer on the first floor. A clean and comfortable option for a short stay or city visit, with a few small things to keep in mind.

I paid for two nights but left after the first and moved to another hotel. By then my clothes had picked up the room’s odor, which seemed to come from the toilet or somewhere else. The toilet tiles were moldy and dirty, and changing the pillow cover didn’t get rid of the smell. This was a nightmare, and definitely my last stay here. I was first given a room with an air conditioner that didn’t work. The receptionist helped move me, but the second room smelled strongly of cigarettes, so I asked to switch again. The third room smelled bad as soon as I opened the door, especially around the toilet and pillows, like a mix of drain and sweat. Since it was already the third room and I arrived late and exhausted, I stayed and bought Febreze from a nearby mini store, but it didn’t help. I covered the pillow with my clothes and tried to sleep. At around 8am the next morning, housekeeping knocked to clean, which shocked me since guests might still be asleep. I asked for a fresh pillow cover, but the odor remained. After almost a night in that room, I decided to check out despite having paid for both nights.

There’s an Android TV with Netflix, and shampoo is provided. The room has no windows, though, so it feels enclosed. WiFi was available but I couldn’t connect at all, and the iron is in a shared room quite far away, inconvenient if you need it quickly. Parking is first come, first served, with no dedicated hotel spaces. On weekends, hotel guests can’t use the building’s private parking because there’s no staff at the gatepass. I also waited around 30 minutes to 1 hour to check in, despite arriving at 2:30 PM, past the usual check-in time. It’s decent for a short stay, but the WiFi, parking, and check-in need improvement.

The price was reasonable and the room fairly satisfying, but there were stains on the bedsheet. It looked like the sheet hadn’t been changed and had been positioned to hide the marks. I’ve worked in housekeeping, so I check everything. I hope this doesn’t happen again.