Empress Sepang Hotel

The central air-conditioning was far too cold, and we couldn't adjust the temperature ourselves. There's a rooftop swimming pool, but I didn't get a chance to use it. The hotel is about a 20-minute drive from KLIA and provides free transfers to and from the airport. Check-in and checkout were quick, and the staff were good. It's a decent hotel with basic amenities, good breakfast options, lots of nearby restaurants and mini marts, and plenty of parking.

The building and location are good for a transit stay near the airport, but the staff and management let us down. We arrived late in the evening on July 22, 2018, with an early flight the next day. They were told about our schedule, yet our luggage took an hour to reach the room, delaying us from getting to sleep. Nobody showed us to the room or offered to let us see it first. The room wasn't very clean. Dinner was about three times the usual price and only average in quality. The restaurant staff didn't ask if we wanted anything else before closing the counter at 10. This wasn't the experience we expected, and they could have handled it much better.

I was meant to stay for five nights, but the booking mix-up made for the worst experience I've had. I arrived around 11:10 p.m. on Sunday, and reception couldn't find my reservation. They asked me for proof, ID, and an authorization letter. They put me in a single room on level 8 and said they'd contact my company's PIC about payment the next day. At 11:40 p.m. they called to say they'd found my booking and told me to move straight away to a shared room on another level. I was tired and asked to stay in the room for one night, but the receptionist insisted I pay before midnight. To avoid dragging things out, I moved at about 12:30 a.m. On Monday evening, my roommate and I were told to switch rooms because of air-conditioning maintenance on our level. No apology. They only realized on Thursday evening that they'd mixed things up and offered the single room my company had booked. I turned it down after changing rooms twice, with only one night left before checking out Friday morning. Unprofessional staff and a rude receptionist.

We had a good stay overall, and for a short transit it's good value. The employees were very customer oriented. The rooms were clean, with stores within walking distance in this residential area. We left some chocolate in the fridge and messaged asking them to hold it, but nobody replied on messenger.