Pullman

The great thing about KL is that it is one of the cheapest big cities in Asia for booking a 5 star hotel room. I stayed at the Hotel Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar during my visit to KL. I found a great deal on this hotel on Hotwire which only came out to about US$ 55 a night. There aren’t many 5 star hotels in the Mid Valley/​Bangsar area, so it was easy to figure out that this was the hotel that I would get.
There are actually two Pullman hotels in KL. This Pullman is located at the edge of the KL city limits and is close-​by to Petaling Jaya. It is right next to Menara TM and overlooks the Federal Highway. Recently, Prince Hotel was renamed the Pullman KL City Centre Hotel so don’t confuse these two hotels.
I arrived into KL late at night. As I knew that I was going to be checking into the hotel late, I made sure to send the hotel an e-​mail letting them know ahead of time of this which I received a reply within a day to indicate that this was noted on my reservation.
Upon arriving at KL Sentral after taking a KLIA Ekspres train from the airport, I bought a budget taxi coupon to get to this hotel for RM25, which is the cost for a taxi here after midnight. The taxi driver had some trouble finding this hotel and had to ask for directions. I got the feeling that taxi drivers in KL were not very familiar with this hotel. It is a relatively new hotel having opened only in 2013. You might want to tell the taxi driver that it is next to Menara TM if they aren’t sure where it is.
Aside from being known as the hotel next to Menara TM, this hotel is the event venue of the annual Malaysian Urban Retreat Festival (MURFEST). The hotel has great facilities that are worthy of the 5 star billing. The hotel has several restaurants including a buffet, café and recently opened a Chinese/​Thai eatery. There is also a decent size gym and swimming pool here.
The hotel also offers free hotel shuttles to KL Sentral and Mid Valley Megamall. To book a shuttle, make a reservation at the concierge desk in the lobby. However, note that the shuttle to KL Sentral is only for guests while they are staying in the hotel. You can’t use it to get to KL Sentral to take a train to the airport after checking out as they can’t accommodate luggage.
As for the hotel room, it was quite large and full of amenities. In addition to the standard free Wi-​Fi, the room had a fridge and in-​room safe. The hotel also provides you with two bottles of drinking water and five varieties of Lipton tea! But what made it baller was that there was a shower and a bathtub in the bathroom. The room unexpectedly also had some exercise equipment as there were light weights and a yoga mat in the closet.
So would I stay here again when visiting KL? I am not sure. While I like the hotel room and amenities, the location of this hotel is out of the way. If you are renting a car in KL, this hotel would be okay. But it didn’t seem all that convenient if you are traveling by public transportation. The Kerinchi LRT train station is only a 5 – 10 minute walk away from this hotel. From there, it is only a 3 stop ride to KL Sentral. That is not too bad, but it is just that there are so many hotels in the same price range that are closer to the tourist areas in KL.
I would recommend this Pullman if the hotel facilities are more important to you than the location. For a 5 star hotel, the rooms here are quite reasonably priced. If you are looking for a great hotel away from the touristy areas in KL but still within close driving distance to them, this hotel is a good option.