We recently saw the opening of the new Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, located at the very top of the Merdeka 118 building, which is the tallest hotel in all of Asia-Pacific (by my math, it’s the world’s second highest hotel).
This is easily my favorite Hyatt property I’ve ever stayed at, as there’s just so much to love about this hotel, from the design, to the height, to the amenities, to the food and beverage outlets, to the service. If I didn’t have a family, I might just stay here forever and never go home. As a hotel and hospitality geek, this property checks so many boxes, and I couldn’t help but smile just being here.
Let me just share some initial thoughts, and then soon I’ll have a full review.
The Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur is a design masterpiece
I love staying in skyscraper hotels, and I love how the Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur is actually at the top, unlike so many other hotels nowadays, that open at the bottom of skyscrapers (with residences often being at the top). Seriously, how fun is it to stay all the way up there?!
The hotel’s lobby is merely on the 75th floor, and that’s also where all the food and beverage outlets are located. How beautiful is that lobby?
Then the hotel’s spa and wellness area are on the 99th floor, while guest rooms are on the 100th through 112th floor. The hotel is opening progressively floor-by-floor, and as of now, the hotel is only open through the 108th floor.
I had confirmed a Park Suite prior to my stay using a suite upgrade award, and as a lifetime Globalist member, I received an additional upgrade to a Park Executive Suite (the hotel was sold out, so I suspect that explains the further upgrade). Specifically, I was assigned room 10800, so I was actually on the very top operational floor. How cool!
For a non-specialty or named suite, talk about an absolutely massive suite. What am I supposed to do with all this space, all on my own? But it’s not just about the size, it’s also about what you do with it, and this was honestly one of the most beautifully designed Park Hyatt suites I’ve seen. So much effort was put into the finishes.
It’s not often that you’re looking down on the Petronas Towers, but that’s exactly the view I had from my room.
The Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur has incredible amenities
You might think that being in a hotel so high up would come with some compromise in terms of amenities, given that space comes at a premium all the way up here. But nope, this hotel has a super impressive selection of amenities, with the 99th floor being dedicated to wellness.
Have you ever seen a more beautiful pool on the 99th floor of a building?!
Or a more beautiful hydrotherapy area?!
The hotel also has a large gym with cutting edge equipment, as you’d expect.
The Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur has creative dining outlets
The Park Hyatt has no doubt become the new “it” spot in Kuala Lumpur, so all the food and beverage outlets are bustling with locals who want to see what all the fuss is about. That always adds a fun sense of liveliness to the hotel.
For one, the Park Hyatt has the Park Lounge, which is the all-day dining restaurant, where breakfast is served. This has to be one of the most beautiful versions of the Park Lounge concept I’ve ever seen.
Breakfast here is unbelievably good, with a high quality buffet, plus an unlimited a la carte selection. You can’t beat that combination!
But what I love most is the two other dining concepts beyond that. The hotel didn’t just go for some generic restaurant and bar. Instead, you have Cacao Mixology & Chocolate, literally a bar with a heavy focus on… you guessed it, cacao and chocolate!
When I saw this concept, I thought “oh boy, is this just going to be something really cheesy?” Nope, they really went all-in on the concept, and the food and drink selection is phenomenal. I ordered a cacao coffee martini and a dark chocolate tart. Of course I just ordered these things for you guys, to be able to report back. 😉 Man, being an adult is pretty great, when you can have dessert before dinner, eh?
I then moved on to dinner at Merdeka Grill, the hotel’s signature restaurant.
This is a legit fancy restaurant, and I ordered the signature dish, the salmon roasted on cedar wood. This was perhaps the most expensive salmon dish I’ve ever ordered anywhere (hey, I had a Hyatt Prive credit to spend!), at around $75.
In fairness, it was phenomenal. The presentation was amazing, as it was first presented on cedar wood, prior to being plated table side. It was served with cucumber, grape, and a caviar and smoked butter sauce. YUM.
The Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur has phenomenal service
Across the board, service at the Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur was exceptional. Every single employee was clearly proud to work at the city’s best hotel, and went above and beyond to provide great service. Separately, I’ve already covered the amazing service I received from Jerome, the hotel’s concierge, when my phone suddenly stopped charging while in Delhi.
More broadly, can I just say how much I like traveling to Southeast Asia? Back in the day, I used to travel to Southeast Asia several times per year. There’s just so much better value there (if you’re spending USD), service is consistently friendly, and it really feels like hospitality is still a thing.
Nowadays I don’t get to this region as much as I used to, as it’s just so far, and I’ve had a lot more commitments at home. But it’s just so refreshing and enjoyable to travel to places like Malaysia, where there’s so much more of a sense of pride in providing good service. It’s such a contrast to the United States, where you’re constantly hit with destination fees, excuses about being short staffed, etc.
Bottom line
The new Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur is stellar, in terms of both the hard and soft product. For one, it’s so cool to stay 100+ floors up, in the world’s second highest hotel. but even beyond that, this hotel has gorgeous design, great amenities and food and beverage outlets, and perfect hospitality. I already can’t wait to return, and the only thing that made me sad was that I was enjoying this property alone!
What do you make of the Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur?