Hotel Review: St. Regis Kuala Lumpur – Ultra Luxurious Hotel in KL Sentral

Opened in 2016, the St. Regis Kuala Lumpur is a 208-room hotel located near the bustling KL Sentral in the Malaysian capital. It had been a while since my last visit to Kuala Lumpur (I had also stayed in a hotel near the area then, the Hilton Kuala Lumpur). The St. Regis is probably the most high-profile hotel to open in the city for a couple of years so it was no question that I was to check out this property during this visit.

How to Get There

Apart from asking a cab or Uber (sign up HERE with my referral code to get discounts on your first two rides), the St. Regis Kuala Lumpur can be reached from KL Sentral Station via KL Ekspres. From there, a shuttle takes you to the hotel. The shuttle schedule from KL Sentral to St. Regis Kuala Lumpur is as follows: every :15 and :45 from 7:15AM to 11:45PM. For the opposite direction between St. Regis Kuala Lumpur to KL Sentral, the shuttle schedule is as follows: every :00 and :30 from 7AM to 12 midnight.

I had little time to appreciate the grand lobby with the high ceiling. There was certainly a theme revolving around horses here with a large painting of a polo match by the reception area plus a gigantic sculpture of a horse by Fernando Botero at The Drawing Room nearby.

Before I could appreciate the splendid public areas, I was whisked to my room by the butler.

The St. Regis Suite

Upon reaching my floor – the 11th, the butler escorted me down the hall right to the very end. My room for this particular stay was a St. Regis Suite, a spanking 138 square meters space with a marvelous entryway, living and dining area, powder room, bathroom, separate bedroom, walk-in closet and even a massage room. There was just so much to take in as I first entered the room so I will go through each room one by one.

I loved how bright the St. Regis Suite looked in the day time with floor-to-ceiling windows gracing two sides of the room.

The living area consisted of a sofa and a couple of armchairs where you can watch TV or read one of the books found in the shelf right in front of the chairs.

There is also a dining table here with four chairs. Upon arrival, I spotted a bowl of soup for my consumption – apparently part of the hotel’s welcome amenities. After a whole day of traveling, it was a comforting thing to see.

The minibar was one of the grandest I have seen anywhere. It was like one big chest which you can open to find goodies such as a coffee machine, snack items, beverages that filled the fridge to the brim including a number of liquor including a small bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne.

Beside the living area and separated by a door, the bedroom is another grand affair with the luxurious St. Regis bed filled with throw pillows of varying colors and sizes. Beside it, you find the master control which you can use to adjust the lighting (there are a number of mood options) as well as the curtains.

The bedroom has its own TV which is perfect in case your companion prefers to watch another programme.

In case you are wondering where the storage space is, you actually get this humongous walk-in closet. The architect probably had long-stayers in mind when this part of the room was designed. The closet could very well be a room of its own in some parts of the world.

When walking towards the bathroom, you will notice this massage room. I asked the butler about it and I was told guests could chooses to have their spa treatment here if they wish (at a surcharge). It’s an alternative to heading down to the Iridium Spa downstairs. If anything, it really brings the over-the-top nature of the suite home. I have never seen anything like it in a hotel room anywhere in the world.

The bathroom itself is a continuation of the luxurious nature of the suite. Decked in grey marble, you get a his and hers sink, a separate toilet with those electric seat warmers (and bidet).

However, the highlight has got to be the spectacular bath and shower area. Both are actually in the same enclosure which is actually not too shabby of an idea since the space is quite big and you get a floor-to-ceiling glass window with views of the greenery outside.

The standalone soaking tub is well-placed and allows you to have a relaxing view while enjoying a hot bath. It already comes with amenities like bath salts and a huge piece of body bar but I was told you can also ask the butler to draw a bath for you.

Toiletries come from Remede, as in the standard in St. Regis hotels elsewhere. I was provided with the whole set including facial wash. I noticed housekeeping was pretty generous as well with the toiletries – they added a second set for me during turndown service even before I managed to touch the original set.

Butler Service

One of the hallmarks of the St. Regis brand is the butler service. You can ask them to do a number of things including the following:

•  Pressing of two items per day
• Coffee, tea or hot chocolate to be delivered in your room
• Packing and unpacking of luggage
• Drawing a bath

I rarely make use of any of the butler services but one which I enjoyed during my stay sometime back at the St. Regis Singapore was the preparation of hot chocolate. I requested for one right after check-in and it was delivered to me pretty quickly.

Breakfast at The Brasserie

Part of my stay was breakfast at The Brasserie. I do have fond memories of the luxurious breakfast offering at other St. Regis properties I’ve stayed in and was curious how they would execute it here.

The venue itself is stunning. The decor take inspiration from Malaysia’s heritage as a tin-mining state so you see a lot of cylindrical objects such as the lighting fixtures.

As with other luxury properties, the breakfast is a mix between the buffet spread and a menu of ala carte items.

You get a great variety even with the buffet spread alone. I spotted a number of Asian and Western dishes. Servings of eggs benedict for instance, were laid out on the tray while an array of dimsum was also available.

I love good pancakes and waffles in the morning and that’s exactly what I had from the ala carte menu. I also tried some laksa. Juices were served fresh.

For my second day at the St. Regis Kuala Lumpur, I opted to have breakfast in bed as I was due to dine at The Brasserie for their famous Sunday brunch. The in-room breakfast is admittedly more simple but contained all the main items you’ll expect for a morning meal. I also love how it came to my room exquisitely laid out – just the sight you’d want to see when you wake up in the morning.

Facilities at St. Regis Kuala Lumpur

As I really had no plans in KL, I spent the bulk of my time in the hotel. This allowed me to check out its various facilities. The hotel is actually quite big and during my time there, I never found myself in a situation when I had to jostle for space. Not even at the pool during a Saturday afternoon.

The hotel actually has two pools located next to each other. At the time of my visit, I was the only one there!

Within the same floor, there is a fitness center. It’s a mid-sized gym that offers more than the standard amount of equipment you’ll normally see in hotels.

Iridium Spa

As mentioned previously, the hotel has an in-house spa called Iridium Spa. Being impressed with the spa at St. Regis Singapore, I wanted to see how the one in KL compared and I went for the Polo Connoisseur Ritual, a 2.5 hour that combines three procedures.

The first was a salt bath. I was led to one of the spa rooms with jacuzzi where the therapist infused the water with salt, lime and some other herbs.

After the relaxing bath, I was then led to the massage room for a body mask for approximately an hour before I was treated to a very relaxing massage to help relieve fatigued muscles. Notwithstanding the equestrian theme permeating the hotel, the procedure is called Polo Connoisseur as the focus of the massage is on muscles affected by polo playing. This includes specific areas in the upper body and legs such as the lats, pectorals, biceps and triceps as well as quads and hamstrings.

Verdict

Having been to Kuala Lumpur a number of times, I think it is safe to say that the St. Regis Kuala Lumpur is the most luxurious hotel in the city. Service was topnotch and I saw a conscientious effort to please wherever I went and this included the spa, restaurant, butler as well as front desk. For a special occasion or just a heightened stay experience, it’s hard to go wrong with this property. It’s pretty exclusive as well so you won’t find yourself having to jostle with the crowds.

St. Regis Kuala Lumpur
Jalan Stesen Sentral 2
Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

+603 2727 1111

Reservations: Compare the best prices HERE

You can read more of my hotel reviews here.

I was hosted by the property however all opinions are my own.