Novotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre
- ALL StatusCard & Gift at hotel room
- Airport / TrainTake the train (change at Kuala Lumpur Sentral)
Novotel | Deluxe Room | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur was the first stop on my round-the-world trip through Accor hotels, and it was a great start. The Novotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre isn’t the flashiest Accor hotel in town. But it got almost everything right, and the price made the fancier options nearby look a bit silly. If you chase status and upgrades like I do, this one’s worth knowing about.
Location
You can’t get much more central than this. The hotel sits right inside KLCC. You can walk to the Petronas Towers, and there’s a covered walkway to the convention centre. Most malls and landmarks in the city are within easy reach.
One tip before you book: the pavements right around the hotel aren’t the easiest to walk. Budget some extra time, or just take a Grab for the last stretch.
I took a Grab straight from the airport for about $30. Felt like the obvious move after a long flight. Looking back, it wasn’t necessary. The KLIA Ekspres to KL Sentral, then a quick monorail or LRT ride, gets you there just as fast for a fraction of the price.
Getting There & First Impression
Arrival was warm but a bit chaotic. It was a busy morning, so check-in took a few extra minutes. That didn’t bother me. The lobby stayed tidy and welcoming even with people milling around — modern, without trying too hard. That tells you more about a hotel than a quiet arrival on a slow Tuesday.
Check-In & Loyalty Experience
Useful thing to know: this Novotel has a separate check-in desk for higher ALL tiers, Platinum and up from what I could see. I was “only” Gold, so I used the regular reception instead. Just as friendly, no consolation-prize feeling at all. Gold still got me a room upgrade. That’s exactly why chasing status is worth it — you don’t need the top tier to walk away with more than you paid for.
No lounge access at Gold. The hotel does seem to have an executive lounge, I just didn’t get in this time. What I did get in the room: a handwritten welcome note and a small Batik coaster as a gift. Small gesture, but it told me the staff actually cared.
The Room
The upgrade got me a 28 m² corner room. Properly generous for the category, quiet, with a skyline view of the Petronas Towers at night through the sheer curtains. If you read the room type twice before booking, like I do — this one over-delivers.
Good news for anyone working from the road: plenty of outlets, fast WiFi, and a comfortable desk with an ergonomic chair. My laptop fit perfectly, no complaints. There’s also a small lounge nook in the room — a curved purple sofa, teal cushions, a little side table. A nice spot to sit that isn’t the desk or the bed.
The bed is Novotel’s newer model, and it shows. One of the better hotel beds I’ve slept on this whole trip. Pillows were good, the duvet was just the right weight. Storage was ample too — plenty of room for my suitcase.
The bathroom kept the same energy: dark stone-look tiles, a bidet spray built into the toilet, and my favourite detail of the whole stay — its own drinking-water dispenser. Honest friend, not polite reviewer: the shower pressure was the one letdown. Noticeably weaker than I’d like. Temperature was spot on, just not much force behind it.
Food & Drink
Breakfast was a proper spread, enough variety that you could eat something different every morning of a four-night stay. Coffee was fine, nothing more. Worth knowing before you book: breakfast isn’t included in the room rate, so factor that into the price. I also tried the bar for a welcome drink. Service was attentive without hovering — exactly the balance a good hotel bar should hit.
Digital Customer Experience
Booking through the Accor/ALL app was painless. Worth mentioning, since not every hotel group makes that easy. No digital key on this stay, just a physical card. Didn’t bother me.
The Bill & Value
Four nights, €273.36 total. About €68 a night. Plus 978 Reward points and 661 Status points, for the loyalty-math nerds among us — myself included. For a corner room with that view, in that location, it’s a genuinely good deal. There are shinier Accor hotels in KL — the Pullman’s been on my radar — but for what I paid here, I doubt I’d have gotten more value anywhere else in the city.
Things to Do Nearby
No shortage of places to eat right outside the door. My tip: a Chinese restaurant in a standalone traditional building with a proper beer garden. Good enough that I went back more than once. If you run, there’s a track in the park right in front of the Petronas Towers. If you’re here for business, a covered walkway leads straight from the hotel to the convention centre. No taxi, no weather, no excuse to be late.
One more tip, from someone who’d just gotten off a long flight from Europe: the spa on the pool level does a proper massage, and it wasn’t expensive. Do that before anything else.
Verdict
What I particularly liked: the size of the room for the price, the location — you can walk to everything that matters — fast WiFi and a proper desk, the new Novotel bed, the welcome gift, the drinking-water dispenser in the bathroom, the spa massage, and staff who were consistently friendly.
What I didn’t like: the shower pressure, breakfast being a separate cost, and pavements around the hotel that could be easier to walk.
Would I come back? Without hesitation. Next time I’d treat myself to the Platinum check-in lane, and finally try the Pullman — it’s close enough that there’s really no excuse not to compare the two.