The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur @ A Colonial Hotel Landmark of Malaysia

Staying in a hotel that was built in another era with endless scope for musing on the past, without forgoing any modern-day luxuries and as the name implies, The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur recognized as a national Heritage site that has a rich history of becoming the greatest hotels of Kuala Lumpur at its time. mylifestylenews checked-in to discover its rich heritage from the colonial-era architecture……

Beyond Kuala Lumpur’s urban glitz and when a hotel has the word ‘Majestic” in its name, the expectation factor rises and so it was with The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur. Noting also that they are a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, this hotel is quite unique, as the original Hotel Majestic began its life in 1932 designed by a Dutch architecture firm Keyes and Dowdeswell.

The Hallway at The Majestic Wing

 The original building still exists and forms the connection with the past and present. In its heyday, the hotel catered to every whim and fancy of contemporary society as well as the residence for prominent international visitors.

As the new 15-storey Tower Wing was built only a few years ago to expand the operations and encompass a number of much needed amenities, the focus for many guests (returned guests) is still the old Majestic wing that is the original historic hotel building with 47 luxurious suites exude old world elegance and impart a sense of history sharing its glamour, heritage and success of its predecessor.

The Entrance at The Majestic Wing

With it yesteryear colonial charm that still exists and subsequently, it still has its own separate entrance via The Majestic Wing should you not want the glitziness of the main entrance in the new Tower Wing. We had an airport hotel pick-up, which is a seamless way of stepping off your aircraft to arrive in style at the hotel via The Majestic Wing entrance alight into a quieter, glamorous old world lobby with much vintage charm and feel  the centre of attention.

The Tower Wing Foyer

After a slight delay on the arrival’s checked-in, we were escorted to the end corner of the hotel’s Governor Suite overlooking the front of the old wing and the old Moorish style Railway Station, another landmark for the city. The Governor Suite styled with elegant chandeliers complimenting the ebony macassar wood veneer on the cabinetry. The wall mirror panels break up the living room and the bedroom decorating with deep and extremely comfortable chairs and sofa.

A beautifully capacious black and white tiled bathroom with a claw foot bath and signature toiletries as well as lots of natural light occupies the corner of the suite. To our expectation, a luxuriously comfortable bed with soft oversized pillows on flat-ironed linen is where the sweet dream begins. Complimentary mini-bar, evening cocktails in the Library, personal butler service on call, unlimited laundry service and a hotel car to take you around within the city all day whenever you need are also part of the inclusion when you check-in to the Governor Suite. We could not think of anything else we would possibly want to make our stay more comfortable and proceeded to settle in and enjoy some peace and quiet in the lap of luxury immediately!

The Governor Suite Room with a view

The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur opened its doors in December 2012 and includes meticulously restored iconic Neo-Classical details of Hotel Majestic building. When you choose to stay in such colonial splendor, there are a few ‘must-do’ experiences. Heading off to the colonial Tea Lounge for a spot of high tea is a real treat.

The colonial Tea Lounge makes you want to spend an hour or two enjoying such refined service and ambience, as you couldn’t help but to sit back on a plush velvet chair under a colonial brass chandelier with multiple flower arrangements scattered throughout the lounge. Sipping you tea from fine bone china cups and tantalizing the taste buds with sweet and savoury morsels that have you wanting more.

 After copious amounts of tea to really take note of what we were enjoying, this has to be a frontrunner for one of the best high teas. The freshly made scones texture was that little bit lighter and moist with the homemade jam that is deliciously fruity and not overly sweetened, although not using clotted cream was just a tad disappointing. The cake stand was already over brimming with an interesting selection of pastries, desserts and sandwiches.

After we had already got well into the tasting, a hot box was delivered with another selection of purely hot savoury items. It was in perfect timing, as you don’t want this at the beginning of the high tea. Also, they have two complimentary offerings throughout, so the waistline might be a little tight at the end, but inevitably, one throws caution to the wind and consumes everything with glee (you can always have a late supper).

The Colonial Tea Lounge



As it is all so delicious and teas are constantly refilling, the entire focus can be on the food! With the recommendation by the service staff, the BOH Cameron Highlands Gold Blend tea locally brewed is a piquant tea that is a must try as well as other options and premium infusions for selection.

The Orchid Conservatory

Combining the two wings means quite a large hotel, but as Kuala Lumpur has a lot of local food that you must get out there to sample, they sensibly only have two main Food & Beverage outlets: Cantango - the all day dining in the new Tower Wing and the Colonial Café in the old Majestic Wing. Cantango is essentially a buffet restaurant and ticks all the boxes with some very authentic flavours. Featuring an open kitchen with a seating capacity of 250 people, the variety is there to suit all tastes, but the service is not at the expected level, with replenishment too slow and hard to find a waiter that understands your needs at times, running a full house especially on a Sunday brunch could be quite a challenging task.

We rather frequent to the Colonial Café as the service gets mostly right and also offers the atmosphere of the halcyon days of the planters of Malay which is the exact opposite of Cantango. The Colonial café offers classic colonial dishes allowing the kitchen to focus on quality of produce with classic recipes were actually an attempt by the Hainanese chefs of the day to recreate traditional British meals using local ingredients, which resulted in a unique and innovative culinary translation.

The Colonial café decked with plush leather chairs, crispy starched white tablecloths and classic timber paneling with two highs ceiling court extended to the end. The signature dishes from the menu are rather extensive, from Chicken Chop, Prawn Cocktail, Mulligatawny Soup Rib-Eye Steak, Boiled Beef, Old-Style Hainanese Chicken Rice Ball to Mee Hailam and more, the Hainanese chefs have been hired as a throwback to the kitchen traditions from that era to keep the experience as authentic as possible.

The sophisticated decor at The Colonial Cafe

Nostalgia fills the air when the night falls, as the descendants of the legendary Maestro Alfonso Soliano, a family whose musical traditions date well back into the nation’s history, entertain with their classic jazz renditions.

For the boys only - Take a journey into the past and relive the exclusivity of a Gentlemen’s Club at The Smoke House to embody the high society style of the 1930s featuring facilities and services with a Gentlemen’s Club concept. Pool table, cocktail bar, lounge, cigar room, card room for bridge and cribbage as well as a private dining room cater for the classic gentlemen’s needs.

History has it that the Gentlemen’s Club was more than just a place for aristocrats and gentlemen of similar interests and social status to meet, it was also a place for private business conversations, an escape for poets and artists to get inspired as well as occasional chatter and gossip.

A wide selection of vintage cocktails and a connoisseur’s collection of single malt whiskies are served, even smoking jackets are provided when you need one. We sampled one of its classic cocktails – The CODE 55 And 2 BULAT that relived the legendary story of a “spy” behind it. The Bar man would be happy to share you more with its in-depth mystery just in case you wonder why.

The next day, we head down to the TRUEFITT & HILL for a traditional Hot Towel Wet Shave and The Royal hair cut. Signature T&H pre-shave oil was applied with a luxurious hot towel warp, followed by a rich shaving cream and finish with a close and comfortable shave cater to the exacting standards of London’s gentry when vanity and good grooming were the essential mark of the gentleman. It is the new level of service unsurpassed anywhere in the world with its pioneering inventive styling. That is not it, a bespoke on-call tailor providing custom-made suits, shirts and even the smoking jacket are provided by appointment to make you a complete gentleman evoking a long forgotten elegance and grandeur of a bygone era.

The Majestic Spa is another Royal Bliss experience to take you mind, body and spirit in an escape with ultimate relaxation and indulgence. Apart the spa reception and Cantango service staff need to show more warmth and passion and look at how they can understand guest needs more intently from the speed and lack of genuine warmth during our check-in, the level of service from the Front Office team met, and sometimes exceeded, our expectations on ensuing days especially our butler Paul who looked into things with details during our stay.

While the team in the Colonial Café and Lounge hold up their end extremely strongly with a keen focus on service standards that is to be commended and we believe that there is always room for improvement in some quarters. After a good four days of indulgence, we certainly had enough time to really treat this hotel like a temporary home, with some old world classy Majestic charm.

Tried & Tested:

Location: 4.5/5

Ambience: 4.5/5

Design & Decor: 4.5/5

Food & Beverage: 4/5 

Housekeeping: 4/5

Service: 3/5

Highlights:

The Tea Room

The Majestic Wing 

Outdoor Spa Swimming Pool

Flaws:

Service

The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur

5 Jalan sultan Hishamuddin

Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Tel: +6 03 2785 8000

The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur is a member of The Leading Hotels of The World