Opened in 2022, the 252-key Amari is among Kuala Lumpur’s newest 5-star hotels. The hotel’s opening marked the second venture into Malaysia by the Bangkok-based Amari brand. It joins its sister property in Johor Bahru, which opened back in 2017. While the majority of the group’s hotels boast a 5-star classification, Amari and its smart, orange-dominated branding has never come across as premium, let alone, luxurious. As such, I was very keen to check out the brand’s recent outpost in Kuala Lumpur.

Booking Amari Kuala Lumpur

As I was scheduled to arrive late at night on my Malaysia Airlines flight, I was set on staying near Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Selangor. As I was about to book my stay at the Sama-Sama Airport Hotel, however, I noticed a great price for the newly-built Amari in town. Realising that I had to make my way downtown, eventually, I eventually ended up booking that instead. I ultimately paid the equivalent of MYR 285 (~USD 61, GBP 47) for a one-night stay in a Deluxe Room. Seeing how this is the standard rate for most of the year, this was definitely a great deal for a stay during the New Year travel period.

Location

The Amari is located within the precincts of KL ECO City, a newly built mixed-use development in the Bangsar area of Kuala Lumpur. KL ECO City itself is adjacent to Mid Valley City, an even larger mixed-use development consisting of the upmarket Gardens Shopping Mall and the Mid Valley Megamall. KL ECO City and Mid Valley City can be reached from the hotel using the area’s myriad of pedestrian access bridges. However, there isn’t much to do or see within walking distance of the hotel, otherwise. Fortunately, the hotel is located next to the Abdullah Hukum LRT Station, making it more convenient to travel to other parts of the city.

Check-in

After a 50-minute journey with AirAsia Ride (having failed to get a Grab), I finally reached the Amari hotel close to midnight. Expectedly, the lobby was devoid of people, with the exception of a lone agent quietly manning the reception desk. She cheerfully greeted me as I produced my passport, quickly processing the details of my check-in having noticed my tired and dreary look.

Acknowledging my very short one-night stay (or shall we say half a night?), she even proactively told me that leaving a deposit was not needed. How convenient! It didn’t take a couple more minutes before I was issued keys for a Deluxe Room on the seventh floor.

Despite my general exhaustion, I still noticed the smart and modern look of the lobby as I made my way to the lift lobby. In particular, I liked the library-like setting of the lobby, which felt far more premium than I was expecting from the hotel. The same can be said about the corridor to the rooms, which looks quite upmarket in an unexpected way.

Deluxe Twin Room

My Deluxe Twin Room is adequately sized at 33 sqm (355 sqft), featuring a smartly furnished bedroom enveloped in indigenous Malaysian patterns. In fact, I was very impressed by the room’s arrangement, which allowed for a desk, a dressing table, and a chaise longue, while still keeping an air of spaciousness.

On top of that, I found the bed to be firm yet comfortable, positioned conveniently – along with chaise longue – to face the large smart television affixed to the wall across the room. Annoyingly, however, each nightstand is equipped with a different charging port. There was either a single universal power outlet on one side or two out-of-date USB-A ports on the other. Still, it’s better than having no charging ports by the bed at all.

I’ll add that there is also a minibar setup by the entryway, featuring complimentary water and your run-of-the-mill coffee and tea-making facility. Next to that, you’ll find a large wardrobe, conveniently located by the bathroom. Inside are both a fixed and a collapsible luggage rack, alongside ironing supplements.

However, the aura of the room itself felt rather strange. While its furnishing definitely didn’t belong in a budget hotel, the room didn’t feel particularly premium either. Perhaps it has to do with the design’s peculiar blend of relatively nice furniture and bright colours. If anything, the wholesome children’s artwork displayed on the wall did little to alleviate these thoughts.

Bathroom

While the room looked reasonably nice, the bathroom felt distinctly basic. For one, the bathroom features a shower stall with rain and handheld showers, alongside a small sink top and a wall-mounted toilet. Of course, this being Malaysia, a hand-held bidet is also equipped next to the toilet. Apart from its small size, I’ll note that there wasn’t much space to place your toiletries and change of clothes.

In addition, the provided amenities were from Breeze Spa, which I’ve never seen before. Funnily enough, the name, the bright blue packaging, and its lemon scent are suspiciously identical to the Bliss amenities you get at W Hotels back in the day. Hmm…

Amenities

FIT Centre

Located on Level 1 is the 24-hour ‘FIT Centre’, which is accessible with your room keycard. While its entrance is located outdoors by the swimming pool deck, the fitness centre is indoors and air-conditioned. Being relatively new, it was no surprise that the fitness equipment was modern and in good shape. On top of your regular exercise bikes and treadmills, there are also a handful of weight machines alongside free weights by the wall.

Swimming Pool

Just outside the FIT Centre is the hotel’s outdoor infinity pool. Open from 07.00 to 20.00, the pool overlooks the surrounding Bangsar development. At its length of 20 metres (65 ft), the 146 sqm (1572 ft) pool isn’t the biggest out there. Still, it is nice enough to wade in for a relaxed afternoon in the pool.

As usual, there are a bunch of sun loungers and deck chairs in the pool area, complemented by a bit of greenery in an attempt to add to the tropical feel of the area. While hot meals from the hotel’s restaurant can be taken here, I didn’t find the space to be especially appealing. Still, I’d be happy to use this space to work remotely when it is cool and shady.

Access to KL ECO City

Behind the lobby, there exists a back entrance which leads to the access point to KL ECO City. Basically, just follow the signs towards the car park, where you’ll find the hotel’s secondary entrance. Head outside, crossing past the driveway and the fountain, to a pair of escalators.

The escalators serve as the entrance to KL ECO City, a small mall with shops and food establishments catering to the office workers nearby. More shops are available at The Gardens Mall, the walkway to which you’ll find behind KL ECO City.

Service

Given the exceedingly short duration of my stay, I had little interaction with the hotel’s staff. While they weren’t one to proactively greet guests, they were expectedly friendly and receptive to questions and requests for assistance. Great!

Overall

In all, I had a pleasant and uneventful stay at Amari Kuala Lumpur. While I would shy away from calling the Amari a 5-star hotel, its comfortable rooms and nice amenities definitely allow for a relatively premium experience (and at a very good price at that!). I’ll add that its proximity to MidValley City also gives it an edge over the nearby, similarly-priced Alila Bangsar.

Having said all that, I don’t think I’d proactively return to this hotel, mainly due to its location away from Kuala Lumpur City Centre. However, if you do need to be around the area, I wouldn’t think twice about staying at the Amari, which I think is among Kuala Lumpur’s best value-for-money premium hotels.

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