Opened in 1989 as The Regent, the 468-room Grand Millennium is an iconic landmark of Kuala Lumpur’s premier shopping belt – Bukit Bintang. Built as a replacement for the original Regent (now the Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur’), the storied brand’s unlucky streak continued when the property was rebranded into a Millennium in 2007 following extensive renovations. Despite the many new hotels that opened in the area in later years, the hotel still maintains a profound presence with its immense size, looming over Bukit Bintang.

Booking the Grand Millennium

A lack of flight planning in the New Year period meant it was difficult to get flights home without paying an extortionate price. After finding and booking an early morning flight on AirAsia, that left me with an extra night after checking out of the RuMa. Dispirited by the need fork out more cash, I was stupefied when I started looking for options. Glowing on the top of the page was the Grand Millennium, a hotel I’ve never thought about staying at.

While the Grand Millennium often charges a nightly rate of well over MYR 550 (~ USD 116, GBP 90), Agoda.com was offering a bonkers price of just MYR 285 (~ USD 61, GBP 47). This is nearly half the price (!!!) of what the rooms usually go for. Without thinking twice, I booked the room and soon received my email confirmation. Naturally, I was stunned.

Location

The Grand Millennium occupies what is perhaps the best piece of hotel real estate in Kuala Lumpur. Located right next to the posh Pavillion and Starhill shopping malls, the hotel is smack bang in the centre of busy Bukit Bintang. There truly isn’t a better location than that boasted by the Grand Millennium.

Lively and busy, the road outside the hotel is never devoid of cars; likewise a throng of people always adorns the shop-laden sidewalks. All sorts of shops and restaurants, from street fare to high end, can be reached within a five minute walk if not less. If that’s not good enough, the hotel is also a stone’s throw away from the Bukit Bintang Monorail and MRT stations.

Arrival

After checking out from The RuMa Hotel, I ended up taking an eight minute Grab ride to the Grand Millennium. This was after I decided that it wasn’t worth the effort to make a scene dragging my luggage through Pavillion Mall. While this ride should not have been longer than three minutes long, there was expectedly an endless traffic jam leading outside the hotel – after all, this was Bukit Bintang we’re talking about!

Check-in

When I finally got to the hotel, I was greeted by a doorman, who offered to take care of my bag. He then pointed me in the direction of the check-in desks, to which I headed. As I was doing so, I found myself staring at the massive crystal chandelier, suspended over the hotel’s black marble-clad grand lobby. Truly a spectacle of the ostentatiousness of the 1980s!

The lobby’s intricate visual cues surely helped pass the time as I waited in line at the otherwise kitsch-looking reception area. Although queues are rarely fun, this wasn’t too unexpected for a massive hotel during the New Year holiday. When I finally got to the front of the line, I was motioned to approach the concierge desk. After confirming my booking, the agent took my passport before requesting a credit card for a safety deposit for my one-night stay.

After signing a few registration sheets, I was soon handed keys to my Deluxe Room on the 10th floor. I then gingerly made my way to the 80s-looking lift lobby, hoping that I’d get to ride on the hotel’s iconic exterior-viewing glass lift. While I got a regular lift ride instead, the 1980s feel became more evident as I reached my floor; this was particularly triggered by the hotel’s dark and damp-smelling corridors. Hmm…

Deluxe Room

My entry-level Deluxe Room is sized at a generous 40 sqm (430 sqft), extending lengthwise to the windows viewing the back of the hotel. Despite that, being fully covered in a chrome-effect checkered wallpaper, the room did come across as outdated and rather uninviting. The brown carpet and the dim lighting did little to alleviate the drab and dreary ambience of the room.

Bedroom

Though my initial impressions weren’t great, there were still some merits to the room. Accompanying the beds, the room features both a desk and a lounge chair by the window, both conveniently placed to view the wall-hung television. Both are clean and in good condition, with the desk even retrofitted with several power outlets. I’ll note that the work desk also doubles as a vanity set-up thanks to the wall-hung mirror.

On top of that, I appreciate how spacious the room felt. This was in no small part thanks to the wall-hung television across the bed, which saves some space compared to a traditional cabinet. Based on the look of the lit wall fixture for the television, I’d imagine this is a more recent addition to the room. Apart from that, I also liked that power outlets were added to the nightstands, which is always a convenient touch.

In addition, I’ll note that the minibar display is set up by the entryway, featuring a necessary complimentary water offering as well as an appropriately traditional hotel coffee and tea-making facility. The minibar is joined up with the wall-fixed wardrobe next to it, conveniently placed across the bathroom door. Inside is a collapsible luggage rack, alongside an iron and an ironing board.

While much of the room looked well-maintained, the damp smells in the corridor were a recurrent theme throughout the room. Perhaps most worryingly, there is a massive dark stain on the wallpaper next to the bed. Although I cannot attest with certainty if it was mould, the sight didn’t instil much confidence in me.

Bathroom

While the bedroom has aged poorly, the marble-clad bathroom fared a lot better. As you’d find at any former Regent hotel, the bathroom features the brand’s signature fixtures of a bathtub and a separate shower stall. There is also a handheld bidet complementing the toilet, which is hardly surprising for Malaysia.

Still, it wasn’t difficult to deduce the bathroom’s age based on the low-profile bathtub, the wall-embedded tissue holder, and the lack of a contemporary rain shower. In any case, I appreciate that the bathroom was clean and bright.

Finally, I’ll add that the provided toiletries came in house-branded plastic tubes. Without any discernible scent, the non-descript amenities were mediocre at best.

Amenities

Both the fitness centre and outdoor swimming pool are on Level 3. Having taken the glass lift down (finally!), I followed the signs, which pointed out the door which led me down a dodgy-looking outdoor corridor. Judging from its looks, this area has perhaps never been touched since the hotel opened in 1989. To make things worse, the dinginess of the space is only exacerbated by the tacky mural on the wall depicting a rainforest setting.

Despite all that, it didn’t take long until I found the fitness centre and pool area; this again looked like a scene straight out of the 1980s! There is even a retro-looking pool attendant table by the entrance of the pool, at which you’ll have to sign in. It has even got stripes – how quaint!

Fitness Centre

To the left of the pool area entrance is the fitness centre, glass encased and facing the swimming pool in an arrangement akin to a fish tank. Despite its deceivingly old look, however, I was surprised to see how well-kept the equipment is (at least relative to the hotel’s age).

While not particularly spacious, the hotel has managed to squeeze in a fair amount of both cardio and weight equipment into the fitness centre. Interestingly, they even added television screens affixed to each of the old cardio equipment. In any case, I was impressed by the state and offering of the fitness centre.

Swimming Pool

Much like the corridor leading to the outdoor deck, the organically shaped pool looked severely outdated, unlike the reasonably contemporary fitness centre. In fact, the bright-tiled, grouted look of the pool and its embedded greenery is unmistakably akin to a setting you’d expect from a tropical holiday in the 1990s. Still, I reckon there’s a bit of a quaint charm to it.

In addition, there are also many sun loungers scattered around the pool area, some of which are placed comically far from the pool’s edge. However, while clean and in excellent condition, I neither found the pool nor its sandy pebble floor surroundings to be an especially inviting place. With the amount of space available, the hotel really could do so much more with the space were they to renovate this entire area.

Service

For what it’s worth, I feel that the service at the Grand Millennium is mediocre at best. For one, the staff I’ve interacted with neither came across as especially friendly. Yet neither were they unfriendly or rude. While a few people were generous with smiles, I just never really felt a welcoming atmosphere from the staff in general. If anything, they just looked very disinterested if not plain burnt out.

Furthermore, the service wasn’t especially helpful either. For instance, when asked about the availability of transportation to the airport before dawn, I was merely told that I might find a taxi at that time. There was no offer to reserve one and I was left with the impression that I should arrange that myself (and I did). Surely not a boasting point for a purported 5-star hotel in a hospitality-oriented country.

Overall

With its dark and outdated rooms, mediocre service, and old facilities, there are very few merits to the Grand Millennium. While still reasonably comfortable, the hotel does not carry much charm despite its old world feel. If anything, the Grand Millennium’s incredible location is its only saving grace. Without an all-encompassing refurbishment, I frankly wouldn’t consider staying here again – particularly when I could stay at newer properties at the rates the hotel usually goes for. Unless you found an excellent deal, I’d probably consider staying elsewhere.

Read more from An Emerald Farewell here!