Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur by Shangri-La

Staying at Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur was the best decision made this summer. Evan and I always try to plan a summer vacation each year should our schedules allow. And so we chose Malaysia as our summer getaway this year. Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur by Shangri-La is a premium hospitality brand managed under the prestigious Shangri-La Group. It is conveniently situated at the heart of Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC). The iconic Petronas Twin Towers, Suria KLCC Shopping Mall, local tourist attractions, restaurants, cafes and clubs are all located in close proximity. Whether you are travelling for business or pleasure, Traders Hotel KL is the perfect choice for you!

Location of the hotel is good. It is a two-minutes buggy ride from Malaysia’s premier shopping and entertainment centre – Suria KLCC. Yes you are hearing me right; there is free buggy service between Traders Hotel KL and Suria KLCC.

From the hotel, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur (a popular shopping mall in the Bukit Bintang area) is a mere fifteen-minutes walk away via the overhead air-conditioned pedestrian bridge. So convenient isn’t it?

Buggy Service between Traders Hotel KL and Suria KLCC

Traders Hotel KL gave us a great first impression.

Upon arriving at the hotel, we were greeted by this gilt-edged lobby with its super comfy and soft velvety sofas. The bellboy greeted us with a smile and assisted with our luggage. Another hotel concierge escorted us to the front desk on level five for check-in and her helpful gesture took us by surprise.

Hotel Front Desk on Level Five – Being the impatient one, nothing will infuriate me more than a slow check-in process. Thumbs up for Traders Hotel KL as we didn’t have to wait long in the queue.

Shirley from the front desk greeted us cheerfully before processing our check-in. The check-in was unexpectedly speedy. When we inquired about details of our respective Shangri-La Golden Circle memberships, she was more than willing to help and provided us with the details we needed.

I can’t emphasize enough how much each encounter or interaction with the hotel staff can affect the whole hotel experience. In this case, the pleasant first impression that Traders Hotel KL gave us definitely contributed positively to the overall experience of our hotel stay. Another big plus point is that the hotel has FREE Wi-Fi throughout the entire building (no troublesome logging in with hotel room number, etc)!

Traders Hotel KL has 571 well-furnished rooms and suites.

We decided to go for the Deluxe Twin Tower View Room. With four types of room categories and two suite categories, I’m pretty sure there’s one that will fit your needs.

Room categories for Traders Club

are similar, but as a Traders Club guest, you get to enjoy free access to an exclusive lounge that provides free breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails. On top of that, newspapers and fresh fruits will be delivered to your room daily.

When we reached our room, I couldn’t help resisting going to the large glass window to start snapping pictures of the magnificent Twin Towers right outside. The Twin Towers along with the paranomic view of the city skyline looked super awesome. At night, the beautiful view of the illuminated Twin Towers and city landmarks was even more breathtaking.

Night view from our room

King-Sized Bed

Full-size executive writing desk, Flat-screen LED television with cable, Multiple built-in international adaptors

Another favourite area was the bathroom.

I loved the spacious and luxurious bathroom that was tiled with neutral color marble-like surfaces. The large bathtub and a separate sun-shower was definitely a plus! The full-length sliding glass door helped to separate the wet and dry areas. The housekeeping team was extremely kind to decorate the bathroom with pretty rose petals which gave the bathroom a romantic touch.

The wardrobe will light up whenever you open it. All rooms come with two bathrobes, laundry bags, iron, ironing board, hairdryer and not forgetting the electric safe.

The Mini Bar

Besides the luxurious rooms, no trip to KL is complete without visiting the SkyBar at Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur, perched on the 33rd floor.

The hotel’s pool is built inside the SkyBar and is open from 7am till 7pm. The rows of red couches along the glass windows serve as perfect places to relax for a great evening while admiring the kick-ass city view of Kuala Lumpur. We tried to make sunset dinner reservations a few days before arriving but the restaurant was already fully booked and we had to walk in. Reservations are for 6-8pm and we strongly recommend that you reserve about two weeks in advance in order to secure a good window-side table.

With a blue sparkling pool lined with red neon lanterns running right through the centre, this is just so unlike the typical hotel bar, to say the least. The ambience and atmosphere of Sky Bar was superb especially at night and on weekends the place tend to get more crowded.

Sky Bar’s menu is pretty extensive: it offers a wide range of beverages ranging from Juices to Cocktails to Vodka. Not only that, an assortment of tapas and finger food are also available for you to nibble while watching the ever-magnificent Petronas Twin Tower glistering in the night sky.

Other side of the SkyBar

Hotel guests can take a dip in the pool during the day. Pool hours are between 7am and 7pm.

Did I mention that Traders Hotel KL also has a Saunarium & Steam Room? They are situated just one level above the SkyBar. Upon entering the spa area, we could immediately feel the comfortable ambience of the place. Although the spa was small, the warm lighting,  gentle brown-beige interior and the friendly staff made the whole experience cozy and nice.

Evans checking out the packages

Oriental brown wooden frames along the walkway to the spa rooms

Interior of the spa room

Vanity area

Next, I want to introduce you another fantabulous place within the hotel and that’s the Health Club! How about working out with a view? From the health club, you get to enjoy panoramic views of the Petronas Twin Tower and KLCC Park. Upon walking in, we were greeted by the solid humongous running treadmills. Err, and its treadmills with TV.

The health club has a complete range of fitness equipment that you need for a basic workout. From exercise bikes, to cross trainers to workout benches and not forgetting the sophistically designed multi gym, they have it all. Evans, being the ‘workout’, ‘keep fit’, ‘I must exercise once a week’ fanatic, was ecstatic when he learnt that the health club opens 24 hours. We had been eating like gluttons for the past few days in KL and the 24hr access allowed us to be more flexible with our timings so that we could slot in our workouts and feel less sinful for overdosing on the local delights.

Aerobic Room

Gym balls

For dining at Traders Hotel KL, you are in for a good treat. Traders Hotel KL has two main restaurants – Gobo Chit Chat and Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill.
Gobo Chit Chat

, located on level 5, is an all-day dining restaurant that offers sumptuous spreads for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Both Evans and I had daily breakfast here and we were really honored to be invited by the hotel’s PR manager Theresa for the International Seafood Dinner Buffet.

Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill, located on level 6, is more upscale as you get to enjoy the view of the iconic Petronas Tower while sipping on a glass of martini and enjoying steaks grilled to perfection by the team of fine chefs.

Gobo Chit Chat

Interior of Gobo Chit Chat

Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill

Guests of Trader’s clubrooms get unlimited access to the Trader’s Club Lounge on level 32.  The Lounge is open from 6.30am to 11pm and you get to enjoy free breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails. Being a trader’s club guest also entitles you to a more personalized service in the lounge.

Interior of Traders Club Lounge with 4 seater table

Sofa and couches by the full-length window, where you can indulge in the magnificent twin tower view

To be honest, both Evans and I were very pleased with our stay here. In fact, I admit that most of the time I am the fussy one. Just having a modern and luxurious front is not good enough. Staying at a premium hotel, we definitely have certain expectations. What really made the Traders brand stand out was not just the impeccable service and personal touch of the hotel staffs, but how the employees always went the extra mile to exceed our expectations. The staffs we interacted with were all cheery, positive and upbeat in assisting us. Being a Golden Circle member and having stayed at Shangri-La Group’s hotels for a couple of times, we have always been pampered and spoilt by their warm hospitality.

From the impeccable personalized service to the modern and stately interior to the ever stunning and iconic twin tower view to the oh-so comfy king-sized bed, Traders Hotel KL does not fail to deliver at all. After a long day out exploring the city, it is heavenly to know that there is a cozy and comfortable room waiting for you. Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur has definitely raised the bar again for our expectations of Shangri-La hotels. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, we strongly recommend this hotel!

Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +60 3-2332 9888
Nearest Station: KLCC
Reservations: http://www.shangri-la.com/kualalumpur/traders/

Beautiful Sunset View