My family and I are thinking of staying at Ritz Carlton during our stop-over in Kuala Lumpur. I read somewhere that this Hotel has a ful butler service which means there is no such thing like coffee making facilities in room. Most services will have to be done by the dedicated butler.

This could be a pain sometimes, especially for a family with young kids. Does anyone have experience with Ritz Carlton KL?

 

The last time I stayed there, there was butler service. The butler welcomed me to my room and gave me a drink, as well as his card, and told me to call in case I needed anything. It was a short stay and I didn't really need anything very complicated, so didn't call him afterwards.

There is no coffee machine in the room, IIRC, but there is a mini bar. Of course, there is full room service which is pretty standard (I think room service breakfast was included in the room rate, as was laundry), in case you need anything from there. No real need to call the butler if you don't want to.

I like the KL Ritz Carlton, and think you will enjoy your stay there!

 

Very good hotel. It may not be swankiest (that's the MO), but the rooms are very comfortable and plush and the service is very, very good. These folks will do anything for you, as long as it's legal. The staff are very friendly and hospitable. Breakfast, included in your room rate, is served in your room (try the nasi lemak). The spa looked pretty nice, as did the health club.

 

The butler system could indeed be sub-optimal if you need things done quickly. The KUL R-C butlers will indeed do almost anything but, not being dedicated to one room, can take a good half hour to execute simple requests (e.g. pick up laundry, or bring orange juice, which on the other hand is fresh-squeezed and complimentary).

As mentioned, do go for the Asian breakfast, as the western one is much inferior: tiny milk jug for your cereals, few breads/pastries/jams, etc.

 

Just wondering... do you tip them after every service or at the end of the stay.

 

nope. not for me. i have stayed at the RC Kuala Lumpur 4 times already. they are service oriented and as such, tipping would have been an insult to them. that, is in my humble opinion. cheers!

 

...and just around the corner from the RC. I always stay there (usually for around $85/night) and see lots of families in the Exec. Lounge (I'm there on Plat upgrades). They're open for breakfast through the rest of the day (one of the best lounge spreads ever, IMHO and lots of small bite items for little fingers) and there are several rooms in the lounge if the kids are feeling especially rambunctious--we're staying there w/our nieces (ages 7 and 5) later this year. The area is great b/c it's close to other indoor activities. Rooms also have all of the coffee/tea, fridge, etc. amenities.

 

If you stay on a "Club floor" at the Ritz Carlton/Westin, you can get all the coffee, juice and coke you want at the Club lounge.

R-C in KL has the same 5 daily food presentations all through the day as any other R-C. No need for the bulter to deliver coffee. The Westin has the same Club lounge which has free drinks all day long (better you if want to service yourself, R-C is waiter service for drinks) but only serves food at breakfast and teatime.

The bulter service at the R-C is really glorified room services through a dedicated person. The term conveys more than the service really. The bulter I had at the Burj -Al-Arab, Dubai was opening my suite door and giving me a full welcome back greeting by name (very SQ) every time I got to my room. That I found rather overwhelming. That is not the kind of personalised bulter at the R-C.

Also, many top hotels in KL have a No Tipping policy. Strangely but correctly, an auto service charge is actually used to tip serivce.

 

The Westin has a better location than the RC.

Although the RC is located just behind the Westin (which has a Bukit Bintang frontage), the RC's location is a bit "dodgy". I am still amazed after all these years that the owner managed to brand the property as a RC with such a location.

 

At the KL R-C all rooms have access to the lounge, just as all rooms have butler service.

 

I find this last comment about EVERYONE having access to the club lounge strange?!

They do "sell" this service separately. Are you sure?

 

Yup. See here:
It may be unique to the KL R-C, but I can attest to the fact that it is the case.

 

Thanks for club floor tip.

Meanwhile, what is the big deal about somebody filling the bathtub for you?

Since YOU know the right temperature
and
YOU are probably nekid

why or what is the big deal?

 

That, I did not find out. They do have a "bath menu," from which you can choose various types of baths, ranging from various scented/aromatherapy combinations, and even, if I recall correctly, something like a "gentleman's bath" (I can't remember the actual name) which offered a snifter of cognac and a cigar to enjoy along with the soak.

 

I am laughing here beside myself... I have this vision of a guy in a big metal tub like they did in the Ole West (100 years ago in America). Guys could get a bath in a big metal tub and somebody would come along and wash his back, serve a drink and cigar. That was a different time when you MIGHT have a bath once a week.

I think I will turn on my own water and drink my wine that followed me back from the lounge.