Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu — Hotel in Borneo

Planned a trip for my birthday week, made a remark to the hotel upon reservation for a few nights, requesting for the best view (booked king size bed, seaview), early check in & late check out.

Upon arrival around 12PM, room was already prepared for checking in. The room was spacious (could probably fit another bed or two!), clean and came with workstation & chair, lounging sofa, mini fridge & pantry stocked with beverage refreshments (tea, coffee, drinking water), iron & ironing board, praying mat (for Muslims), large wall mounted TV, king size bed, wall mirror, and of course a great view of the ocean! Air conditioner works great. The bathroom itself is marbled, bathtub/shower are separated and full amenities like dental kits (+ mouthwash), shaving kit, lotions, shower caps & sanitary bags. Hairdryer is also provided.

Breakfast: Good selections and flavourful dishes were served. Refer below for selections served during my stay. Indian Station - Chapati, Roti Canai, Dhal, Curry. Eggs Station - Scrambled, Omelette, Boiled Noodles Station - Selection of 4 types of noodles, 3 different soups/broth, condiments. Bakery & Confectionaries - Selection of breads, butter, jams, danish pastries, mini croissants (not to miss!), doughnuts, pancakes, bread pudding with vanilla sauce, and my favourite - the waffles! Cereals - 4 or 5 types of cereal with dairy options/soy bean substitution. Western - Selection of cheese, plain/flavoured yogurt, salad with different dressings, continental (wedges/hash browns, sausages, beans etc) Asian - Fried rice, fried noodles, nasi lemak with condiments, plain/chicken porridge with condiments, vege dishes, beef/chicken cooked in various styles. Others - Fruit platters, 3 different kind of fruit juices, iced black coffee, hot coffee & tea.

Dining: Visited 3 out of 5. Azure Pool Bar, Latitude 05 - Not visited. Latest Recipe - The main dining. This is where the breakfast is served and where the menu from the room service comes from. Food was good. Favola - A little restaurant tucked at the hotel corner. This is more towards fine dining style and the decoration is romantic. Good for celebrations. Set menu may differ from time to time. Food was worth the money paid, however there was some delay in the kitchen and as a token of apology, they served complimentary breads with dippings, and free soup. Attentive service and wonderful ambience. Bear in mind that the restaurant is quite small, so you might have to reserve beforehand as they can only accommodate a limited number of tables at a given time. Rooftop @ Le Meridien - Best bet for sunset viewings from the hotel. Serving both alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks while you sit back and enjoy the view.

Facilities: Lounging area at the lobby, swimming pool, jacuzzi, steam room.

Location wise: Strategically located within the city centre. Walking distance to the markets across the road, and the malls. Food is easily accessible (especially seafood!) around the hotel. KK Waterfront is about 5 minutes walk from the hotel if you're looking for a nightlife - full of bars line up by the shore.

Now coming on to my WONDERFUL experience:

Everyone was so welcoming. You will not pass by a single staff without friendly greetings! From the doormen, frontdesk, service crew, kitchen crew, all the way to housekeeping - nothing short of a great hospitality. When I arrived, they decorated my room with balloons, towels folded into elephants with a birthday wish, and a birthday cake! Hurt my feet on the 3rd day from island visits and in need of bandaids, they were helpful about it. Since my flight was later at night, I requested for a late check out and they were accomodating about it but they could only extend it to 1PM. However, you can leave your baggage at the concierge until you need to leave. You can also use the hotel facilites until then.

Overall: Incredible experience with top notch hospitality. Will definitely recommend & come back....

Pros: The main lobby's view was beautiful, I really felt the good vibe and pleasant smell upon entering the hotel. Easy check-in process, I requested a way to the Club Lounge from a staff at Concierge by the lobby and he accompanied me all the way to the 14th Floor where the Club Lounge is located. It was quite a unique experience as the 14th floor and the Club Lounge do not require an access card. The Front Desk Agent (FDA) greeted me was Jessica and she was very friendly and very helpful. She invited my wife and I to dine in a cocktail hour straight away. My check-in process lasted for a mere 2-3 minutes! She also told me that my room was upgraded too. The club lounge was nice as this is my first time enjoying the experience. The highlight is definitely it's view facing to the sea and also on the highest floor. The room's view was more the same like the room I stayed last year, so the feeling is the same. Very good lighting, spacious and comfortable. The bathroom was good, water pressure very good with shower and average-sized bath tub. I requested extra toiletries using the Marriott Bonvoy app and the housekeeping staff brought over the items within minutes! I love this feature as sometimes I don't feel like calling housekeeping using traditional hotel phone. Latest Recipe located at the main lobby serves morning breakfast. Food selection was nice, not too much and taste was generally fine. I ordered a cappuccino and it also tastes good. The restaurant Manager (Mr Roger) was very friendly I had a great chat with him, also very attentive to my requests and his servers were extremely helpful throughout our breakfast. Finally, check-out process was a breeze. As my stay was actually a point-redemption during check-in, I handed over my room card keys to the in-charge FDA at the Club Lounge Afif and we also had very good chat.

Cons: No Breakfast at the Club Lounge as it only opens at 10AM. The welcome amenities surprisingly were not there upon entering the room. Different experience compared to a Executive Room I stayed on May 2019 where I found a nice jar of local snacks put on the table. This time no welcome fruit / snacks.

Summary: I enjoyed my stay at the hotel although it was only a night stay as my wife and I were celebrating Valentine Day. We had a great time and we might come again for a...

My wife and I have been traveling through Southeast Asia over seven months, covering seven different countries and more than 210 nights across 27 different Marriott properties. Throughout this trip, we have never encountered a more dedicated, professional, and visible management team than at the Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu. Initially, we had booked a 13-night stay, but the exceptional service prompted us to extend for an additional 21 nights. The senior management team, Mr. Suresh Ramasamy and Pavin Ravindran are remarkable in their relentless energy and passion for this hotel and their team. They are consistently present during breakfast, engaging with guests and staff, and can often be seen late into the evening in the lounge, ensuring everything runs smoothly. A big thank you to the front desk; Reazie, Noava, Shirley, and Cedric for their assistance and welcoming smiles each time we returned. The breakfast spread at this location is diverse and delicious with options from local to western favorites. Anna, Katie, Rodney, and Roger are a blessing to the F&B team led by Mr. Mohd Fadzil. The rooms in the hotel are spacious and well kept. Thanks to Rizan and his staff. Beds are very comfortable and the TV’s are the largest we have seen in a hotel :) If you book a sea view room you won’t be disappointed. If you have Bonvoy status and have club lounge access you will be amazed by the food in the lounge (shout out to Chef Daniel and Chef Katy), the staff; to include Laurian, Peter, Christina, Yuven, Regina, and Elvina are extremely friendly and professional, and you will get a front row to the amazing sunsets. Also, try out the rooftop bar for delicious cocktails and those same stunning views. We were thrilled to get a chance to participate in the “Chef On The Go” program. Thank you to Chef Chua and Chef Awangku for keeping us in line in the kitchen. This hotel isn’t far from the airport or any of the tourist attractions. You are within walking distance of the pier, shopping, nightlife, and restaurants. The hotel can help arrange trips for you if needed. In our opinion this hotel will tick all your boxes and leave you wanting to...