Cititel Express Penang — Hotel in George Town

The rooms are the smallest I’ve ever seen, completely unlivable. Even the bathroom- which is of a reasonable size, is simply designed poorly, having no place to set a toiletry bag when a simple shelf would suffice. The wet towel bar hangs over the toilet. I was tripping over my 2 pieces of luggage, have no idea how two people, with accompanying luggage could possibly fit in one room- and all the rooms are this size. Yet the architect chose to have 4 meter wide hallways in places. This sort of aesthetics over substance is apparent throughout the hotel. Don’t expect much, and you won’t be disappointed. While the spacious lobby and staff uniforms give a impression this is a nice place to stay, you won't be fooled for long.

Having to ask for a bathmat and washcloths, having to ask for at least one English news TV channel, having to ask for two English movie channels to have audio, having to beg repeatedly for someone to instruct on the usage of the air conditioning control panel which is a complicated and unforgiving household type- push a wrong button and you’ll need the unavailable instruction manual to backtrack out of it- all in all contribute to an unpleasant, claustrophobic stay. The front desk personnel were for the most part courteous and professional, apologetically and constantly reminding one- as if one needed to be reminded- it was a two star hotel. A notable exception was the young lady who seemed to think self- amusing, whispered giggles to her colleagues when I asked for a refund for the uneaten second- day breakfast (after the third time complaining there was no air conditioning,) was appropriate behavior. This young lady’s smirking attitude was the final straw in checking out of this hotel a day early. And btw, “no, you cannot get help with your luggage checking out early, it’s self service,” although I was helped- happily enough- when checking in. Parking is free at the adjacent St Giles Hotel garage which is about the only redeeming service this hotel offers aside from its central location at budget pricing.

Staff were not familiar with the vicinity, when I asked for where an internet/print/fax shop was, I was told I’d have to take a 15 ringett cab ride to one. Yet I found one about a 5 minute walk away at the street level Komtar Tower. ( Penang Rd side, 40 meters north east of the Firefly ticket office, under the staircase.)

If you must stay at the Citadel Express, DO NOT BUY THE 40 ringett breakfast. While Malaysians might find cold, hours-old chopped up “omlette”, assorted spiced soupy offerings and white rice appealing-aside from the fruit selection of just water-melon, cheap-as-it-gets- store-bought white bread, water and coffee ( about 4 ringett of food,) there was nothing in the buffet I would eat by choice.

Instead, for just 2 ringett more, walk through the (still) not yet opened “shopping arcade” connection hallway to next door’s St Giles Hotel, and on the 2nd floor find the Wembley Café- where an incredible, 5- star breakfast buffet awaits at 42 ringett. In fact the Wembley Café is all around a great restaurant, very reasonable pricing for top quality service and food with an extensive menu.

I'd chew off my left hand rather than stay at this...

It is a group tour where we had our retreat & the organiser chose this hotel for us to stay due to budget.||The room is small which is 14 sqm. It is conveniently located inside Georgetown & can easily access to many places of interests, food & shopping malls. It is linked to St. Giles Wembley Penang Hotel so you can walk through it to access to the shopping malls & food nearby. ||The housekeeping is average however they are quite fast to act on it if you need their service. They do not really clean up the table & side tables with some stains on them. They also did not wash the cup after I had used it. One of my team members' room was not cleaned after the previous guests had checked out & the hotel did not check & assigned the room to them. Fortunately the hotel arranged another room & upgraded for them immediately. I feel the housekeeping need to be improved generally. ||The amenities provided are basic & they only provide hair dryer, disposable bathroom slippers, shampoo, body wash, disposable toothbrushes & toothpaste, disposable shower cap & disposable sanitary bag. They do not have hair conditioner. So for ladies, it is best you bring your own hair conditioner as I forgot to bring mine. ||There is one flaw design of the bathroom where the water will seep through the door & the whole floor will be wet even the bathroom floor mat cannot absorb all the water. The door design should be behind the kerb & not on top of the kerb. The door rubber is unable to deter the water seeping through the door. It is a bad design.||The bed is quite ok to sleep & the pillows are not too soft. ||The TV has very poor reception so the TV programs are not very clear. ||There is not much sound proof in the room as I could hear hotel guests speaking at the common corridor. ||They provide breakfast but the food & choice of selection were not fantastic. I advise to eat out as there many coffeeshops & shopping malls nearby to eat their local famous food like char kway teow, wanton noodles, assam laksa, fried egg oyster, prawn noodles, chendol & more. ||The check out service was quick & efficient but the concierge service for the luggage was slightly slower as due to lack of manpower & also we were in a big group of 60 people. | |Overall it was a short stay for us for 3 days 2 nights so I did not expect much as we were out most of the time for team bonding. ||If for personal travelling, I will not...

Review from an average asian traveller.

Booked thru Expedia, about 48 SGD per night during Late Feb 2024. Value for money as its pretty competitive in terms of price compared to other affordable hotels or Airbnb nearby.

If you are not a picky traveller and luxury is not what you can afford, i will highly recommend this hotel. Pros is more than cons.

Pros:

Value for money as state above.

Room is generally clean and comfortable. Toilet is also clean.

Hotel is about 20plus stories tall. If you are lucky, you might get a room facing the sea (towards Main Penang) or towards the mountainous area view.

Vicinity around hotel feels safe as its along shops and other hotel. At night it is brightly litted. The road outside hotel is very easy for grab drivers to alight and pick up passengers.

Customer service very friendly and patience. Willing to accomodate to my request to late check out and also they also provide extra service to safekeep our luaggage at lobby (with no fee) after we had checked out.

There is a TV that provide some basic channels. Mini fridge provided Hair dryer provided Shampoo and body wash cum handwash are provided Glass bottle with 2 cups are provided (Clean drinking water dispenser are available at lift lobby to refill)

Cons: Room is pretty small, and corridor is narrow. Big size adult may find it a problem. However average asian size is fine.

Mandatory Tourism Hotel Tax / Fee.. Please take note on top of what you paid thru your booking platform, standby your cash/card to pay additional of RM10 per night when you check in. Its a mandatory law set by the Malaysian government.

Requested thru Expedia for a high level and I manage to get a 20th floor room. Rmbr to book early. The hotel is up to 20+ floors. Don't really can hear sound of vehicle driving pass below. Unfortunately during our stay, there were some roadwork or renovation a few streets away and we can still hear it despite staying at level 20. Also some wild dogs will start barking at wee hours. Not the hotel fault though, but i feel the soundproofing could be better. ...

Conclusion: Overall, its worth staying and i highly recommend anyone to book this hotel if you are in a dilemma or first time in Penang. Esp for those who are on tight budget or are not fussy about how fancy the hotel looks or feels. This is my first time too and im glad my friend introduced this...