Gurney Luxe Inn Guest House — Hotel in George Town

This was my second visit to this hotel and the first visit (in early 2018) warranted a second one. However, the original manager is now gone and the maid, although a very nice person, is now acting as manager and does not really speak English.||||Our main issue was the noise. This is a house on a residential street that has been converted to a guest house. On many occasions we had other guests in the hallways yelling and screaming--both adults and kids. There are only 4 rooms on the upper floor and given that this is a converted house with no sound insulation, it is probably not a suitable place for families with children. Also, we only requested the room to be cleaned on one occasion. When we returned, the AC had been shut off and the room was sweltering. It took several hours to cool down. It is advertised as having a kitchenette--not so, just some shelving. Previously I had a kettle and hairdryer (pretty much unusable because it overheated) in the room. These were now gone.||||On a positive note, the location is excellent--between Gurney Mall and the Hawker Stalls. Bus transportation is close by and a 7-11 store is a block away. On both occasions I stayed in the Vista King room which is quite spacious and overlooks the street and the parking garage of the Gurney Mall. Because of the loud and extremely annoying noise, I most likely will not...

for less than RM200 per night, this accomodation is acceptable, its actually a semi-D house located in a placid neighborhood, with (friendly) guard gated community. The housekeeper is a bubbly and helpful Filipino, Joanna. I stayed in one of the rooms (clean and tidy with laundered bedsheet) upstairs overlooking the uninhabited big empty patch of land. Theres free wifi, tea making facilities, functioning air con and oversized formidable looking wardrobe with hangers. For meals and shopping, u have loads of choices from 2 nearby shopping malls; the Gurney Plaza (hardly 2 mins walk) and the Gurney Paragon mall ( 7 mins walk) which houses quite a nice selection of H&M clothing for kids. If u r impressed by the colonial heritage look of some parts of the mall, originally it was a seminary, the St Joseph novitiate building which apparently was bought over for the Gurney Paragon project.||So, if u r on a budget trip with no kids, no family in tow, this accomodation is a fairly decent place...

Most taxi drivers and locals have never heard of this place. I'm not sure how I even found it. But, I'm very glad I did. Can't beat the location, the very friendly service, and the large, spotless rooms. I ended up leaving my door unlocked because I felt so secure there. It's much more like staying in a home than a hotel. I think there are only four rooms. 24-hour attendant is very helpful and English is fine (plus some smiles and body language). Tell any taxi driver it's immediately beside Gurney Plaza shopping center. Loads of restaurants there, plus shopping and very inexpensive theaters. I heartily recommend Gurney Luxe Inn as the best value in Penang. (I've also stayed in a hostel-type guest house in old town, which is much less comfortable, though much more colorful. All things considered, I'd choose the comfort of Luxe Inn and take the bus to experience the color...