Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa — Hotel in George Town

(a) We had fully paid the room but when we called up to inform that we will be late to arrive, the room reservation staff (Mr Ryan or Bryan) threatened us that if we arrived after 12am, your hotel will impose a "hold & charge" charges on us. Question is: WE HAD FULLY PAID THE ROOM, why charge for late arrival? And the worst thing was: IT WAS THE FIRST DAY OF CHINESE NEW YEAR, why made your guests upset??????? Where is the human ground that considerating it was CNY, traffic was heavy on the road, guests were very happy and anxious to get home. All the good "Chi" and prosperous feeling spoiled by the stupid "Hold & Charge" !!! Now I thought about it, why happened if accident happened to us that your hotel was pushing us to hurry????? (b) 3 days prior to our arrival, I called up to inform that we might be late due to the unpredictable traffic during Chinese New Year and please get our extra bed ready upon our arrival. I thought all was arranged and I also fell from my chair the moment I opened the room door, NO EXTRA BED WAS THERE, WE AGAIN HAD TO CALL AND WAITED AND WE WERE VERY TIRED RUSHING TO ARRIVE TO AVOID THE DAMN "HOLD & CHARGE" AND THE EXTRA BED WAS NOT THERE.... oh please, you are a FIVE STAR hotel .... where is the top notch service?????????? So we went back to the reception to ask for an upgrade to suite. He said: sorry our hotel is fully booked. Again lying!! For 3 nights that we were there, many rooms were empty - no light!! How it possible that you were running full occupancy? Why not pleased your guests by giving them an upgrade for it's indeed your fault that the extrabed was not ready despite prior arrangement? (c) Pinang Restaurant & Bar or the Ferringi Grill - the food was horrible (the grill menu supposed to come with sauce, salad and potato - but there was none until we complained, the Australian wagyu beef was way under cook and they had to re-do it), the service was extremely poor (I lost count how many times the wrong drink was sent to our table, one staff had presented the bill another staff came again?? - Hello, FIVE STAR???), staffs seemed to be untrained & overworked - they were trying their best to be friendly but they were simply did not know what they were doing. We wanted to order ice cream for dessert, the waiter said only strawberry favour available but when we order the brownie - ahaha there was a vanilla ice cream on top - why lying? why not making an effort for your guests? You are FIVE STAR !! And the worst part was: we were inviting guests for this dinner. We felt so embarrassed about the whole experience. It even tarnished our good reputation.

We will never come back again if all my questions are not justified, explained and compensated. In fact, we had stayed in a number of Shangrila Hotels before over the globe and this was the worst ever experience. We came back to Penang to celebrate CNY every year and you could have make us your regular guests!!

Is there a service difference in between the Garden Wing vs Rasa Wing? Is there a management change lately in your hotel? What is the reason we did not see many senior staffs on duty during this period?

From room reservation to reception to concierge to waiters to food - all very poor and untrained and definitely NOT FIVE STAR service.

The only good experience we had was with the housekeeping & room...

Our stay at Shangri-La's Resort and Spa in Penang from September 10th to 12th was quite underwhelming, especially for a hotel that claims to be a five-star deluxe resort.

We were warmly greeted by the bellboy, but check-in was awkward. After swiping our credit card, the receptionist gave no acknowledgment that the transaction was complete. It set the tone for what was to come. Lunch at the Pinang Bar was disappointing. The open-air bar was filled with employees shouting across to each other, ruining any sense of relaxation. Adding to this, the smoking zone was placed next to the restaurant, making it hard to enjoy our meal. Service was inconsistent as well, with my wife's beer and my mocktail repeatedly mixed up, even after corrections.

Upon entering our room, we were greeted by a constant barrage of interruptions. First, there were multiple calls inviting us to a cocktail party we had no interest in attending. Then, maintenance staff tried to enter our room despite us not having any issues with the air conditioning. Finally, room service called us again, loudly waking us up, despite the Do Not Disturb sign.

The patio, which should have been a peaceful escape, was plagued by loud children in the nearby pool, and the air was filled with the smell of frying oil from nearby deep fryers. The condition of the bathroom was also disappointing, with mold on the tiles and soap holder, something you'd expect from a much lower-rated hotel.

We were further frustrated to find out about ongoing maintenance only after discovering a letter placed on our hotel room table. The corridor reeked of acetone and fresh paint, making it uncomfortable to walk through. Despite low occupancy, we weren’t offered a quieter room.

The overwhelming number of rules, particularly around Rasa Wing Lounge privileges, breakfast, and etiquette, was stifling. Flyers with rules and constant reminders about storing food to prevent ants left us feeling like we were in a strict boarding school rather than a luxury resort.

The pillow menu also fell flat. We requested two pillows—lavender and cassia seed—but neither lived up to expectations. The lavender pillow lacked any scent, and the cassia seed pillow felt like an ordinary, worn-out pillow, leaving us questioning the quality of the resort’s attention to detail.

Breakfast at Spice Market Cafe was another disappointment. While tables around us, occupied mostly by Caucasian guests, were cleared and attended to, our table was left ignored for the entire meal. This double standard in service left a bad taste in what should have been a pleasant dining experience.

Other minor details, like the tiny, poor-quality TV and non-functioning remote, added to the overall dissatisfaction. Despite the bellboys and pool boys being courteous and the decor being visually appealing, the lack of attention to detail and poor customer service made for a subpar experience.

In conclusion, while Shangri-La Resort and Spa in Penang may have been a five-star deluxe resort ten years ago, calling it that today is a stretch. If you're looking for a premium getaway, I would recommend looking elsewhere, as this resort failed to live up to its five-star claims in...

1. We tried to check in after 3.00 pm as instructed but our one of our room was not ready. We had to wait and collect the room key ourself at the reception. Such inconvenience.
2. We booked via Agoda to which we chose connecting rooms but the Front Office claimed that they were NOT INFORMED BY AGODA. They were NOT able to see our requests via Agoda. To me this is a lie because I was an owner of a BnB in Cambodia and I know how the system work. Agoda wont be calling the hotel to inform them about our hotel booking and preferences. It is all automated. It is all written on the booking sheet that was sent automatically via Agoda's booking system.
3. Front Office the proceeded to give two seperate rooms to us. She purposely make sure there is a room between us. The room in between was EMPTY!! The whole hotel was not Fully Occupied. Many rooms were without tenants! I dont understand such behaviour by your snobbish front office personnel. Not only one of the room was not ready, we had to collect the key ourselves, they made sure we dont get connecting room as requested, none of our preferences were met and they made sure there is an empty room between our two rooms!
4. One of the room had plumbing issues.
5. There is not segregation between check-in and check-out counters. The next day we had to check out at 12.00 pm sharp despite getting our room late. We pleaded and explained to them to get late check-out but they could only extend it half an hour only.
6. As we walked towards to lobby to check out, two busses had already arrived and there was a long queue at the check in counter. We thought we there was a seperate check out counter, we were wrong. We thought the check in time was strictly at 3.00 pm, we were wrong. The newly arrived guests were given their rooms IMMEDIATELY at 12.00 pm!!! We had to wait and queue to check out. Finally they brought us to another lobby to do our check out because we complained.

I dont understand the double standard at this hotel. We didnt only spend on rooms, we had dinner and breakfast at the hotel. We spent good money as others do but I dont understand why we were treated this way. The staffs at Spice Garden and the Lounge were GREAT. Rasa Sayang gained points from me because of these staffs.

I would get rid of the staffs at Front Office. There are many qualified and willing people out there looking for work.

Pls improve. I lost my respect for Rasa Sayang.

...and another thing. We were at the pool at about 16.15 hrs. At about 17.00 hrs, we tried to order food and drinks from the restaurant nearest to the pool and was rejected. They can only serve dine in customers. How many customers were there at...