Amari Johor Bahru — Hotel in Johor

Booked a Superior King room (Room 1519) for a 3D2N stay to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and our experience was profoundly disappointing.

Initial Room Issues (Room 1519):

Upon check-in, we found that the safe in our room was not functioning due to a dead battery. We contacted reception and were assured that a manager would attend to the issue within five minutes. However, it took 30 minutes and three follow-up calls for staff to arrive. Due to this delay, we were late for our dinner reservation, causing significant inconvenience.

We were also promised that the issue would be resolved while we are out, but the same issue persist when we return to our room that night.

Subsequent Room Issues:

We were eventually upgraded to a Junior Suite (Room 1720). Unfortunately, the lights and air conditioning in this room intermittently turned off multiple times, including during our showers. The technician informed us that the room’s sensors were not detecting occupancy, suggesting that we open and close the main door to reset the system even during the times that we are asleep — a highly impractical solution for a 5-star hotel.

We were then moved to an Executive Club Lounge (Room 1701), a corner room which we told the staff initially to avoid. Despite assurances, the air conditioning was inadequate, and the room remained uncomfortably hot with stale air. The lights and air conditioning continued to turn off intermittently. It was then revealed to us that the filter was faulty. I truly believe that a 5-star hotel like you guys claimed to be should be unholding to higher standards in terms of the maintenance and upkeep of the hotel rooms.

Unacceptable Conduct by Concierge Manager:

Upon check-out, we were instructed to store our luggage at the concierge area on Level 1. Here, we encountered the concierge manager, Saravena, whose behavior was shockingly unprofessional and rude. He informed us that the storage was full and offered no alternative solutions. When I tried to explain our situation, he interrupted me rudely, stating, “So I have to listen to you now?” His hostile attitude was uncalled for, and his demeanor was more akin to a hooligan than a representative of a 5-star establishment. Despite our polite approach, he dismissed our concerns without any attempt to assist us further. Our anniversary celebration was marred by these repeated issues and the appalling service from the concierge manager. We did not request room upgrades; we merely wanted to enjoy a pleasant stay in the room we initially booked. The lack of professionalism and the numerous room issues were unacceptable for a hotel of your caliber.

The conduct of the concierge manager, Saravena, needs immediate attention as it reflects poorly on your establishment’s reputation and the values/code of ethics of the golden key holder he claims to represent. I know he is a golden key holder which I noticed from the badge he was wearing. He futher make it known to us that he is a a golden key holder when we merely asked for his position in the hotel, which was uncalled for. I am shocked by how arrogant he was throughout our conversation. He even have the authacity to question me on why his name was taken down by my wife. To make matter worst, not only did he not propose any feasible solution aside from shunning us away, he even told me to follow him to the storage room just to prove that the room was fully occupied. I am not here to ask anyone to prove anything, just assist us when we need to, especially when we are a paying customer, paying for a 5-star service. It is really a shame that he is an appointed golden key holder by Golden Key Malaysia. We will be making this known to them as well.

All the other staffs that attended to us were nice and friendly, Saravena is the only problem.

Attached photo was taken from the executive club lounge which the staff claimed to be the best room in the hotel. Tbh, I know luck comes into play during hotel stays, but the encounter with the concierge manager is downright nonsense for a...

Amari Johor Bahru – A Great Stay with Some Service Hiccups

ONYX Hospitality Group, based in Thailand, is well-known for its Amari brand, particularly in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor Bahru. Amari serves as an upscale hotel chain, offering a full suite of hospitality services, including club access.

Our recent stay at Amari Johor Bahru wasn’t our first; my parents introduced us to the brand years ago, as they were frequent guests. Conveniently located right at the Johor Bahru checkpoint, the hotel is highly accessible by foot, public transport, or car. Its prime location also places it directly across from popular malls like City Square and Komtar JBCC, making it one of the most well-known and sought-after hotels in the area.

Booking Experience

Since we were traveling as a family, we booked two rooms via the ONYX app. The reservation process was mostly smooth, but I found it odd that I had to log in again (despite already being logged in) to complete the booking. Another strange issue was the inability to reserve a connecting room online. Given that the largest room available is the One-Bedroom Suite, I reached out to the hotel via their online chat (a convenient feature), only to be advised to email the reservations team for my request, as the website did not allow securing connecting rooms.

To their credit, the reservations team responded promptly and noted my request. I also indicated the same request in my booking details and looked forward to the stay.

Check-In Experience

We arrived at around 5 PM and used the dedicated check-in line. Everything went smoothly until I inquired about a late checkout or the possibility of a 24-hour stay. Surprisingly, the front desk officer informed me that such requests could only be made on the day of checkout. This struck me as odd, as most hotels can confirm late checkout at least a day in advance. Given that it was already 5 PM, I expected a clear response.

Additionally, the front desk staff mentioned, “Your room doesn’t come with breakfast,” to which I responded that we had lounge access. The response seemed disjointed, making it feel as if the staff on the dedicated check-in line were not entirely familiar with guest entitlements.

After receiving our room keys, I assumed we had been assigned connecting rooms since our room numbers were close. However, upon reaching the rooms, we discovered that they were not connected—despite my clear request in multiple communications. Returning to the front desk, I asked about the connecting room again. After some “checking,” they finally secured it.

While this wasn’t an ideal check-in experience, things turned around later that evening. I raised the late checkout request with another front desk officer, Melcy, who promptly granted it without hesitation. Now, that was excellent service! It truly made a difference in our stay. If not for this positive interaction, our experience would have felt less enjoyable. Thank you, Melcy—it’s moments like these that showcase the power of good service!

The Stay

Despite the initial hiccups, the rest of our stay was very enjoyable.

We booked Executive Rooms, which were modern and well-maintained despite the hotel’s age. We also appreciated the complimentary minibar (first round only), which the kids loved. Room amenities were well-stocked, with high-quality Urban Skincare & Co. toiletries.

Since the Executive Lounge on level 21 was undergoing major renovations (scheduled to finish by March 3, 2025), a temporary lounge was set up. While the space felt a little cramped, the service was attentive, and the food quality was good.

Breakfast offered a decent variety of food and, despite being about 75% full, never felt overly congested.

Final Verdict: Why 5 Stars Instead of 4?

While the check-in experience left much to be desired, the overall value we received from our stay made up for it. The rooms, lounge access, service recovery by Melcy, and overall experience were enough to warrant a top rating.

We will definitely return as...

Absolutely abysmal visit. Not our first time at Amari, as it is convenient as well as professional in their service - or so we thought. This time round was much different. For context, we booked two rooms for two nights online.

The hotel utilises a third party company for carpark services, and they issue tickets when u enter the gantry. My father had misplaced the ticket in the hotel, and when we enquired with front desk about it, they said to go to the parking attendant’s room to get it rectified. Fast forward to trying to get a replacement ticket and was hit by a 200RM replacement fee for a parking ticket. The hotel and carpark are not transparent about this fee, as it does not state such a fee at the gantry, nor do the staff tell you upfront about the importance of this piece of paper.

The carpark attendant’s boss refused to speak to us when we asked to speak to him on the phone, and the attendant was not very helpful either. So i decided to ask the front desk again what could be done, and she told me that she would speak to the duty manager and explain the situation, perhaps to come up with some sort of solution. I then left the hotel to explore some malls as the “duty manager” was not available. The front desk lady told me that she would inform and have a follow up when i am back.

Additionally, when leaving our hotel rooms, the cleaning staff had asked us whether he can clean our room, which was right beside the ones he was currently working on, to which we replied “sure.” It is also worthy to note that my room had not been on Do not Disturb, and i had pressed the button for the room to be made up. This was around 10am in the morning.

Upon arriving back at the hotel, I decided to head up to front desk again to check on the follow up which i had been promised. The same lady attended to me, and she then told me to wait as the duty manager made their way to where we were. About 15 minutes later, another lady came up and spoke to us. She asked “What can i help you with?” At that moment i was surprised by the difference in professionalism between this visit and the prior visits we had made. The duty manager was clearly not informed of the situation we were in, contradictory to the staff’s assurance to me in the morning. Bear in mind this is about 6 hours after i had made the request.

The cherry on top was when we returned to the room, we found out that the same cleaner is cleaning another room on the same floor, and both our rooms were not made up yet. Where is the professionalism that we paid for? I do not usually make complaints, but this one really pushed me over the edge. No compensation made by the hotel, not even a moment of thinking was made by the duty manager. It is not at all what is expected from Amari, being listed as a 5 star hotel on google maps. We paid 1800RM+ for the two rooms, and this has certainly left a bad taste in our mouths. Why pay such a hefty price for such subpar service? Sunway Big box, a 4 star hotel that we stayed in before coming to this hotel is cheaper, and their customer service is levels ahead of this hotel’s.

Overall, i would not recommend anyone visiting malaysia JB to stay at Amari hotel. The staff blatantly patronise you, giving false promises to customers who pay so much just to stay at your hotel. It is unacceptable, and you should be training your staff better in terms of customer service. I am utterly disappointed by this visit.

If your management is reading this and actually crafting a response to this review, i would rather take a compensation of some sort, than to receive the same robotic and patronising reply claiming that “We are very sorry…. We hope that we can work better to please you in the future.” As long as I am not taken seriously at this establishment, i will be actively be advising friends and family to avoid this place. I would also move towards getting press attention on the state of this...