Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast — Hotel in Johor

I am a frequent traveller. Having travelled extensively for 20 plus years I know what to expect.

Wanted so much to love HRH Desaru. Went with so much excitement. Things slowly started to unravel. I have decided to write here because i tried to contact the hotel directly to help give a constructive feedback but they totally ignored it. Forget about the standard replies you see here saying, please write to info@.., likely no one is going to bother.

Check in was late at 4pm. Prices paid online directly is not the final price you have to pay eventually. At this point, the good thing was that the hotel gave complimentary waterpark tickets if you booked via HRH online directly.

Complimentary drinks were given at the lounge on level one. Beside a pool that looked too crowded. The adults were soaking inside for hours. It was like a public toilet. No allowed to bring the drinks downstairs to Sessions Dining to finish it. According to the staff, those were”different departments”.

Rooms looked clean when we first stepped in but upon closer look. It was infested with ants. Stayed on the 6th floor. Full of ants. No sweet stuff but the ants invaded everything. Clothes etc. Couldn’t really tell if they were termites. Tried cleaning the room ourselves. Told the housekeeping but they don’t seem to understand English so nothing was done. Nice looking reusable water bottles were provided but they looked so dirty. So we did not use them.

Water park was fun. No outside drinks allowed which was perfectly fine but not many options inside. Food in the park was subpar. Staff did not give receipts when he received cash payment for the drinks. He was holding it. It was very crowded at the park.

There is seriously only one proper food option there, which as the Sessions dining. In the mornings they turn it into a buffet area. Even though that was the ONLY proper one. Other than in-room dining. The food was quite awful. Firstly it took forever to get the attention of the staff. Forever to get them to order. Forever to get the food. Plus the food was so bad. They were so lack of staff and training. You could really tell that HRH fell short in so many ways. One of the staff at Sessions had a man ponytail that was bushy, running the drinks and dining area. We called him and he ignored. We stood up to wave in front of his face and he still chose to ignore. Ordered some drinks and it was Out of stock. No one told us until one hour later. We told we didn’t want to rush them because they looked short handled.

Food for the kids came out 70 mins after ordering. Mind you, pizza was a frozen dough. Didn’t think it would take a bit of effort to prepare: what a nightmare. A meal was always around 600 rm

Breakfast was like a war zone. Vultures grabbed everything they could see. Lack of food, lack of cups, lack of service. Some staff really worked hard to clear, you can really tell. But it’s just not good enough. One staff in her haste, used her bare hands to pick up the beehoon that a guest dropped on the table and threw it back to the buffet tray. So unhygienic. Eeeeewwe

This franchise does not live up to Hardrock standard at all. The General Manager is paid to improve the hotel and set good standards which I do not see. Normally when so many guests are so upset, the GM should step forward instead of throwing the administrative staff forward to answer with some cut and paste replies.

The owner of HRH Desaru should really look into a better person to manage the hotel. Fell short in so many ways. Cannot leave everything to poorly trained staff.

By the way, the kids came back and all of us had gastroenteritis. One was severely ill and was hospitalised. His hospital bill came up to 8k. The rest were very sick. Vomitted and had diarrhea. I am not going to trust the standard replies that they send for all to see, to write to them because I did and nothing was done.

Really regretted fully. Should have never chosen that hotel. Never. Now as I write this I still have nightmares...

There are only two Hard Rock Hotels in Malaysia, one in Penang and the other in Desaru Coast. Opened in 2018, Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast (HRHDC) is the first premium hotel brand to open in Desaru. This was followed by the opening of several other international hotel brands that seek to rejuvenate tourism interest in this beach resort town.

The main advantage of staying here is that guests enjoy direct access to the family-friendly Adventure Waterpark Desaru Coast. The hotel has a free shuttle bus service that stops at the three main hotels (Anantara, Hard Rock & Westin) along Desaru Coast. This made it really convenient for hotel guests to explore the area and dine at other hotel restaurants. Additionally, the hotel offers a buggy service to bring guests to the hotel car park and the lobby of The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, If heading to the beach.

If you do not own a vehicle and would like venture out to the nearby town, do note that Grab drivers are limited in this area. If required, you can book a private taxi directly from the hotel. The costs of the one-way transportation are as follows:

Desaru Town & SKS City Mall - RM30 Desaru Coast Ferry Terminal - RM40 Desaru Fruit Farm - RM45 Desaru Mini Zoo - RM90 Kota Tinggi Firefly Park - RM90

The rooms at this property are located from the first to seventh floors. Interestingly, there is no fourth floor. I had booked the Superior King Room which measures 42 square metres and was accommodated in Room No. 256. My room offers a balcony which faces a garden. I had added an extra bed with breakfast for RM270 nett per night.

There are fascinating music elements incorporated into the room design, such as the guitar embellishment on the bedsheets and pillow cases. The ombré-hued curtains look lovely and unique too. I am surprised the TV remote control has a Hard Rock Hotel logo. Even the additional toilet roll has a ‘B Sides’ tape on it. The room features the Sleep Like a Rock® bedding with a 300-thread count bed linen. I had a comfortable and restful sleep here.

Although the 55" TV does not offer Netflix or YouTube, it features local TV programmes, cable TV channels such as AXN, Celestial Movies, HBO and Moonbug. Additionally, it offers a collection of in-house Hollywood movies. It is interesting to know that the TV also features curated music playlists for your listening pleasure. There are two USB charging ports and a universal power socket for the powering and charging of your mobile devices.

Tip: If you require a quiet room, request one further away from the restaurant where the live band plays during the night. However, the trade-off is that it requires a bit of a walk to get to the room from the hotel lobby.

For dining options, there are several food and beverage establishments in the property:

Sessions (Western) - À la carte & buffet) - 7am to 12am The Elephant And The Butterfly (Mexican & Western cuisine) - 11am to 10.30pm Constant Grind (Café) - 8am to 10pm GMT+8 (Lobby bar) - 11am to 12am

One of the main features of staying at a Hard Rock Hotel is the hotel’s resident live band. The band entertains audiences by belting out great classic rock and contemporary songs at the following times:

Tue to Thur & Sun: 8:30PM - 11:15PM Fri & Sat: 8:00PM - 11:45PM

Guests will also be able to enjoy the following amenities at the hotel:

Outdoor Pool: 8am to 9pm Fitness Centre: 24hrs Kids Club: 10am to 9pm Spa: 10am to 10pm

The spa is temporarily located in Room No. 259 as the original place is undergoing refurbishment. I had a 60mins back scrub which costs RM330.

If you require a short getaway from Singapore, Desaru Coast is an ideal holiday destination. I recommend a stay at this family-friendly hotel, given that it offers amenities that cater to both adults...

Absolute waste of money. This hotel isn't a 5 star hotel. I felt like I was staying in a 3 star hotel. Initially booked a Superior Double but was horrified when I checked in. The room was so dingy and dimly lit. No snacks in the pantry and fridge. It was small. I immediately requested for an upgrade and paid to get a Studio Suite. The room was better but still really not up to my standard. The rooms had down light that was orangey in colour. No bright light at all. Made me feel sick after a while. The rooms are really not that clean at all. Poorly maintained. The floor had stains. Carpet looked very dirty. The toilet especially was really dirty. The cleaners simply wipe off the water i think. Bath tub had stains in it. Bath water was yellowish. Soap didnt smell great. Not sure what beand it was. Toilet bowl looked super cheap. Towels had stains on them. So much for a 5 star hotel. The walk on the way to the room shows uou how poorly maintained the whole hotel is. Also, the room location and views are bad. Studio suite was on the first floor in a beach area. Can you imagine paying premium to get carpark view? Really Hard Rock brand has to look into their service standards and see how to offer premium services. everything is so overpriced. There's nothing to do in the hotel - the mini pathetic playground under the stairway is a joke, the kiddy room is chargeable 35 ringgit per hour per kid for parents to drop them off, pool is really a joke. The breakfast buffet was awful - not a single dish was worth having. Lunch ala carte food was meh and so expensive. The beach near Westin was awful- no the sand wasn't soft, no the water wasn't clean or clear. Sentosa beach is far better. The only things to do in Desaru is rot in your hotel, mini petting zoo, fruit farm and water park. The water park is super expensive 150 ringgit per person and that's like 500 ringgit for 4 pax. It's not really for young kids. Yes they have a playground water play inside but I'm not paying 500 ringgit to play in a pathetic playground. The mini zoo is so far away. It's difficult to get a Grab to return back to hotel. The charges were like 160 ringgit for a 40 minute car ride through the undeveloped forested area with absolutely nothing in sight but trees and empty buildings and small kampongs at random. All in all, don't waste your money going to Desaru and especially don't stay in Hotel Hard Rock. The way it is maintained is a joke to the brand. Never going back ever. I'm sticking to Park Royal brand. They have always maintained their standard in all the countries I have been to and when you pay premium, you...