Park Avenue Hotel — Hotel in Kedah

Rather a nostalgic stay after a long hiatus, around 6-8 years, since we were last here. One of the premier hotel in Sungai Petani then with its amenities and deco. And not many hotel can boast a Grand Ballroom and a 32-lane bowling alley within the bounds of a hotel. The room rates also reflected this status then.

When booking for an overnight stay two weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised that the room rates are in fact lower than before. Perhaps a reflection of the current proliferation of boutique hotels or budget hotels in Sungai Petani..

We were also pleasantly surprised (and really glad) that the Japanese Restaurant "Ume Sushi" is still around. This was a gem of a Japanese restaurant then.. You don't get to see many Japanese (and getting their evening meals and/or getting drunk) actually patronising a Japanese restaurant in Malaysia elsewhere.

While we felt it has somehow been 'Malaysianised' a wee bit, the place still maintained it's Japanese meals authenticity..

Other than that despite it's 'budget' room rates, the hotel has somewhat managed to maintain it's past 'grandeur' while keeping up with the Joneses.. Free Wi-Fi, flat panel TVs... the works. Despite its age, the rooms and amenities are very well maintained.. Bravo 👏👏👏

Quibbles aren't that many but here goes: Should get rid of the 2 in 1 shower/bath tap 'dongle or toggle' in the 🛀. Bloody annoying.. Shower curtain in these day and age? The shower rose needs replacement plus the hot water/cold water tap system should be rid off and made simpler (individual electric cold/hot water 🚿 (as in typical in Malaysian homes). When checking in, a strong 'mothball' smell along the room's corridor (hope it's not formaldehyde 😱) and on the very next morning, strong smell of sort of pesticide (again 😱).

All in all, a rather pleasant stay apart from the smell. Hotel staff are up to speed with their service, ample parking. Perhaps, will stay again here when we're back in SP, Ume Shusi alone is...

Checked in on 1 Syawal (31st March 2025). We arrived at 11:30 AM after an early morning drive from KL, and to our delight, the hotel offered us an early check-in after 12 noon. We were so thankful for the warm welcome! We went for brunch first and returned to find our room ready by 1 PM, such a smooth and hassle free start.

The room was fairly basic and showed some signs of aging, but it was spotless and everything was in good working condition; except for the TV remote, which was a minor issue. The air-conditioning was a little warm at first, but the staff resolved it almost immediately. We were even offered a room change if the issue persisted. That level of attentiveness really impressed us!

Apart from the daily breakfast, we were pleasantly surprised to receive a special hi-tea on Hari Raya afternoon. While simple, it was just perfect for tea time. The cucur udang and kuih kacang were absolutely delicious. My husband especially enjoyed the pengat labu and mee kari, both were full of flavour and felt homemade.

The buffet breakfast the next morning was lovely too. I was especially thrilled to see Kedah specialties like dangai, pulut with ikan masin, ubi kayu rebus, and pek nga with kari ikan, oh and also serabai! After four years of being away, these local favourites truly hit the spot and brought back so many memories.

A special shoutout to the chef on 2 Syawal (1st April 2025), your Kari Daging Kentang tasted just like my late grandma’s. It moved me to tears. Enjoying it with ketupat palas made me feel like I was finally, truly home.

We continued our journey to my kampung on 1st April, and I stayed another night at Park Avenue before heading home early on the 4th.

Well done to the whole team at Park Avenue Sungai Petani. Thank you for your warm hospitality and for making our stay so pleasant and memorable. Keep up...

This hotel is one of the better hotels in Sungai Petani in terms of overall class. It is near the highway south toll so people arriving here late at night could certainly stay overnight.

The outdoor parking is no longer open to use but the basement parking is still available and free of charge. However, it is quite small and there is only 1 staircase (no elevator) to reach the hotel lobby. This is problematic for people parking here if they are carrying a wheelchair or baby stroller. If you are dropping off everyone at the lobby drop-off area before parking then it is fine but most of us would drive straight to parking first before anything else.

The lobby is stunning especially at night when all the ceiling lights are on. The staffs there are mostly very friendly and are willing to answer your questions patiently. The bistro restaurant at the lobby serve buffet breakfast daily for hotel guests but please don’t plan your family buffet lunch here as the hotel only do buffet lunch when the restaurant is pack with people (it could be once or more each month and never consistent).

Some of the biggest problems in this hotel are cleanliness, maintenance, and improvements. Not being able to fulfill this requirement should not be an excuse especially when your hotel is at such a scale. Some of the people staying in the hotel will most likely encounter problems and be left dissatisfied depending on which room they stay in. The overall room cleanliness should be addressed (carpet, bed, etc) and old furniture should be replaced. Not only that, simple amenities such as good tv reception and strong wifi connectivity should be available. I hope the hotel management will continue to improve and maintain the place to get more positive feedback from customers and guests because this hotel deserves to last for many more...