Grand Riverview Hotel — Hotel in Kelantan

This was the most adventurous hotel of our trip. We haven’t even finished yet. Couldn’t get any more adventurous though. We took our lives in hand here. Had faith in our travel insurance.

Also known as superior hotels, four-star hotels are large, upscale establishments, fully staffed, and complete with tons of extras. The spacious rooms are beautifully designed with premium furnishings and include luxurious touches like lavish bedding and fine bath products.

So let’s break this down. Certainly on entry large upscale well appointed lobby. Marble floor, chandelier and friendly staff on arrival. Grand staircase, amazing for the IG pics. Check in and the staff whilst polite and respectful didn’t understand that we were staying two nights. That’s ok! Easily rectified and not questioned. Excellent customer service. Key supplied, asked for an additional - no hesitations. Thank You. Arrive at the lifts, carpet seems new with some well cushioned underlay. Arrive on the 6th floor to clean open space. A musty smell. Who knows maybe it’s the carpet??

Get to the room……..it looks like grandma’s. Comfort in that. I mean The Windsor in Melbourne also has antique furniture and is a 5 star. The room is spacious. The view of the river is amazing. Uninterrupted. The room still smells musty. Air con works well. Bathroom isn’t so clean. We weren’t paying too much attention. Just wanted to down bags and head for dinner.

When we returned the air con was making a funny noise. Called maintenance (because the noise would drive us crazy through the night). Maintenance arrive and jiggled the room card in the slot. Switched the power/light switches. Air con noise resolved. Curious! Maintenance open the bathroom door (maybe the light didn’t work) to find the ceiling had caved in!

Ok, that happened. The mould however on the plaster explains the funky smell. Maintenance managed the situation well. Called his team to arrange a new room. No questions. Instructed to wait in the room. New room key arrived. Just down the hall. Still with a river front view.

But: walked into the new room. Oh this one smelt worse. Grandmas beds retained her childhood sagging mattress. Both beds sagging. Sheets on one bed had an old stain on it. We questioned if we should dare sleep under the covers - who knows what’s what bugs are in there. The curtains torn. Paint on the carpet (guess they’ve recently updated), a lamp on the wall falling off, and mould on the lamp shade.

Bravely we checked out the bathroom. It took about an hour to work up the courage to enter this room. When three of our senses were already overloaded, confidence wasn’t instilled. The roof clearly has the same mould issue and has been repainted. Plaster pieces evident on the skirting. The bath stained. Oddly no drain cover in the bath or the sink, so don’t drop your toothbrush. The plug for the bath has a hole in the centre of it. Slows the water draining I suppose. The glass around the shower - dirty. Mould in the silicone. Everything in there needs a good scrub with a bit of Gumption. Luxury toiletries- no! Not at all. The basics only.

Why didn’t we leave and book elsewhere? We were exhausted!

The only way we would stay again is if were on the managers compliments to revisit their review because they have completed the upgrades.

Moral of the story - don’t judge a hotel...

I recently stayed at the Grand Riverview Hotel from 29/10/23 to 31/10/23 in a Premier Room (river view).

First impression with the lobby indeed appeared classy and welcoming ambiance. However, it's worth noting that the rest of the hotel seems to be in need of some significant updates.

The Premier Room with a river view, which I had booked, was in old condition, and the bathroom was disappointing. It lacked the level of cleanliness and maintenance that one would expect from a 4-star hotel. The sheets on the bed had an old stain and even had hair on them, which made it impossible for me to sleep comfortably under the covers.

Moreover, the bathroom was not properly cleaned, and the overall hygiene standards were subpar. It's concerning to find such issues in a 4-star hotel. Additionally, I was surprised to discover that they did not provide a toothbrush, which is typically a standard amenity in most hotels. The towels provided were discolored and appeared "yellowish," which was quite unappealing.

However, I must commend the hotel's responsive customer service. After I called the front desk to express my concerns about the room's condition, they acted swiftly and without hesitation. No questions were asked, and they promptly moved me to a slightly better room on level 11. This proactive response was a relief and helped salvage my stay.

While my initial experience was less than satisfactory, the hotel's willingness to address my concerns and provide an improved room on a higher level showed their commitment to guest satisfaction. I hope that this incident prompts the management to make the necessary improvements in maintaining room quality and cleanliness.

In conclusion, the Grand Riverview Hotel may have an impressive lobby, and the hotel's responsive service is commendable. However, the overall condition of the room and the absence of some basic amenities in my initial room were disappointing for a 4-star hotel. I hope the management takes these concerns into account and makes the necessary improvements to provide a better experience for...

Room no. 716 - facing Kelantan River. Stayed one night on 16/12/2021. The hotel room is very good, clean, tidy, nice. TV got some channels to watch. The bed is comfortable, got extra pillow in the wardrobe. There is also a sofa next to the bed. Bottle water, 3in1 sachets, fridge, were also provided. Nice view facing Kelantan River. However, the room was extremely cold, cannot be adjusted the temperature. We decided to switch off the aircond during whole night. Perhaps the temperature was centralised for each floor. The bathroom is good as well, got shower and bath tub. However, the bath tub is leaking, cannot use to have bath-relaxing time there unless you put something to cover the hole, as the lid was gone/missing. Iron and praying mat were provided as well. Carpark is spacious, easy to park. The breakfast menu during my stay were nasi goreng, nasi kerabu, mee goreng, bread and buns. Tea, coffee, fresh milk, orange juice, guava juice were there too. At one corner, got a cook to serve you omelette, sausages, and hams upon request. The omelette is very delicious, as I've been at many hotels before, but some of them couldn't manage to serve nice omelette like here. Got swimming pool too for adults and children. Gym room was closed during my stay. The lobby was so majestic, wonderful stairs and elevators. I'd love to capture memorable photos here with family. Lots of restaurants too near the hotel within walking distance. Friendly and helpful staff as well at the hotel. Thank you so much Grand Riverview Hotel. With the price RM170++ like this per night, sure we'll not hesitate to come here again...