Hotel Paloma Inn — Hotel in Kuala Lumpur

When I checked in, the room smelled heavily of insecticide.||For reasons unknown, the employees I asked about this claimed that it was due to the soap they use cleaning the bathrooms and the floors.||This made no sense.||I checked a few rooms and took one which had the least odor but still unpleasant.||I checked in about 8 pm, or I would have been tempted to go elsewhere.||||The room itself is absolute minimalist.||No attempt at decor or personality - sizewise it is cramped - always took some contortion to sit at the desk.||||The smallest flatpanel screen ever on the wall, with three (Count 'em, 3) channels, although one is released films in English and one is CNN.||||The keypads don't work on the safes - they give the guests metal keys.||This didn't make me feel secure and I did not use the safe.||||2 bottles of room temperature water given per day, cold water sold in the lobby. ||No refrigerator, no closet, no wardrobe. Hooks on the wall and a few coat hangers.||||Private Asian style bathroom with the shower in the same space as the toilet.||I think they provide soap.||||Room was clean. Surprisingly the mattress looked new.||No problem with the bed.||I was on the ground floor not too far from the reception desk but never bothered by inside or outside noise.||||Because of the smell, they suggested leaving the windows open the next day to air it out.||That night I was bitten up by mosquitos and had to change rooms for my 3rd night there.||I also got some mosquito bites in the new room, but was given a device that released an odor I could barely smell that repels mosquitos, and it calmed down after that although I may have still gotten a few bites.||||There is also a hostel in the hotel.||||It does have an excellent large covered patio in the front - tables, a few booths, one platform for lying rather than sitting, some cushions for the wood seats, overhead fans. Very pleasant to sit out there.||||They will do laundry at a decent price.||||Although the travel sites and I think its own website say it takes credit cards, I was told that the credit card device was broken and it would take 3 - 4 weeks for them to get the new one.||That is much too long to get a device delivered, and I felt that story is bs and they just want cash only but still list themselves as credit card friendly.||(Perhaps they finally did get a new device and do accept them again).||||As far as service - the night manager has an awful personality and should never be employed in a customer service position.||No matter how politely he is approached, he is an angry hostile person - rude and gruff and turns the simplest request into a confrontation.||Just the worst possible person to have the job he does.||||But during the day is his exact opposite - Dennis ("As in 'Dennis the Menace' " he told me). ||Excellent English, very friendly and helpful and a perfect host.||He does a great job, and made my stay. I would likely have switched hotels if not for his presence.||(He also confirmed that it was indeed insecticide I smelled - Kuala Lumpur has dengue mosquitos).||||The rest of the staff are friendly and try to be helpful although minimal English skills.||||The location is very good - a few blocks away from a bustling night market with many food stalls although I didn't see anything that looked safe for a vegan so I would just buy cut fresh fruit there to bring back to the hotel.||Walking distance to major shopping areas.||||Next door is a 2 story espresso bar that has a food menu also including 1 or 2 vegan dishes.||Very nice place, as is another extremely popular 2 story espresso bar about 1.5 blocks away, although that one has no food that is vegan. It has indoor and outdoor seating on the 2nd floor. The hotel can give directions to it.||||If you don't have to deal with the night manager and if Dennis is there during the day and you don't mind a private room that is one step up from a shared hostel, it is worth staying there for the price, the location, the patio.||||Although personally I will probably check first to see if there is another well reviewed budget hotel that is in a good location and perhaps has rooms that offer a bit more in terms of space.||||If I do decide to stay there again I'd probably next time prefer to take a look and a whiff of the room before checking in next time to avoid inhaling mosquito spray fumes while I sleep. Which means I'd want to arrive during the day so there is time to go elsewhere if I thought...

I spent 11 nights in this budget hotel and found it very satisfactory for what it is. The location is excellent as it is a five minute walk to the Jalan Alor food court street and it is just about in Bukit Bintang. It is located on a quiet street. The monorail is just a few blocks away. The hotel can call a Grab ( Malaysian's Uber equivalent ) for you if you need one as they are very cheap, especially if you have two or more in the car.||As stated by others the rooms are basic. I did not like the interior room they were going to give me as it seemed too dark, so they had a room facing the front street. I do not like any noise at all and I am always concerned about taking a room facing the street. This street is very quiet and noise was not an issue at all.||Having the good size window helped to make the room bright. The AC was good, the bed was comfortable, the internet was good.The door is very secure with a new card reading lock. The safe was good even using a key instead of a combination though a little inconvenient . They do not serve a breakfast which is odd as they have a nice cafeteria and relaxing area to serve it. Around the corner is the VCR Cafe which is excellent for coffee, meals, desserts but it does not open until 9 a.m. I lucked out and found a great place for breakfast, a five minute walk from the hotel. It is in the Corona Hotel on Jin Tong Shin and it is a buffet ( eggs, juice,rice, specialties, coffee etc. ), all you can eat for 16 RM and you do not have to be a guest. Also, the place has a free English newspaper to read. It opens around 7:30 a.m. I had no issues with mosquitoes. Shower temperature was good.||A few minor negatives ( it is a budget hotel ): There are not enough draws for your clothing and not a good spot to hang any of them without being an eye sore. I kept most of my clothes in my luggage. TV channels are not good at all. it would be nice to come back from a long day and watch CNN,BBC, or Fox English news channel...I at least had the internet to keep me updated. The bathroom like many Asian hotels has the shower device next to the toilet and thus wetting the floor ( I shower at night as one of my last things, so it was not a big issue. ) The room does not come with any water bottles. I asked for some and they gave me some at no charge.||All and all a good...

Hotel Paloma Inn is the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at.

Room smelled of cigarette smoke so we requested another room. When leading us to the new room, manager ran up the steep stairs and expected us to follow at his speed (we were carrying heavy bags!) He never apologised for the bad room and once we entered the new room, he walked off without saying a word.

Safe doesn’t work so we have no place to store our belongings. The air con blew hot air when it was set to 20 degrees Celsius. I cranked it down to 16 and it took more than 1 hour for the temperature to reach about 23 degrees, a reasonably comfortable temperature.

The water heater and shower also didn’t work because of low water pressure. The water was dripping slowly even though I turned it to full. Fortunately, after asking the manager, someone fixed the issue.

Also, the room is extremely small and has absolutely zero luxuries considering the price. Even a thin person would have trouble walking around the room. Power points are placed in all the wrong places. Free wifi was only given upon request. The view outside the window is just a wall. The bathroom is as small as the shower area in a standard hotel, with amenities to match its puny size. A soap bar the size of a sweet wrapper, no cups or toothbrushes or any luxuries at all. I know this is a budget hotel, but we could get a 3-star hotel nearer to the city centre for a lower price, especially using discounts on travel websites. It’s really a budget hotel without the budget.

I will NEVER stay in Hotel Paloma Inn again. I am simply appalled by the standard of the facilities and service and the low value for money...