Why I Will Never Go Back to Hotel Westree!

Owing to a long layover between my flights at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, I wanted a place to rest for the night. I chanced upon Hotel Westree during my search for a hotel in Kuala Lumpur city with easy access to the airport.

Reviews by previous guests who stayed at Hotel Westree hinted fair to good stays at a relatively clean and new hotel located at a central location. Service was aggregated to be pretty decent. Noise seemed to be a minor issue but from the reviews, I didn't sense anything majorly wrong.

Boy, I was majorly wrong!

During my check-in, the staff at the reception had a most disinterested look on her face. She did her job - processed my check-in, handed me the card key, then ignored me, leaving me to figure out where my room was. At my check-out, a different staff was working but she had the exact same indifferent attitude: processed my check-out without a word, then ignored me. It was puzzling to me that that they could be frontline employees of a hospitality business!

I shrugged it off and this apathetic service aspect certainly didn't impact my review of my nightmarish stay here!

Here's what did!

1. Bad Smell

I was given a room on the third floor, and upon entering, I noted a lingering odour in the room. It was unpleasant and initially I thought it might have come from the bathroom. However, later on, I figured the smell might have come from the mildew from the high humidity in the room (the lack of ventilation in the room was probably to blame).

2. Wet

The Deluxe Standard Room I was in just felt heavy in humidity, even the bedsheets felt damp! Being a windowless room and a tiniest ventilation unit in the bathroom (I was not sure if it was working), I was not surprised by the heavy humidity and bad smell. Even the coffee cups were wet when I entered into the room and omitting a nasty smell!

3. Dirty

The coffee cups had awful stains in them - quite nauseating when they were also wet and smelly! While the bedsheets were freshly laundered, there were speckles of dirt on them! Though it was easy to flick the dirt off the bed with my hand, it was a greater challenge in erasing the nasty sight from my mind!

4. Noise

Even though it was close to midnight when I was preparing to sleep, there were all sorts of noises from the corridor, from the banging of doors, to laughter and long conversations. I could even hear the entire process of people checking into their room, doing some small talk before taking a shower. It even seemed to me the room created an echo effect that amplified the outside noises! Thankfully, I had a pair of disposable ear plugs which was heaven-sent in my situation. With that lifesaver, even though noises continued throughout the night, I managed to get some light napping until 5am.

5. And More Noise

From 5am to 7am, the noise level exploded! There was a flurry of activity - I could hear luggages being pulled to the lift, the lift opening and closing, more banging of doors, and all sorts of noises that even my trusty earplugs lifeline failed. In my comatose state, I only pray the nightmare would go away! After about 7am, the noise level decreased and finally, I managed about 2 hours of undisturbed sleep.

When I was looking for a hotel for the night, I had expectations to get some sleep. However, all I received during my Hotel Westree stay was an interrupted rest, and only managed an undisturbed nap from 7am-9am. The lingering foul odour, presence of dirt, and heavy humidity in the room didn't make the stay any more pleasant.

On other aspects, Wi-Fi was quite spotty but sufficed for messaging and light internet browsing. The LCD television offered about 10 cable channels, including sports, a movie channel, and news. No hairdryer or facial tissue were provided. The air-conditioning remote control was also not provided, hence the air-conditioning temperature was non-adjustable, however, the room was pleasantly cool.

Being a stone's throw away from KL Sentral makes the hotel very convenient, with plenty of eating places (especially at NU Sentral Mall) in close proximity. On the same street, there are some Indian restaurants and a 7-11 convenience store. With a water dispenser provided for guests at the hotel lobby, drinking water was easily accessible.

Despite some locational advantages in staying at Hotel Westree, I personally felt that I would have managed a more pleasant and less interrupted sleep experience at a quiet corner of Kuala Lumpur International Airport than paying for a room at this hotel. Though the hotel has a cheerful façade is seemingly welcoming, I will not stay here again. As the saying goes, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

You may see the detailed video coverage of the hotel and the Deluxe Standard Room here:

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