Luxe without the stuffiness.
We stayed at the Sheraton Imperial twice in July 2005 with each visit being 6 or 7 days. The lobby is beautifully done in marble and cherry stained hard woods. The doormen are gracious and attentive without being stuffy. During our first stay we had a suite on the 35th floor with a view of the KL tower. Upon entry, the suite is very attractive, clean and well appointed. The living areas and baths are very spacious and thoughtfully designed and furnished. There is a half bath in addition to the luxe marble main bath with double showers and a huge soaking tub.
The furnishings were in excellent condition and the sofa is full length and great for lounging on and watching TV. The living room has a huge window and the bedroom has huge windows on two of the walls, providing a very open and bright interior. The bed truly deserves the "Sweet Sleeper" name.
We ate in the club room most mornings and found the service to be prompt and curteous. We thought that during the second stay, surely we'd see them slip a little but service was consistantly great. Breakfast was precooked but included traditional local fare as well as fresh juices, breads, eggs, caviar, smoked salmon and fruit. We even enjoyed complimentary evening drinks and canapes--with our children. (Children are not allowed in the Ritz club room.)
One expects the hostesses to be curteous but we found this at every level--even the air conditioning gentleman who came to check the temperature in the room, as requested, apologized profusely for any inconvenience w and offered to change our room--even though it was the last night of our stay!
Adjacent to the hotel is a cute side street with a good choice of hip resturants and clubs. Otherwise, the hotel has a light rail station almost directly in front and backed by another station about 5 minutes walk away. Between the two stations, one can see almost all of KL very efficiently and inexpensively (one way fare is approx MR 1.30 to Bukit Bintang--five minute ride .)
KL has many one way streets and driving is on the left side. My biggest peeve is that the dedicated Sheraton taxis all park at the beginning of a one way street just outside the hotel and if going away from the city you are driven one large, slow block around the hotel almost back to your starting point--and charged for it. Easily alleviated by having the taxis park on the other side of the hotel or not starting the meter until back at the starting point. We avoided taxis completely during our second stay. Secondly, the resturants charge MR 17 for one non-refillable soft drink. Most people judiciously check food prices but believe that "a soft drink won't be much" and don't check the prices.
We visited the new Hilton and although the hotel is beautiful, we prefer a less modern, more traditionally decorated hotel. We wanted to stay at the Ritz because of our previous experiences and its reputation. Although service was great, our 9th floor suite's furnishings had seen better days. The sofa and chairs were visually appealing but not very comfortable. Most disappointing after the "Sweet Sleeper", the bed had a visible sink in the middle. I was informed that all the beds are the same and credit must be given, the staff tried to appease me by having the bed remade with a down topper. Unfortunately, the repair was only superficial. The location is very near Bukit Bintang walk however there are no walkways to make getting to the areas safe and convenient. One could take a scenic route through the Ritz Residences and Starhill gallery, as they are connected via an enclosed walkway. However, ALL of your laundry is free of charge!
Overall, we enjoyed our stay at the Sheraton Imperial immensely and will certainly return for any future stays in KL.