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William K
Toronto, Canada

Beautiful room but service and lounge could use improvement

4.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 26 Mar 2024
Room (9.5/10):
We stayed 3 nights in the sea view bi-level suite. The room was very spacious with a gigantic 2-story window that led to a beautiful balcony. The view of the sea during sunset was phenomenal! The hot tub on the balcony was powerful and the rainfall shower was very comfortable. The clothesline in the shower was great for hanging up bathing suits after being in the water. The audio system for the both TVs were great since they were both equipped with Bose soundbars. The sink in the powder room unfortunately leaked out from the side of the sink bowl so it ends up on the floor.

Service (6/10):
On a positive note, we appreciated that the hotel let us sign out beach towels and let us borrow dinnerware.
On a negative note, prior to arriving at the hotel, the airline damaged our luggage in transit so it was no zipper to close it. We let the staff know to be careful in case anything fell out, but when our luggage was brought to our room, we noticed that they simply rolled it into our room which had the potential of items falling out of the broken luggage. It would have been better if it was on a cart until it reached our room. Also, the staff member bringing the luggage to our room didn’t offer to place the luggage anywhere in the room after bringing it through the door. Apparently, the room was supposed to have evening turndown service, but it never happened during our 3 nights.

Location (8/10):
The location is close to the main parts of town such as the KK Waterfront. Across from the hotel is a local market which is very convenient for local food, but it can get a bit noisy at night and has a strong smell.

Lounge (7/10):
The club lounge during the afternoon refreshment was a bit underwhelming. It mainly consisted of self-serve cucumber sandwiches, pop, coffee and tea. The food during the evening cocktails was good and on one of the days, there was a staff member making and serving drinks. When entering the club lounge, usually the staff members would say “ok, have a seat”. Since it was our first time there, we would have a seat thinking that there may be someone coming around to take drink requests or giving us guidance on what’s available at the lounge and that it was self-service. As a suggestion for a better experience, perhaps do a short tour of the lounge for new people entering the lounge for the first time and provide guidance on the experience. During the lounge breakfast, the staff member Regina Chong was wonderful! She was welcoming and attentive. Once we sat down, she asked what we would like to drink, to which we requested Teh Tarik. Even the next morning at breakfast, she asked if we wanted another Teh Tarik.

Pool (N/A):
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to experience the pool because it was under maintenance for the first 2 days that we were there and then was further extended to beyond the time that we were there. The hotel did offer to transport guests to the Marriott pool though.

Overall (7.5/10):
I would say to friends that the room itself was beautiful, but the service and lounge did not feel like a 5-star hotel at all. If they were ok with mainly enjoying the room and having independence without much interaction with the hotel staff, it would be a good choice for them.
Date of stay: March 2024
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
4.0 of 5 bubblesValue
5.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
4.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
5.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
3.0 of 5 bubblesService
3.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
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Jeremy Kabinchong, Marketing at Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu, responded to this review
Responded 27 Mar 2024
Dear WilliamKwok,

Thank you very much for sharing your review but most of all, we truly appreciate the in-depth feedback of your stay experience.

We are glad to know that you enjoyed the room and we apologize for the other disappointments that had transpired.

Rest assured that we will look into the matters concerned that is within our control and improve of them especially in the customer service and we hope that the improvements are reflected upon your next visit with us.

Once again, thank your very much for your review and feedback, and we look forward to your return.

Kind regards,
Jeremy
Guest Experience
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Reviews (2,985)
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Reviewed 23 March 2024 via mobile

Had a comfortable stay here recently. Would like to praise receptionist Ms. Raezie for her prompt, friendly service and warmth welcoming. Hotel is decently clean, comfortable and amenities well appointed. However, hotel fell short on lobby, corridor and room furnitures fittings seem to have high level of wear and tear damage despite the hotel looking recently renovated, perhaps due to high occupancy.
Location is at the heart of Kota Kinabalu town centre and 15 minutes drive from the airport.

Date of stay: March 2024
Trip type: Travelled on business
Thank melbert_k
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu, Owner at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu, responded to this reviewResponded 1 April 2024

Dear melbert_k,

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your feedback with us and also for recognizing our associate Reazie for her exemplary service.

We appreciate your feedback regarding the hotel lobby, corridor as well as the room furniture. Please be assured that we will work towards improving these areas to ensure a better experience for our guests, and hopefully you can see the improvements in your next visit.

Thank you once again for the review and we look forward to welcoming you back in the future, hopefully soon!

Kind regards,
Nurqamarina
Guest Experience

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Reviewed 19 March 2024 via mobile

My wife and I stayed here 4 days before going down the road to the Marriott to try them both out.
This was a full service hotel with all the amenities that you’d expect. They even had a sauna and steam room.
The pool was closed for maintenance but one could take their free shuttle 1 kilometer away to use the Marriotts pool.

The food at breakfast was not quite up to speed for a vegetarian like me. (no fried food and no meat or fish) Still, finding enough good food was easy as there is so much to choose from.

Overall though, the value is very good for the money.
The staff is absolutely A+ in every category.
So many of the Marriotts (and Hiltons) in Asia are
competing that all have absolutely great service with a smile.
The staff in the Executive lounge were all fantastic. They really make you feel like you’re home!!

Howard S.

Room tip: High floors are quiet.
Date of stay: March 2024
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Thank howardxp1
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu, Owner at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu, responded to this reviewResponded 1 April 2024

Dear howardxp1,

First of all, thank you very much for sharing your 5-star review with us. We are glad to know that you enjoyed your stay with us and your insights of our services and facilities is very much appreciated. We are also delighted to know that the attentive service provided by our hotel associates has made your experience of staying at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu feel like home.

Thank you once again for the review and we look forward to welcoming you back in the future, hopefully soon!

Kind regards,
Nurqamarina
Guest Experience

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Reviewed 6 March 2024

As part of our Borneo trip stayed at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu. Check in was straightforward and we were given a nice room with a view on a high floor. Lovely welcome gift and then additional cake came later for my birthday. The only issue is the windows really need cleaned! It is central enough to walk to things and grab is cheap but the road in front could get clogged up. The pool doesn't get much sun but lovely views from the lounge. The staff are really friendly but it can get chaotic with a lot of families and things run out. We also had issues with eggs at breakfast but they were very apologetic and sent some lovely sweets. We also had a boxed breakfast on the day we went to Sipiloc and it was nice.

Date of stay: February 2024
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
Thank Dnaray
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu, Owner at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu, responded to this reviewResponded 19 March 2024

Dear Dnaray,


Thank you for choosing to stay at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu during your recent trip to Borneo and for taking the time to share your experience with us. We thank you also for your feedback in regard to the windows and we will work towards improving these areas to ensure a better experience for our guests.

We do understand that our hotel is located in a bustling area surrounded by local markets, which can be busy at times. However, we hope that the convenience of our location made up for any inconvenience.

Thank you once again for the review and we look forward to welcoming you back in the future.

Kind regards,
Nurqamarina
Guest Experience

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Reviewed 3 March 2024 via mobile

We intended to stay four nights because of reviews and website photos ….. and moved out after a single almost sleepless night.

This is an older hotel which has undergone some renovations but it has a split personality between new and funky (without quality control) and old and dirty - a few example photos posted.

Rooms are modern but with massive waste of room (looks like space for a second bed) and near zero storage.

Noise - our number one complaint - position by the market means that a sea facing room is noisy as hell due to the lack of sound seasoning from glass - we moved from revving engines and shouting to street racing. Location should be amazing but truly isn’t.

Room AC - impossible to set - thermostat target reads 22.5 but it was 17 by morning.

Club lounge - poor choice of food and curled up sandwiches and inattentive staff.

The only pleasure I got from the stay was booking a different stay in an app while I couldn’t sleep.

Hallways - dirty and wallpaper falling off walls

General smell of damp in hallways.

When we left to a good hotel we couldn’t believe the difference in everything …. For less money !

When I said we needed to checkout and move hotels the receptionist didn’t even ask why

Reviews of this place carefully and look for reviewers with more than one review to their name would be my advice ?

Rob

Date of stay: March 2024
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
1  Thank OmanRob
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeremy Kabinchong, Marketing at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu, responded to this reviewResponded 4 March 2024

Dear OmanRob,

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your review with us. We truly apologize for not meeting up to your expectations and rest assured that we will take into account each and every one of your constructive feedbacks for our improvements.

We hope that the experience did not dampen your future visits to Kota Kinabalu. Allow us some time to work on the upgrades and we hope that the improvements are visible should you decide to stay with us again in the future.

Once again, thank you for staying with us and also for sharing your feedback.


Kind regards,
Jeremy
Guest Experience

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Reviewed 28 February 2024

The hotel is run down. The rooms are low-ceilinged and the room temperature is very
difficult to adjust. The rooms are very much overpriced. We had planned for 7 nights, but after having arrived and having seen our room we decided to only stay there for 1 night.

Date of stay: February 2024
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
Thank happiCocco
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeremy Kabinchong, Marketing at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu, responded to this reviewResponded 29 February 2024

Dear happiCocco,

Thank you very much for sharing your review with us, your feedback is truly appreciated. We truly apologize for not living up to your expectations and we hope that you had enjoyed your visit to Kota Kinabalu nonetheless.

Kind regards,
Jeremy
Guest Experience

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