Hotel Review: Alila Kuala Lumpur Bangsar

I spent three nights at the Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur in February 2023 at the start of my trip to Southeast Asia and thought this hotel was a good choice. I visited Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a few days several years ago, and I wanted to stay in a different area this time.

I returned to the hotel in early 2024 for five nights and updated the review to include information about a different room type, changes to breakfast and other differences.

Overview of Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur

Alila is a Hyatt brand in the Boundless Collection. I wasn’t sure what to expect, since I hadn’t stayed at an Alila property before. Hyatt notes that, “Alila means ‘Surprise’ in Sanskrit, which suitably describes the refreshing character of our properties and impressions of our guests when they stay with us. To stay at any of Alila’s hotels and resorts is to embark on an authentic destination experience…” I expected that the hotel would be somewhat upscale, and that Alila properties would have more variation among hotels compared to many other brands.

The Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur is a medium-sized property with 143 rooms and suites. It’s conveniently located for public transportation and some city activities. Although the hotel is one of the tallest buildings in the area, the Alila only occupies the top several floors of the building.

During my stay, I observed a mix of solo travelers, couples, groups and families at the hotel. At check-in, quiet hours were mentioned, and the hotel didn’t have a party vibe. In terms of children, I only saw a few babies and younger children. My impression is that the hotel is geared towards adults seeking a city experience.

How I Booked Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur

For people used to traveling in the United States or Western Europe, hotel prices in Southeast Asia are well below similar hotels in other regions, whether using cash or points.

The Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur is a Category 1 Hyatt property. The number of World of Hyatt points required per night for standard rooms/standard suites are:

• 3,500/6,500 for off-peak dates
• 5,000/8,000 for standard dates
• 6,500/9,500 for peak dates

Hyatt’s website has a calendar view that shows which dates are considered off-peak, standard and peak. To see this, search for the hotel name and dates, then click the “Points Calendar” link. The example below is for February 2024.

This calendar view doesn’t indicate actual availability. It just notes how many points are needed if award space is available.

Regarding money, I’m mostly noting U.S. dollar amounts, but Malaysian Ringgit (symbol: RM; currency code: MYR) is the currency used in Malaysia. Its value fluctuates against the U.S. dollar. At the time of my 2023 trip, the exchange rate was around 4.4 RM to $1 US.

I booked a standard king studio room for two nights using cash and for one night using 3,500 points. For the nights I paid with cash, the award cost was 5,000 points per night, so I decided that spending about $83 per night including tax made sense for me. By doing this, I saved World of Hyatt points to use for another redemption at a value of more than 2 cents per point, which is the minimum value at which I usually redeem Hyatt points.

To determine whether to pay cash or use points, you can calculate the redemption value and see if it exceeds your personal valuation of Hyatt points. A simple way of doing this is to divide the cash cost (room rate plus taxes) by the number of points required. For my stay, this was $83/5,000 points = 1.67 cents per point. Some people value Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each and would choose to redeem Hyatt points in this scenario.

World of Hyatt points are pretty easy to obtain. They can be earned through the following Chase co-branded credit cards:

• The World of Hyatt Credit Card
• The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card

In addition, Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be earned through several Chase credit cards, and Bilt Rewards points can be earned through the Bilt Rewards card issued by Wells Fargo. Both Ultimate Rewards and Bilt Rewards points can be transferred to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio.

Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur Location

I was concerned that the location might not be convenient for exploring the city, but location turned out not to be an issue. Hyatt describes the property as “…an oasis high above the hustle and bustle of Bangsar, an affluent suburb of Kuala Lumpur.” While the hotel isn’t in the most popular tourist area, Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC), it wasn’t what I would consider suburban.

The Alila is across the street from a Rapid KL light rail transit (LRT) station and close to the bustling “Little India” area of Kuala Lumpur. It’s also less than a mile’s walk (or one LRT stop) from the main transit center, KL Sentral. Chinatown is two LRT stops from the hotel. The KLCC area tourist attractions are easily accessible by LRT as well. These areas are about 15 minutes away on the same LRT line.

Kuala Lumpur has extensive options for public and private transportation. It’s pretty easy to use public transportation, despite there being different modes of transport and operators. There is a free bus service called the Go KL City Bus, which operates in circular routes around the central business district, with the closest stop to the Alila at KL Sentral. Rail transportation costs are distance based, and traveling within the downtown area on the same line generally costs the equivalent of 25 to 75 cents. Malaysia also has Grab, a ride service like Uber, that is popular and inexpensive.

For transportation from the Kuala Lumpur airport, I chose the KLIA Ekspres train to KL Sentral and LRT from there to the hotel for a total cost of about $12. My friends who stayed at the Alila earlier in the month used Grab, which cost about $19 for two people. There also are fixed price airport taxis and airport bus service available. Trains are often faster than ground options, since trains bypass road traffic.

Best Parts of Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur

I liked the modern style and décor of this hotel. Parts of the hotel were bright and airy, but other areas had more of a moody vibe. There also was an emphasis on natural elements, from trees and plants to wood finishes. I generally thought the style worked.

I also liked the self-serve beverage and snack areas near the elevators on each floor, as discussed under “Food and Drink” below. It’s important for me to have coffee first thing in the morning, and sometimes that’s really early when adjusting to a new time zone.

Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur Drawbacks

Having to use different elevators can be a little confusing and gets annoying if you forget something. The elevator from the parking garage or the walkway from the train station only goes from that level to the ground floor, where the main restaurant is located. The elevator from the ground floor goes to the hotel lobby level. A different elevator goes to the guest room floors. Going from your room to the LRT bridge requires using three elevators.

The one area where I thought the blend between bright and dark style failed was in the hallways, which seemed too dark.

The gym lacked some of the strength training equipment that I would have expected at a hotel at the Alila’s level.

Getting to Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur

As discussed in the trip report introduction and the flight reviews, it’s a long journey from the United States to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and my routing wasn’t ideal. My international flights were:

• United Airlines business class from Washington (IAD) to Frankfurt (FRA) with a 1 hour 55 minute scheduled connection time in Frankfurt
• Thai Airways business class from Frankfurt (FRA) to Bangkok (BKK) with a 2 hour 20 minute scheduled connection time in Bangkok
• Thai Airways business class from Bangkok (BKK) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL)

My flights to Frankfurt and Bangkok landed close to the scheduled times, so the connection times were sufficient.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is a major airport in Southeast Asia, so there are options on multiple airlines. I also considered and previously traveled to Malaysia on an American AAdvantage award, which could include flights on Japan Airlines, Malaysian Airlines or Cathay Pacific.

KLIA terminal 1, which the mainline carriers use in Kuala Lumpur, is user-friendly and modern. One thing I struggled with in my sleep-deprived state was getting to the KLIA Ekspres trains. I believe it’s necessary to take the dedicated elevator, not the escalators, to get to the correct location for the trains.

My ground transportation involved taking the KLIA Ekspres train to KL Sentral and then transferring to LRT on Rapid KL’s Kelana Jaya Line (KJL) or red line for one stop to KJ16 – Bangar.

Check-In

The hotel doesn’t occupy the entire building, so the entry and arrival process are a little different from many other hotels. More specifically, the Alila has restaurant space on the ground floor of the building, garage space on a few lower levels, guest rooms on floors 35 to 40, gym and pool on floor 40 and the lobby and another restaurant on floor 41.

While on the LRT train, I noticed a walkway and bridge over the road from the station to the Alila building. This walkway goes to one of the garage levels about six floors above ground level. There is usually a security guard at the entrance to the building, and there is a sign that you need to be a registered guest to enter. Also, access is controlled using your room key. The guard let me take the elevator from the parking garage to the ground floor. From there, I took a second elevator to the lobby level.

The lobby area made a great first impression with its floor to ceiling windows, brightness, trees and white furniture. It had a modern and tranquil feeling.

I arrived at the hotel right after the designated check-in time of 3 p.m. The elevators from the ground floor were close to the check-in area. I walked the short distance to the desk and was greeted there.

The employee who checked me in was nice but seemed new. She thanked me for being a Globalist member and apologized for not being able to upgrade me to a suite. She mentioned that I had been upgraded to a balcony room. She explained that breakfast is included and provided the details on the location and time for breakfast. She also explained the housekeeping policy, which was room cleaning upon request only.

After processing my credit card and making a copy of my passport, she mentioned something about my room not being ready but offering me a temporary room. The last thing I wanted after so much travel was to switch rooms. When I started to ask how long the wait for my room would be, another employee said something to her, and she then said my room was ready. I’m not sure if they switched my room to a different room, but the room I stayed in matched the pictures of what the hotel calls a Balcony Studio room.

I didn’t need help with my bags, so she directed me to elevators that go down to guest rooms. This elevator was on the other side of the lobby. She didn’t mention it, but I figured out that you need to use your key card to select your floor in the elevators.

I didn’t need or request a late check out, since I left the hotel around 7:45 a.m. on my last day.

During my second stay, I asked for a slightly extended check out time, and my request was accommodated.

The Room at Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur

On both stays, my room was upgraded from the studio king room I booked.

Balcony Studio room

Like the lobby, the room was full of natural light. The vibe in my room was modern with a few industrial touches. There was a mix of dark and light elements, which I thought worked well together.

My room had an open layout, but with areas for specific functions. I found it attractive and functional. I liked having so much natural light in my room and appreciated the way the room was configured so I wasn’t looking directly into the sun when watching television or working at the desk.

Entering the room from the hallway, there was an entrance to the bathroom and a corridor ending at the closet just before the main part of the room. A safe, ironing board, scale, robe and slippers were in the closet.

The main part of the room contained the sleeping area. There also was a second entrance to the bathroom here. The bed and nightstands were on one wall.

On the opposite wall, there was a built-in seat, a mounted television and a bar cabinet. The cabinet contained a mini-refrigerator, an ice bucket, an electric kettle for making coffee or tea, mugs and complimentary coffee and tea supplies. A glass bottle of water and drinking glasses were on top of the cabinet.

Between the sleeping area and the balcony was a partially partitioned area that included a sofa, two accent tables and a desk.

The balcony contained a small table and two chairs. It didn’t have a great view, given the presence of the train tracks and a busy road. Due to the lack of a view, noise and outdoor heat and humidity, I didn’t use the balcony.

The overall comfort level of the room was good. The bed was comfortable with high quality linens. The air conditioning worked well to keep the room at my desired temperature. The sound insulation wasn’t perfect, as I sometimes heard road or train noise in the room.

Asian style plugs were abundant and placed in convenient locations. An adaptor was needed for U.S. devices.

The bathroom reflected the modern, semi-industrial vibe of the room. It included a shower with rainfall and handheld options and a large vanity with a trough sink. The toilet was in a separate space with a door.

The bathroom layout was functional, and everything was in good condition and worked well. The water pressure in the shower was good, and the temperature adjusted as expected.

As is often the case in upscale hotels, a wide range of bathroom amenities was provided. Large containers of shampoo, conditioner and body wash were provided in the shower. A similarly sized container of lotion was on the vanity. Other amenities were in paper packages labeled as “Alila” and included soap, a shaving kit, two dental kits, a comb, a shower cap, cotton pads and cotton buds.

While I didn’t have well-defined expectations for the Alila brand, the room met my expectations for a moderate-to-upscale Hyatt property.

Premier Deluxe Room

On my 2024 stay, I was upgraded to a 40th floor Premier Deluxe room, according to the front desk agent, with a king bed. This room type isn’t shown on the hotel’s website, but my room’s layout seemed similar to the Premier room. My room had a dining table that isn’t in the picture of the Premier room. When I sought confirmation of the room type, the agent noted that the specific room was handicap accessible. I noticed some grab bars in the bathroom, and the second sink was lower.

The key differences between my room in 2024 and my room in 2023 were that the Premier room didn’t have a balcony, but it had a larger bathroom and a larger living area with more furniture. Despite the size of the Premier room, I felt that there were some areas where functionality was lacking.

Upon entering the room, there was an entrance to the bathroom and a corridor leading to the bedroom. There were some hooks on the wall in the corridor, and two bathrobes were hanging there. It seemed odd that they weren’t in the closet, which was integrated into the bathroom.

The robe mystery was solved when I saw that the closet was rather small and lacked full-length hanging space, since the area to hang clothes was above the shelf for luggage. There also weren’t any drawers and there was limited storage space in the closet. There were four cubby holes below the luggage shelf, one of which was occupied by the safe. Slippers, laundry bags, a scale and towels were also in the closet.

The main part of the room was partially separated to provide areas for different functions. Areas were defined using narrow walls on both sides of the room and a glass partition in the middle.

The first section of the room included the bar cabinet, a credenza with two small drawers and side cabinets and a television on top of it, a desk and desk chair, a built-in seating area, and the bed and two nightstands. There was also a second entrance to the bathroom from the bedroom.

The bar cabinet was similar to the one in the Balcony room and contained a mini-refrigerator, an ice bucket, an electric kettle, mugs and complimentary coffee and tea supplies. Glass bottles of water and drinking glasses were on top of the cabinet.

The living area included a sofa, two accent tables, an upholstered chair and a round dining table with four chairs. Due to the lack of space in the closet, the ironing board and iron were set up in this area. There were floor-to-ceiling windows with semi-sheer and blackout curtains.

The view from this room was better than the one from the Balcony room.

The bathroom included a huge shower with rainfall and handheld options and a bench, a large vanity with a trough sink, and a second sink next to the shower. The toilet was in a separate space with a sliding door.

I thought the bathroom didn’t optimize functionality given its size. There wasn’t a single hook in the bathroom, and the only towel bar was located in an area where anything hung on it could get wet when using the shower. The shower had a glass wall on the side across from the closet, but there was no barrier to keep water on the floor from creeping outside the shower area. The entrance to the bathroom from the bedroom didn’t have a door.

Amenities were Alila brand and the same as those provided in the Balcony room.

This room was generally comfortable, with a good bed, high quality bedding and towels, and good air conditioning and plumbing.

Electrical outlets were Asian style, and USB connections also were available. The placement of electrical outlets in this room was a little odd, with no available outlets near the bed, only one near the desk and three above the bar cabinet. USB outlets were conveniently located above both nightstands and the desk.

During my second visit, a welcome note and gift were delivered to my room about an hour after check-in. The gift was a small jar of chocolate cookies.

Comparing the two room types, there were things I preferred about each, but overall, I would be fine with either room as a solo traveler or couple.

Food and Drink

The hotel has two dining venues that were available during my initial stay:

• Botanica + Co: A casual all-day restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Entier: A French food restaurant open for lunch and dinner

There also was a pool bar, but it was closed due to pool renovations scheduled for late February to May 2023. On my second stay in early 2024, there was a telephone and menu available at the pool bar with instructions indicating that guests could order food and beverages to be served in the pool area.

Breakfast was available at Botanica + Co from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. during both stays and was complimentary as a Globalist.

Breakfast Menu 2023

During my first stay, guests selected breakfast options from a menu, which included a choice of bento boxes representing American/English, Chinese, Indian and Malaysian cuisine. There was also a meatless option.

I tried the Alila (American/English) and Heritage of Kampong Bahru (Malaysian) options.

The quality and taste of food in the breakfast sets I tried were good, but it was a lot of food, especially with the Alila breakfast. The Alila breakfast included two pancakes, two eggs accompanied by toast, chicken sausage, potatoes, mushrooms, tomato and side dishes of baked beans and yogurt.

The self-serve buffet area included hot beverages (dispensed through a machine where you select what you want and the machine produces individual drinks), water, juice, cut fruit and some small pastries. Compared to other Asian hotels, the Alila’s selection and quality were underwhelming. There was one type of juice each day, the pastries were under heating lamps and often were dry or hard, and there was a small selection of fruit (pineapple, cantaloupe and watermelon). Furthermore, the fruit was on a dinner size plate that ran out frequently, and the cantaloupe often was not ripe.

Breakfast Buffet 2024

During my second stay, the hotel offered a buffet breakfast only. The buffet included an expanded selection of beverages, fruit and pastries compared to the options during my previous stay and also included the following options:

• Made to order eggs
• Made to order Asian food
• Several western and Asian hot entrees and side dishes
• Dim sum and other Chinese options
• Salad items
• Cheese, smoked salmon and deli meat
• Yogurt and muesli
• Various cut fruits and whole fruits
• Cereal and bread

The buffet options varied somewhat each day. Hot foods always included baked beans, western breakfast meat (not pork), potatoes, a vegetable choice, an Asian chicken entrée, a rice or noodle dish and dim sum. In addition, fruit choices varied, and the smoked salmon wasn’t available every day. Some photos follow.

I thought the quality and variety of foods at the buffet were generally good, and the breakfast staff was friendly and helpful. Since I like to eat later, I appreciated that the Alila replenished buffet items and proactively notified guests about 15 minutes before the buffet was going to close.

Lounges

The hotel has a somewhat unique lounge concept. Each floor with guest rooms has an area near the elevators with some seating and self-serve beverages and snacks. These aren’t like lounges in airports or other hotels that have buffets and extensive food and beverage offerings. The Alila lounge areas aren’t staffed. They’re equipped with a dispenser for hot and cold water and a machine to allow guests to make their own espresso-based drinks. There were also a few types of tea available, iced coffee and tea pitchers in a small refrigerator and several large jars containing different snacks.

Other than breakfast and morning coffee and a few snacks from the lounge, I didn’t eat meals at the hotel.

Amenities

The hotel has one pool. It’s attractive with a tranquil vibe and good views, but it seems shallow. The pool area has lounge chairs and beds, and bar and table seating are available in the pool bar area.

The hotel gym had sufficient cardio equipment, but limited options for strength training. I use a few common weight machines and dumbbells for my strength training workout, and most hotel gyms at upscale hotels have most of my preferred machines: chest and shoulder press, lateral pulldown, leg curl, leg extension and leg press. The Alila Bangsar didn’t have these machines. The only two machines they had were for back extension and arm curls. Other equipment at the time of my stay included three treadmills, two elliptical trainers, two bikes, one rowing machine, dumbbells, exercise balls and benches.

The hotel didn’t have a spa or other on-site recreational amenities, but its website noted that the Alila Bangsar offers some off-site curated experiences.

Service

I was generally happy with the service at the Alila, although I had limited interaction with hotel staff and opportunities to evaluate service. During my first trip to Kuala Lumpur, I was surprised by the ease of communicating in English, but at the Alila, I felt there were some language barriers with the waiters at breakfast. I didn’t request housekeeping during my stay, but my room was clean when I arrived. The front desk staff were friendly and efficient at checkout.

During my second stay, I had more interaction with staff and had no issues with communication. The front desk staff were friendly and helpful with questions I asked.

Housekeeping standards returned to daily service as the default by early 2024. I declined housekeeping some days by using the “Do not disturb” tag on my door. Housekeeping was thorough and cleaned my room shortly after I changed the setting.

Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur Family Friendliness

I consider this hotel to be more adult-focused, since it doesn’t have specific amenities for children, and the open layout of the rooms doesn’t provide as much separation or storage as families might prefer. While I didn’t see the hotel’s suites, the limited photographs on the hotel’s website suggest that at least some of the suites feature an open layout.
Guest room bathrooms had some features that were family friendly and others that weren’t. The separate toilet room would be beneficial for families. The lack of a bathtub, like in my room, might not be ideal for families with small children.

Final Thoughts on Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur

Overall, I think the Alila Bangsar was a good choice for me. I liked the style of the hotel, its location worked for my plans and the value for the money (or points) was good. Dining options and other amenities at the hotel were somewhat limited, but that wasn’t a big deal for me.

Generally, Kuala Lumpur is a place with low hotel prices compared to the U.S., and multiple western chain properties are available. If you’re planning a trip to Kuala Lumpur, I would recommend considering location, preferred chain, hotel amenities and price. I discussed a few Hilton and Hyatt properties in the trip report introduction.

This article is part of a larger Trip Report on Southeast Asia, where you can learn about flights, lounges and hotels within this route.