Malaysia

Parkroyal COLLECTION Kuala Lumpur and its sustainability ethos combined with five-star hotel service enables traveller to go green!

Pan Pacific Hotel Group’s Parkroyal COLLECTION is spreading its wings in Southeast Asia with the opening (in 2022) of Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur, based on the brand’s praised flagship debut in Singapore’s CBD some years ago, using green plantations, with plants and tress – sky planters – along the facade. Hotel guests who have previously stayed at the Parkroyal COLLECTION Pickering will notice the similarities regarding this ’biophilic design’ – which is a concept used within the building industry to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment through the use of direct nature, indirect nature, and space and place conditions. It is about extending the greenery up along and into buildings – which is getting needed also in downtown Kuala Lumpur with its growing volume of high-rise districts.

This city resort hotel is situated in the heart of downtown’s Bukit Bintang, and with public transportation options at its doorstep. The 527-room hotel is part of a mixed-use complex that also houses Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur, which has gone through a comprehensive rebuild, expansion and transformation of its previous hotel building, has 78 sky planters along the facade and rooft terraces. A blue-tiled rooftop pool area is also surrounded by plants and trees.

At the back of the ground floor lobby, floor-to-ceiling glass wall reveals all the greenery outside that encloses the hotel. The same goes for the outside areas surrounding the large club lounge.

The interiors (dominated by earthy tones, such as beige walls, and wooden finishes as a signature of the brand) also have plenty of nature feel, and conveys a feeling of privacy and ’zen’ in configurations the choices of materials. The sophisticated atrium have square wide pillars covered with brown wall panels and corridors alongside it, is also decorated with high tropical trees.

Providing a lifestyle experience within a luxurious setting, the design practice is the same as for another refurbished sister Collection property in the Marina Bay, Singapore.

Another for guests visual feature is the filtered water tap next to the sink in the marble bathroom. This is a feature that makes Happy Hour Asia, like many other guests, happy. It feels positive to be able to consumer water from plastic bottles for once! The hotel’s environmentally conscious operations also feature sustainable bathroom amenities, biodegradable packaging, and a food-waste management system. (Only, to take note, from a sustainability perspective, the very warm duvet in the ultra comfy bed and warmer room temperature is a bit of mismatch, requiring unnessary air-con at night. However, one has trust that the energy-efficient air-conditioning that is installed compensates this.)

Lifestyle space at Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur

The vibe in the lobby is also a happy one because it feels very different from what we know as a traditional lobby setup. Here it is more of a livingroom – glowing from lights along the floor – and with oval, metal framed, marble counter tables, around which concierge staff, receptionists and guests gather to do to checking in and out plus getting answers to any queries, as well as various guest needs serviced – all done under the light of antique style table lamps with tilted lampshades.

Featured in the modern lifestyle space is The Botanist Lounge & Bar zone, open from 9:00 am until midnight, with wood panelling, a modern-vintage, meticulously styled bar, with classic bar counter, a mint green front, and bespoke bar stools upholstered in turquoise velvet! The flooring is made with black/white/grey tiles forming a geometric pattern.

Other seating are curved cobalt blue upholstered leather sofas with oval blonde wood rounded tables. with beige, wine red and brown decor pillows. The setting is also decorated with beautiful local flora.

The Botanist’s mixologists will serve you drinks from a collection of contemporary classics and house-made cocktails and mocktails, created by talented mixologists using – taking queue from the bar’s name – native herbs and spices. There is also a happy hour from 6:00 pm for a local beer bucket of one’s choice.

The hotel’s Parkroyal Afternoon Tea is also served here, one which is certainly a recommended experience!

It has a “starter”, where the chosen mint green tea comes in a large teapot, and with two scones and some cherries. It is served on beautiful china with metal clad rims. And no afternoon tea should dare to be served without scones, especially in Malaysia where they have tradition from the past of baking them.

The background music in this lifestyle pace is also carefully chosen and spot on to set the right tone.

Then comes the ”main dish”, served in a large collapsible picnic box brimming with delicacies: mini sandwiches, tartes (including tiramisu), finger sandwiches, chocolate, green buns with salmon, chocolate and green macarons, all in two piece as this is a serving for two guests.

It’s a discerning setting and with some company this afternoon tea can easily last for hours and be transitioned into a bar session too!

Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur’s club lounge experience

Accommodated in an Urban Suite, the Happy Hour Asia representative was quickly whisked up to the Collection Club lounge, via a private elevator for club guests. This lounge has generous operning hours from 6.30 am to 10 pm, and with glass walls open to the outside light on three sides, and book shelves doubling as a particion between the seating area and the kitchen zone where drinks and food are served, partly on a large greyish veined marble counter.

The lounge, including an outdoor garden terrace, offers practically 280 degrees of the surroundings.

One design element for this hotel that becomes evident here is a signature shape that uses a curved design, which can be a feature or corners or for multiple plates that are squeezed together (also found in the form of curved wall corner in the guest room, and used for the gym wall). In the club lounge this is part of the design for two free-standing walls, each with a mounted flat screen TV.

Furniture designs are clearly custom-made to include the curved, round surface. Sofa tables come both at a lower and higher level, are wide with wooden countertops and round at the foot.

The lounge houses a variety of seating types and styles, such as a around a large gold metal-framed marble table, in cosy armchairs, table for two choices, or at a work desk configuration – all spread out in different zones of the ample space available. Hence, holding busiess meetings here offers all the comfort and privacy one wants!

One corner has a vivid carpet, with mainly blue hues, placed like in a livingroom, with two high-back cobalt blu high-back armchairs (there are also purple ones) and a curved light grey sofa with decor pillows. In anothor corner find two light brown leather armchairs, a beige sofa, and the workdesk, which is flanked by very colourful print screeen design with an intriguing pattern.

And whenever one needs coffee, tea or other refreshments it is easily available as self-servie, with lots of choices from assorted quality teas (Harney & Sons) or many variants of coffee from the machine.

Breakfast is until 10:30 am (11 am on weekends), followed by all-day refreshments and evening cocktails betwen 5:00 – 7:00 pm.

The club lounge breakfast is a delight with plenty of western and asian food choices, and show chef creativity such sliced black olives giving additional flavour to the baked beans!

The Breakfast a la carte menu offers a 2 Egg mmelette (with choice of pepper, turkey ham, cheese, tomato, mushroom, onion or chilli), Free style eggs, or Egg Benedict (English muffin, smoked salmon and hollandaisem) – all choices served with chicken breast, mushroom etc.

Cantonese Mee, Beef Rendang and Nasi Lemak are among the Asian choices.

For evening cocktails with hors d’oeuvres. the Collection Club Lounge really will make guests feel in their right element, as day turns to night and the design-driven lounge becomes really inviting. And the food and drinks do not disappoint, including spirits and some quality wines to choose from. Upon this visit, Marius by Michel Chapoutier, a red wine from Southern France (Marius was the wine that put the Chapoutier name firmly on the map in the early 20th century and established its reputation for quality); Alario, a Sauvignon Blanc made by Viña Carmen, one of Chile’s most recognized wineries, and a Pinot Grigio, Conte Placio (fresh and fruity aromas of pears as well as citrus and grapefruit) are served. The lovely Sauvignon Blanc is light to medium-bodied, extra dry, with a refreshingly balanced finish. The Pinot Grigio is also a good choice as it fits with a range of foods including appetizers, fresh salads, seafood, and grilled poultry.

And to celebrate the occasion of a club lounge stay Principessa – Cuvée, a northern Italian sparkling made from Chardonnay grapes is the perfect start along with biscuits, cheese, olives and tomatoes!

For the food, the selection included food adventures such as Curry Udon (a Japanese noodle curry dish) , Vegetarian fried tar (Wu Goh), Lamb puffs, Chili papadom chips,Veggie pakora (crispy fritters), cheese, olives etc.

Thyme all day dining with buffets and brunches

Then – after having some Asian teasers in the club lounge – the dining and drinking adventure can climb and additional level, at the hotel’s flagship all-day-dining restaurant with a gastronomical theatre concept. Thyme serves up authentic Asian and International cuisines using sustainably sourced local seasonal ingredients.

Its ’Hawker’s Paradise Lunch Buffet’ is served on weekdays. Its buffets are popular – at least in the evening – to the extent that guests are queuing outside its entrance even before it has open for the dinner buffet. Weekends at lunchtime are dedicated to: Malaysian Buffet High-Tea (Saturday) and A Bubbly Sunday (Sunday), both held 12:00pm to 3:00pm.

The first night at Thyme the choice falls on the ‘Traditional Indian Thali Set’ from the Indian a la carte menu – all served with biryani rice, naan bread raita, lentil dal tadka, mint chutney and papadum. The choices are: Paneer Do Pyaza (Cottage cheese, Indian spices and onions), Butter Chicken Masala (Chicken Tandoori, Buttered tomato sauce and fenugreek), Tandoori Salmon Tikka (Marinated fresh salmon cubes) or Lamb Roganjosh (Braised Australian Lamb leg, onions, tomaotes, coriander, fennel, chili and yoghurt).

The Indian food comes served in small metal bowls on a round metal tray, with a “uniform” selection of colours and with magnificent tastes!

Low-slung and decorated with leafy-green plants, Thyme offers a variety of seating options, including cobalt blue semi-private, semi-circle leather sofas; light grey textile sofas and chairs light brown wooden tables; and beautiful blonde and curved rattan sofas and chairs in beige with black wooden frames. It comes with seven open kitchens, where master-chefs cook up a medley of sumptuous meals.

The next dinner is to try the ’Fabulous Seafood Night’, served on Fridays and Saturdays, from 6.30 om for a generous four hours. The buffet has the finest varieties of seafood one could possibly ask for, including oysters from Ireland the U.S., chilli crab, Sweet & Sour prawn
and salmon.

Asian succulent main dishes include: Gratinated seafood, Asam pedas (fish), Kipang rendang (mussles), Prawn biryani, Rohini murgh, Braised brisket BBQ sauce.

Save some appetite also for the dessert selection, which is irresistible, and include Mango cheese cake, Lemon tart, Strawberry tart, Tiramisu cream, Tiramisu tart and Chocolate brownie etc.

Yes, there’s no denying – it’s fabulous!

Finally, Poolside Skye Chill is a casual dining venue and bar offering Mediterranean and Asian Fusion. It promises wraps, Moroccan tagine and plant-based choices, along with a selection of curated cocktails and mocktails made with house-grown herbs and locally sourced ingredients. The Swimming pool area hasa lush garden surrounding, with some day beds and cabanas.

Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur’s Urban Suite

Over to the accommodation Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur is a popular hotel, so Happy Hour Asia does not get to see any of the many other room types, which consists in Urban Deluxe Room, COLLECTION Club Room or Premier Room, Lifestyle Suite, Signature Family Suite
Lifestyle Premier Room or Suite, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Suite, Urban Family Suite, or Signature Suite.

The Urban Suite is quite a special one, with some nature and zen feel (though not in any particular way Japanese) But it’s a suite that will nourish one’s senses. You enter a corridor that enhances a sense of space, with one black wood wall, a mirror, and blond wood flooring. It leads onto a living room zone, and just before it, on the side, opens to a walk in closet and the en suite cappucino-white veined marble clad bathroom with tub beside it. It is stocked with premium eco-friendly and biodegradable bath amenities from Apelles apothecary & lab: Rosella, shampoo, conditioner, with Mandarin, Clove Bud & Jasmine Absolute; and Davidson plum Hand & Body Wash with Sweet orange, Geranium & Blackcurrant absolute.

Suite walls are a mix of wall panels and grey nature-inspired wallpaper. The flooring is blonde wood. The living room is furnished with a round wooden table and a two-seater beige sofa facing a wall-mounted flat screen TV.

Then, the actual bedroom is around a bended corner, so the Suite is L-formed. The reason for the unusual suite configuration actually seems to be because of the lifts places behind the wall (of which one can hear absolutely nothing!) Wide windows (with shiny gray blackout curtains) give a pretty expansive overview of the city, (in this particular suite in the direction of where the inner city is currently growing the most).

The bedroom comes with a king bed, a workdesk in black wood and a golden list, and a cobalt blue and beige-patterned designer armchair. It is also equipped with LED smart television with local and cable channels, Chromecast capabilities, and USB charging ports for all one’s devices. Plenty of built-in ceiling lights can create a cosy atmosphere for the evening.

The mini bar is complimentary, featuring Summer fresh apple or orange juice, Schweppes soda and tonic (handy in case guests wants to mix a G&T), Pellegrino and Acqua Panna.

Accommodation with Club Lounge access included also comes with exclusive privileges including laundry of up to 3 pieces per room per night, 20% savings on a la carte treatment at St. Gregory Spa (yes there is a spa as well!) and late check out 3 pm subject to availability. And given what has been review, and evident from the pictures, opting for Collection Club Lounge access is highly recommended at this hotel!