Sunway Pyramid Hotel Ticks All The Boxes - Having lived in Subang Jaya, Selangor, for the last 26 years or so, I have come to view Sunway Pyramid and its surrounding bodies as friendly faces, very much a part of the landscape and lifestyle in my neck of the woods. I’ve seen the area develop from vacant mining plot to what it is now – a thriving hub of retail, education and tourism.
With the exception of having to battle some nerve-wracking traffic every now and again, having so much activity so close to home has always been a boon for friends and family who visit.
And such is the main draw of the recently refreshed Sunway Pyramid Hotel. The 4.5-star hotel (formerly known as Sunway Pyramid Hotel East) is now open for business after undergoing a RM125mil renovation exercise last year, increasing its inventory to 564 deluxe rooms and suites.
The Sunway Pyramid Hotel is one of three hotels in a cluster – others being the flagship 5-star Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, and the spanking new 4-star Sunway Clio Hotel. In total, the Sunway group of hotels offers guests a choice of over 1,400 guest-rooms and suites within a single integrated destination. Everything you need for a great vacation (or staycation, as it was in my case, as I was about 4km from home) is within walking distance.
Amenities include free self-parking, and a free area shuttle. It is a 35-minute drive from KLIA, and 25 minutes from the city centre by car.
The Sunway Pyramid Hotel, sandwiched between the mall and the Resort Hotel & Spa, has been given a new look and feel for today’s cosmopolitan traveller. Each guest-room and suite has added useful improvements including tech upgrades such as bedside USB charger outlets and universal plug sockets, on top of the now standard smart TV, free WiFi (in rooms and most public areas) as well as wired broadband Internet access.
The bathrooms are compact and clean, with fittings you’ll appreciate, including high-pressure walk-in shower (it’s a hand-held shower, don’t worry) and safety bars, which increases accessibility for seniors and guests with disabilities.
The guestrooms – I stayed in a 30 sq m Deluxe Executive Room – are spacious and clutter-free, sleek and comfortable. I liked my room very much and felt it would do justice to both the business traveller as well as someone on vacation. There’s just the right amount of frill and flair when it comes to choices of furniture and fabric to keep the hotel’s look and feel in style, abreast with modern trends.
Much of the lighting, including at the lobby, in the lifts and also in the guest-rooms, features latticework – circles and rectangles – which instantly lend it an urbane feel.
The Sunway Pyramid Hotel could easily pass for a hotel in Sydney or Los Angeles. The decor is modern and chic, with lots of wood panelling, as well as abstract art and patterns (with a nod to batik or songket, here and there). Colours are bold and experimental, reflecting Malaysia’s multicultural vibrance.
For me, this was especially the case at The Resort Cafe (TRC), which though situated close to the Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, is the all-day dining venue for guests at The Pyramid Hotel.
TRC is a vast 1,600 sq m hall with 5.5m high ceilings and geometric designs, filled with a host of colours and aromas. It can seat up to 1,000 people at a time, and is always bustling with activity.
Group director of brand marketing and communications Farizal B. Jaafar shares that Sunway Pyramid Hotel was updated for both corporate guests as well as travelling families.
“It blends in with the entire destination of Sunway City,” he tells me over a latte at the hotel’s new coffee lounge addition, Kaffeinate. Farizal says the management noticed that customers were increasingly making requests for additional rollaway beds.
“The travel dynamics of families were changing – more and more people were travelling with extended families, including grandparents and caregivers. So we made a conscious effort to create space for them,” he explains.
There’s now a range of room categories, including Deluxe, Deluxe Park View, Deluxe Executive, and the Family Suite – which at 60 sq m is enormous, has three beds, two bathrooms and can host up to six adults. This was not all the management did – Sunway Group has also teamed up with tenants from the mall to provide more activities for guests to do.
“Among other facilities, there’s The Parenthood (one-stop parenting hub providing edutainment and leisure activities for families), bowling at Sunway Mega Lanes, Sunway Lagoon Theme Park and Sunway Pyramid Ice-skating rink.
“In order to remain relevant, we really need to deep dive into what the consumer is looking for, and then we have this symbiotic relationship with our partners around us,” says Farizal. Indeed, you’ll find more than enough to do at the mall and surrounding venues – go to the fish spa, do your nails, watch a movie, get a bikini wax, buy a guitar, get a health check-up, ride a roller-coaster, watch an impromptu ice hockey game – you name it.
And if you prefer healthier or more zen-like options, within the hotel grounds you’ll find a well-equipped gym and lovely pool, as well as the tranquil Mandara Spa nestled in a glorious garden.
The spa offers more than 30 treatments, including aromatherapy massages, wraps, facials, scrubs and baths, with both Balinese and Malaysian therapists. I had a lovely morning aromatherapy massage with harmony oils that reinvigorated and energised me fully!
Next up, what’s a hotel stay without dissecting the food?
Middle Eastern cuisine is one of the draws at The Resort Cafe with its high influx of Arab tourists. Phoot: The Star/Raymond Ooi
Breakfast at TRC is, without a doubt, a veritable feast – there is a slew of options for guests. In fact, the Sunway hotels take great pride in their team of speciality chefs who whip up a kaleidoscope of cuisines – Malaysian, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Middle Eastern, to name but a few.
I had the good fortune of sampling dishes from Chef Ala’a Ali Ansawi of Jordan, locals Chef Parthiban Nalliah and Chef Halid, as well as Singapore Chef Raymond Yin Teng Poh. It was meal after meal featuring these chefs’ skills, everything from dim sum to char koay teow and mee rojak Sabah style to a mezze platter with everything on it – tabbouleh, hummus, shawarma, falafel, baba ganoush – to sushi and sashimi, Vietnamese pho, pani puri and pakora, fish head curry and chole batura … OMG, I ate so much and it felt like I had truly gone on a journey to far-off places!
I haven’t even mentioned the desserts – I shall expound on just one. I truly enjoyed sampling every sweet I was served, but it was the Cherry Blossom that won “the most elaborate” award simply because of its presentation. Basically an ais kacang, the Cherry Blossom comes in a ginormous bowl placed in dry ice, with a side set-up of colourful ingredients (kacang, cendol, syrup, jelly, etc) served in test tubes – it turned out to be a science experiment of sorts pouring my favourites over the shaved ice and then mixing it all up before I tucked in. This is great for large groups of people who love their ABCs.
And what if hotel food is not your cup of masala tea? Fret not. Just walk outside and a whole other world of F&B awaits you in the mall. Seriously, if you’re looking for a one-stop hotel destination when you come to Malaysia, this place is great.
Just one problem – you may not see the rest of the country because you’ll be kept well entertained right here!
0 comments:
Post a Comment