Time of stay: December 2024

Room booked: Studio Executive Twin

Price: RM 291/night (~65 USD). I booked direct on the Ascott website.

Most hotels in Georgetown are going to be more expensive than other cities in Malaysia, due to the fact that Georgetown is the central downtown area and a Unesco heritage site. This would be considered a mid-range hotel.

This hotel consists of two buildings that are a block away from each other. Block B is the extension/the “newer” expansion of the hotel. I stayed in Block A.

Room

The room was fairly spacious for a hotel in Georgetown. The beds were comfier and the pillows were fluffy and firm. The desk was a good size. However what annoyed me was the fact that there was an opening on the desk to store the hairdryer, which meant I couldn’t store anything on about 1/3 of the desk.

Slippers were provided.

There is a mini-fridge, which didn’t feel adequately cold. There was a good amount of elevated space to store your luggage/other belongings. The hangers could not be removed, which was annoying.

The AC was adjustable and worked well. It does not manually turn back on when you put the key in the power slot upon re-entering your room, so I often forgot to turn it back on. However, the room didn’t feel that hot (a surprise, given Penang’s humid weather), but warm enough that I noticed I forgot to turn it back on 😅.

There is an outdoor area where events are often held, and you can hear the noise from the rooms. There were no events late at night, but noise could be an issue during the day.

Bathroom

Hand soap, body wash, and shampoo was provided. No conditioner was provided.

The shower had two options – rain shower or handheld. I personally don’t like rain showers, but I had to use it because the handheld one was mounted so low that you had to hold if you wanted the water to hit your head. There was also not enough light in the bathroom, especially in the shower area.

A hose bidet is available next to the toilet.

A small amenity kit and toothbrushes were provided. There was barely any sink space to store your toiletries, so I had to store mine outside of the bathroom.

Hotel Amenities

In the room, there are signs prohibiting durian, mangosteen, and parties with a fine imposed if there is evidence of it in your room. At the front desk, there was a sign prohibiting dragonfruit, however since it wasn’t on the signs in the room I’m not sure if it was actually prohibited.

There is usually a doorman, and they helped me bring my bags up to the room and helped load the car after I checked out (a RM 10 tip is appreciated!)

Housekeeping is provided daily in your room, though sometimes it took until late afternoon to get the room cleaned. They were also skimpy on the tissues – they would just refill your tissue box halfway.

In common areas in the hallway, filtered water dispensers and a microwave is available.

Free coffee was served in the lobby.

Getting to/from airport

You will need to use Grab to get to the airport. The Penang airport is located on the island side, so you don’t have to worry about crossing the bridge to the mainland. It is about 30 minutes away.

Nearby attractions

This hotel is located very centrally in Georgetown, with many attractions in walking distance from the hotel. There are tons of food stalls and restaurants within walking distance. Otherwise, you can get to most places within Georgetown via Grab, and it should take no longer than 20 minutes. Most rides within Georgetown cost less than RM 10.

Prangin Mall and 1st Avenue Mall are both about a 8 minute walk away. While it does not have the best shopping, it will have essentials such as Watsons and Village Grocer.

Gama Supermarket & Departmental Store is about a 5 minute walk away. It is like the equivalent of a Kohl’s (American department store), except with a grocery store on the bottom floor and a food court at the top (though I would say the food court is nothing special).

Conclusion

This is one of the newer hotels in Georgetown, so it did feel modern and renovated, which is nice given its price-point and location. If I am in Georgetown again, I would stay here.

The few cons for me were: potentially not being able to have dragonfruit in the hotel is a major disappointment because it’s the one thing I love to eat while in SE Asia. Additionally, the bathroom had some minor inconveniences in the bathroom (limited sink space, shower head mounted too low).

Regardless, the price-point, location, and renovated rooms are enough to make this a good hotel choice to stay at.