I arrived at the hotel around 5:00 AM after a long and exhausting journey, having landed in Kuala Lumpur at approximately 2:00 AM. Unfortunately, what should have been a comfortable arrival turned into an extremely frustrating experience from the moment I reached the front desk.
I had initially booked another Accor property, Ibis Kuala Lumpur, but after seeing the room and finding it too small for my needs, I decided to move to Mercure. The receptionist at Ibis was kind enough to personally call Mercure and explain that I had a guest who was changing hotels at 5:00 AM, including the reason for the change. I therefore expected a smooth and understanding check-in process.
Unfortunately, my interaction with Joel at the front desk was extremely disappointing. His manner throughout the interaction came across as rude, dismissive, and unnecessarily confrontational.
I first asked if I could see the available rooms before deciding to check in. He appeared very reluctant to show me any alternatives. The first room shown to me was not suitable, so I politely requested to see another room. Instead of simply accommodating the request, several reasons were given as to why another room could not be shown, including repeatedly stating that the alternative room was an interconnecting room.
When I eventually insisted on seeing it, I found that the second room was not actually interconnecting. This was concerning because the explanation provided to me did not appear to be accurate, and it raised questions about the level of knowledge of the property's own room inventory.
Once I decided to proceed with the check-in, the situation became even more uncomfortable because my reservation was made under a Friends & Family rate. I completely understand that hotels have procedures to verify such reservations. Joel asked for the Heartist card of the colleague through whom the booking was made, and I immediately provided it.
However, instead of simply verifying the eligibility and proceeding with the check-in, I was subjected to an extended line of questioning. I was told that the Heartist card was not sufficient and that the Friends & Family form was also required. I explained that it was 5:00 AM locally and that the colleague was based in the UAE, where it was approximately 1:00 AM. I also explained who the colleague was, where they worked, their position, the property they worked for, and even their official email address.
I understand verification procedures, but there is a significant difference between verifying a reservation and making a legitimate guest feel as though they are being interrogated.
At one point I genuinely felt compelled to ask myself: Why am I being treated as though I have done something wrong?
What made this even more frustrating was that the receptionist at Ibis had already called Mercure and explained the situation before I arrived. I had also provided the documentation that was requested. Despite this, the interaction remained unnecessarily difficult and uncomfortable.
During all of this, I asked if I could have some water. My request was initially ignored without any response. When I asked again, I was shown a written notice explaining that guests could obtain water from the tap in their room.
For a five-star hotel, this was extremely disappointing. After arriving from a long international journey, changing hotels at 5:00 AM, and dealing with a lengthy check-in process, the least I expected was basic hospitality such as being offered a glass or bottle of drinking water.
The early check-in charge was also extremely high — effectively the equivalent of an entire day's rate. I asked whether anything could be done regarding the charge. I was told that I could wait until 8:00 AM, when the Duty Manager arrived, and that the matter could then be discussed. I agreed and was told that someone would come back to me with the best possible rate. Unfortunately, this follow-up did not happen until two days later, by which point the relevance of the discussion had obviously passed.
The following morning, I called reception simply to request a paper bag. The response was essentially that if I wanted one, I should come down to reception and collect it myself. Again, this felt completely inconsistent with the level of hospitality I would expect from a five-star hotel.
When I returned to the hotel that evening, I approached a female colleague at reception and tried to explain what had happened the previous day. Instead of allowing me to finish explaining the situation, I was interrupted and immediately asked who the person involved was. When I said Joel, I was told that he was on a break and that she could ask him to call me.
This was particularly disappointing because I was not even given the opportunity to properly explain my feedback. In my experience, listening is the first and most basic part of handling guest feedback.
Joel eventually called me, approximately two days later, to inform me that a discounted rate could not be provided for the early check-in. The delayed response itself was disappointing, especially considering that I had specifically asked for this to be looked into when I arrived.
I also mentioned the issue regarding the paper bag. Rather than acknowledging the service concern, the conversation became focused on repeatedly asking what type of bag I meant. I explained several times that I was referring to a paper bag. The focus seemed to be on the terminology rather than understanding the actual concern I was raising.
The room itself was also disappointing. It was extremely compact, and the bathroom layout made accessing the toilet particularly difficult. The bathroom door opens inward, while the shower door opens outward, leaving very little space to comfortably enter and move around the WC area. I genuinely struggled with this every time I used the bathroom.
When I raised this concern, the response was simply that this was the room category I had selected and therefore nothing could be done. While I understand that room categories have different layouts, a guest's concern about an uncomfortable or impractical layout should still be acknowledged professionally.
What was most disappointing throughout this entire interaction was the lack of a simple apology. At no point did I feel that my concerns were genuinely acknowledged. Instead, the conversation often felt argumentative.
Eventually, a call with the Duty Manager was arranged. She was at least willing to listen to my concerns, which I appreciated. However, there was still no meaningful service recovery or practical solution offered.
I subsequently returned to the hotel two days later and checked in again for one night. Surprisingly, I was once again asked to provide the Heartist card at check-in, despite having stayed at the property just two days earlier and having already gone through the same verification process. This highlighted a significant communication gap between the teams.
On a positive note, I would like to acknowledge the Security team.They were the only team members during my stay who consistently came across as friendly, welcoming, and genuinely helpful. Their attitude stood out positively compared with the rest of the experience.
On my final stay, I was fortunately allocated a room where the shower door opened inward, which made accessing the bathroom considerably easier and avoided the struggle I experienced previously.
There were also issues with the bathroom amenities. The toothbrush provided was of very poor quality, with the bristles coming loose and getting stuck in my teeth. For a five-star property, this is something that should be reviewed from a quality-control perspective.
Overall, this was one of the most disappointing hotel experiences I have had. My concern is not simply about the room, the early check-in charge, or the amenities. It is primarily about how a guest is made to feel.
Unfortunately, I did not experience that during my stay.
