This hotel offers 2 categories of rooms: the basic standard/superior rooms and the premier deluxe rooms. The hotel may be rated as a 3-star hotel but the basic rooms are way below that standard.
I had booked the standard room for 2 nights and I was so disappointed when I first saw the room. It was dark, old looking and had a musty smell to it. I had stayed in this hotel with my parents during the 80s and the room looks like it was stuck in that time period. The amenities were also kept to a bare minimum. The bathroom was only bearable. We stayed in this room during the first night and I remembered that I was not looking forward to going back to the room after going out for dinner. After that night, I decided to give its premier deluxe room a try.
The premier deluxe studio room was a different story altogether, and it cost me less than USD10 to upgrade. If the standard room was 1-star, the premier deluxe room was a 4-star room (for its price). It was bright, modern and clean... with much, much better amenities (oddly they did not provide complimentary newspaper, which is expected in a hotel of its class). The bed was firm and comfortable, with other furnishings stylish and new. The bathroom really nice but it came only with a shower (which was ok for me but not for some who'd like a relaxing soak).
If you are on a tight budget (under USD50) but want a nice room to stay in, give the premier deluxe room a try. Highly recommended.
Service by the hotel staff was so-so. I had asked for a light in the bathroom to be fixed but even after we left, it was still unfixed.
Complimentary buffet breakfast was given for both types of room, it was okay only, neither good nor bad, but it managed to get us filled up for the day's activities so I didn't mind.
The hotel is located near the infamous but colourful Chow Kit area (10 minutes walk away), so extra care is needed when walking about outside the hotel after dark. The plus point about the hotel's location is that it is situated near a monorail station (about 4-5 minutes walk) and a LRT station (just across the road), so independent travellers will find this convenient to explore the city. The traffic from the streets, one of which is a broad one-way street, can be a little noisy at night, and can be heard even from the 9th floor of the hotel.
What a shame about its basic rooms or I'd have given the hotel a higher rating. Hopefully the hotel will be able to upgrade all of its rooms to the premier deluxe class soon.
Would I return for the premier deluxe rooms? If my budget is under USD50, definitely.