We decided to splurge a bit more for a one-night staycation at our closest neighboring country last month and the choice we made was Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel; a five-star outfit that might seem far from the city center yet with a great advantage if your stay is on a Sunday!
Stepping into this huge, great smelling lobby which had a centerpiece art installation that looked pretty similar! Had I seen it at Changi International Airport? Maybe same artist.
Loving the Malaysian hospitality; provision of thirst-quenching infused water that had healthy slices of lemon, oranges and apples!
Room was ready! Opened in 2012, Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel is part of the renowned Marriott International Group, which also consisted of The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, W Hotels, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Le Méridien etc.
Lift landing on the 15th floor.
Highest floor in the hotel? 17th.
Swimming pool right below. The lifts were located in the center of the hotel, with its 345 rooms spread out like a bird's wing; one towards the left, and another to the right.
Corridor - heng not the dim, dim type. I have a vivid imagination and should I ever be alone walking along a dim corridor, my imagination towards the paranormal will run wild.
Room 1506
Three knocks later and open sesame to our deluxe king room! I like to indicate the room number as it would serve as a reminder in the event there were weird happenings. p.s. it was an uneventful stay.
At 34 square meters, it was spacious and the king bed didn't disappoint. There was actually a leaflet on the bed, titled pillow menu! Selection included buckwheat pillow, foam pillow, lavender pillow and memory pillow!
The chaise lounge chair. Favorite of Alex as he loves to use such chairs to play his games, with snacks placed on the accompanying table. For me, its primary use was to hang my towel over it.
I prefer a working desk since I had the tendency to bring along my laptop to clear some work. Now that I have someone helping at work (finally!), guess I would have lesser use for it in the future.
Please be assured that the toilet can be hidden with the sliding wooden door.
Amenities provided included the usual electric kettle, mini fridge, two bottles of water, cups, instant coffee, tea sachets etc. There was an ice bucket too and you can request for ice by dialing 0 using the phone in the room.
Other provisions in the wardrobe; in-room safe, bathrobes, ironing board and even an iron! You saw those disposable slippers? I don't use them but I will always bring a pair back home as my sister loves wearing them at her home.
Bathroom with rainfall shower, bidet spray, hairdryer, extra two bottles of water, and containers of Argus by Margot Elena shower gel, shower etc that were fixed to the wall for sustainable reasons.
Nowadays, sustainability is the norm for hotels and one of the most frequent message was to reuse your towels instead of replacing them every single day! For me, the bath towel has to be everyday... Sorry.
Amenities in the bathroom - deluxe dental kit, grooming comb, personal shave kit, cotton buds, shower cap, sewing kit, body lotion and bath soap. Would you chuck everything into your luggage?! I would only take dental kits, shower cap (good for shoes) and bath soap (if they smell good).
Time-lapsed video of the view outside our room!
Even though I am no longer the fire safety coordinator at work, checking out the escape route is something I would do when I check in to my hotel room. The star signifies the assembly point in event of emergency.
Swimming Pool
To be frank, the pool didn't impress; a basic, boring rectangular shape with a pathetically sized kid's pool that would have been mistaken as a jacuzzi tub.
There were also hotel rooms on this level that were classified as pool terrace rooms. The key difference was the porch with chairs; not as if it was a direct pool access like the ones from BlueSotel Krabi AoNang Beach.
Depth of swimming pool - 1.4 meters.
View ahead of us; right in front were two schools and the background, towards the left, would be JB city centre.
Fitness Centre
I was impressed with the gym that took up an area of 1,400 square feet (about 130 square meters); it was well equipped to serve my needs, and pretty empty.
Remember that I mentioned that the lobby was nice smelling? I caught a whiff of the same scent and the gym and traced it to this diffuser that was named the Renaissance Signature Scent! I guess we can buy although I doubt it would come cheap.
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Needless to say, I had a great stay at Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel with a good sleep on the bed. All the staff members I encountered, from concierge to counter staff and housekeeping, were polite and friendly.
Imperfection existed in the sense of maintenance for the furniture but in this case, while they were eyesores, the scratches didn't result in any inconvenience.
What's more convenient was the close proximity of the hotel to the enjoyable Permas Sunday Night Market! At about 4-5pm, this road just diagonally across Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel would have stalls on both sides!
Address
2, Jalan Permas 11, Bandar Baru Permas Jaya,
81750 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Map
As above.
Pricing
Deluxe King Room - S$108.36
(via Trip.com)
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