Checking in first after a pretty long GRAB ride from Penang International Airport to the hotel. Now I can fully understand why traffic on the island was said to be the major grouch amongst locals. Whatever the case, let's indulge in drinks via the self-service dispensers by the side of the hotel reception! You can also get some soft, bland tasting popcorns that should be removed as it doesn't infer a good impression on guests who are checking in.
There's also an in-house cafe on the same level where you can get, at a price, better quality beverages and even cakes and pastries, just in case the queue for check-in was horrendously long.
We were lucky; no queue! As with its sibling branch at Southkey, the key card was made of an eco-friendly material, the kind I could easily bend and break. Did you notice the room number? It's on the 25th floor! I love rooms on high floors! St. Giles Wembley is a 31-floor hotel that was opened in 2015, with 415 rooms. Penangites, as locals like to call themselves, would know the hotel better by its former name, the Wembley Hotel. By the way, it has a helipad on the top floor! Corridor on the 25th floor.
Carpeted and bright.
Room - 2512
At between 23 and 24 square meters, this Superior King Room, now known as Urban King Room, has an English feel with wooden furnishing, and a flowery wall panel behind the bed.
More photographs for your reference; bed was comfortable for the four nights we were there although the pillows were too soft for my liking. To be fair, I used a tempur pillow at home.
Love it when hotels provide 3-pin plugs at the bedsides as in this contemporary era, many of us would scroll through our mobile phones until our eyelids get heavy. We wouldn't want a no-batt situation when we awake the next day.
Prayer mat, iron, ironing board, an in-house safe, electric kettle and a mini fridge mounted on the wall! This is the first time I am seeing a mini-fridge mounted in such a strange position.
Like St. Giles Southkey, complimentary water bottles would not be given. You would find a glass flask, which you may use to fill up the water at the water dispensers found along the corridor on every room level.
Checking out the window view!
Well, not a fantastic view as the left side was blocked by a connected wing whereas the right side faced The Granite Luxury Hotel which had a sky bar. If views were unblocked, I bet the sunset we caught on day three would have been spectacular! Well, I could have been more hardworking and proceed to the DSRT sky room on the 31st floor for more sunset photos.
Bathroom and toilet amenities; hair dryer was provided and there's a rainfall shower with strong water pressure! Only thing lacking was a chair for me to sit and enjoy the "rain".
Automatic water dispenser along the corridor for the water flask in your room although you can use to refill your own water bottle too! We managed to save a bit of money with our constant refilling.
View from the window at the end of the corridor.
This faced mainland Malaysia.
I was so looking forward to a soak in the infinity pool.
It was closed due to some signage installation! :(
Going in to the pool area was still possible as it linked to the gymnasium. Anyway, the pool was located on the 11th floor, which wasn't very high. p.s. last photo would give you a good gauge on how near St. Giles Wembley was to 1st Avenue Mall.
And the iconic KOMTAR was just right in front of us! It's unfortunately we didn't manage to check out The Top Penang theme park, as I sprained my ankle on day three, just as I was walking to The Top!
Notice for usage of pool, including operating hours.
Opened from 7am till 9pm, I would say that the gym was fairly well equipped (for me as I generally just used the weights, treadmills etc) although my usage was quite limited after spraining my ankle.
I did patronize this highest hotel bar of St. Giles Wembley on day one of my trip and coincidentally, I bumped into my sister's secondary school friendly from the only other table that was occupied! Gosh, I haven't seen her for so long! And she paid for our drinks! Night views taken from my iPhone camera, which weren't great as iPhones night photography is nothing to scream about. In the second photos, you would note some lights in the sky; that's actually some structures on Penang Hill.
Hoon Hin Health Therapy
There's actually a massage parlour on the 11th floor of the hotel but it wasn't listed on the hotel's website. To be totally frank, it appeared a bit dingy and the public notice near the entrance was quite a surprise; indicating that male Muslims are prohibited from getting the services of females masseurs.
We did a massage but strangely, I didn't pen down the review in my notes.
Whatever the case, you can refer to the price lists as above.
Hotel guests would get a RM 10 discount for minimum one hour.
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Overall, the stay was alright and condition wasn't pristine, but it can't be compared to the much newer St. Giles Southkey. The major draw for me will be its location although the next door The Granite Luxury Hotel appeared to be more luxurious, and not necessarily more expensive than
Address
183, Jalan Magazine, George Town,
10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Map
As above.
Pricing
Superior King Room - S$91.87 a night
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