Where the comforts of home meet exceptional hospitality

by Gunaprasath Bupalan

• Published in Real Spaces Malay Mail on 8th August 2018

“A HOME is where your heart is, and your heart is always at home”, a phrase I have believed in way before I even began writing about property development. This phrase speaks volumes about the emotional attachment one has for his or her home. 

Emotional attachment has been the basis of my property investment talks too recently, where I explain to people the necessity of an emotional attachment to their property investment as it is the biggest investment they would make in their entire working life — a scary reality that is actually the truth.

Aside from property investment, another necessary investment that people need to have in their lives is indulgence — holiday indulgence. I for one am big on getting away from the hustle and bustle of city life once a year at least, to be pampered and spoilt for a few days, without any internet connectivity and preferably without the 4G network too (although I sneak to check my messages every now and then).

Travelling with a family of five isn’t as simple as it sounds. Firstly, the rooms that are catered for families are expensive even after discounts are given. As such accommodation takes the chunk from our holiday budget majority of the time.

So when I was given the opportunity to stay at Hyatt House, Mont’ Kiara with the family, I jumped at the chance and packed my family of five, half the house (as most parents with kids do), and off we went to our first ever Hyatt House experience. “One that you won’t regret”, as confidently put by General Manager, Bennett Peter.

It will be the first ever Hyatt House in South East Asia and I was actually honoured to be given this opportunity as Hyatt House isn’t even opened to the public yet.

Getting to Hyatt House is a breeze even for those who don’t know their way around Kuala Lumpur, as Waze will guide you directly there. It took me a mere 27 minutes from Subang Jaya to get to the car park of Hyatt House.

Did you know that Mont’ Kiara is considered a high-class postcode - somewhat similar to the likes of KL City Centre or better known as KLCC. However, it wasn’t always the case for this postcode. Back in the ‘90s, Mont’ Kiara or then known as Segambut Dalam Rubber Estate had no access roads and graced by nothing but undergrowth and rubber trees. It was the vision of Datuk Alan Thong who acquired 10-acres of this track and accumulated plot after plot amounting to 100-acres before he began to develop on it and renamed it Mont’ Kiara.

I digress; lets get back to the present. My experience at Hyatt House began from the parking lot, to be honest. As I parked my car and started to unload our bags, I realized that the building wasn’t fully complete, hence I would need assistance to get to the hotel lobby. I picked up my phone, but there was no signal. Now, struggling with three kids who have been travelling a distance (wink), they were rather fidgety already.

We were approached by a friendly security guard just seconds later who directed us to the lift that took us up to an area that gave us a breath of fresh air — literally.

It was like a walking, sitting, relaxing area that was sandwiched between two rows of F&B and retail outlets, shaded by a canopy of trees. It was such a sight to behold that even the kids stopped fidgeting and stared, mouth agape. That’s when I realized that Hyatt House was situated amongst a row of exquisite outlets.

We made our way to the lobby and as we walked around the Starbucks bend a very friendly and welcoming face greeted us. We were served welcome drinks and taken to a seating area, where my boys had a field day running around. Bennett was there to welcome us with an explanation of the accommodation and then offered us the keys to our 2-room extended stay hotel suite for the night. He then walked us through the facilities and sent us up to our suite.

The suite was so comfortable; it felt like we were actually standing in a mini version of our condo. The king-sized bed in the master looked so inviting, I just had to lie in it and put my feet up. The kids made themselves comfortable too in the second room with the two super-single beds.

Typical of any wife, my Mrs. was lusting over the kitchen that was fully equipped with cooking facilities, cutleries, and cleaning tools — very impressive for a hotel – but then again, this isn’t just any hotel room, it’s an extended stay hotel suite that is meant to blow your mind away.

After the formality of lazing in bed wore off, I began looking around the suite and noticed there wasn’t the usual complimentary fruit basket that is a norm in most hotels.

Slightly disappointed, even though I never actually eat the fruit, I decided that the other amenities and the overall look and feel of the place made up for it tenfold.

But as I walked into the kitchen, there on the countertop was a bag of cashew nuts (not just any random brand, but the brand I always buy), a packet of cookies from Famous Amos which my kids love, a tin of the formula milk my toddler drinks as well as a bottle of my wife’s favourite wine – with a note saying, “enjoy your stay”.

Puzzled, I called Bennett to ask him about it. “Remember the survey you filled when you confirmed your stay with us, one of our signatures at Hyatt House is to remember what you like and have them ready for you when you visit any Hyatt House in the world (if available) and not just place a fruit basket in your suite”, said Bennett. I’ve never felt more welcomed in any hotel, ever!

By this time, we were already hungry and as Malaysians, we take our mealtime very seriously. We made our way to the restaurant called Gallery Kitchen. Again, the staff were extremely friendly and remembered us by name — all five of us.

Once seated, we ordered from the A-la-carte menu and when the food came, everyones food came at the same time. We were pleasantly surprised as there has been many a time, at many restaurants where our food came before the kid’s meals.

Saying the food was delicious would be an understatement; everything was cooked to perfection and the ambience was absolutely fantastic.

As we got up to leave, I realized that the person who was serving us at the restaurant identically resembled the same person at the front desk earlier when we checked in. Do they hire look a likes here?

Next on our list was to tour the facilities. The swimming pool on the rooftop was more than spectacular; it had breathtaking views of most of Mont’Kiara. Best part of all, at the pool area was the presence of the Ten37 Sky Pool Bar — now that’s what I call a ‘relaxing time at the pool’.

After a couple of hours of pool time for the kids and us adults enjoying the drinks with the magnificent view, I saw another similar looking person behind the bar and decided to ask this time round if they were triplets. “Mr.Guna, we are multi-taskers here at Hyatt House. We have been trained to handle every part of the accommodation except for the technicals. That is how we assure you a personalized stay”, said Tham, a multi-tasking staff at Hyatt House. I was totally impressed.

Next, we thought it would be good to enjoy the suite, and have dinner in. So we headed over to the H MARKET that has grab-and-go items that include fresh sandwiches and salads available 24 hours in a comfortable, friendly, social environment.

Just after dinner, my phone rang; it was my designer who needed some urgent files. As mentioned before, when I am on holiday, I try my best to be un-connected to technology and work, but then again, this time round, I was working. I called up reception and asked them if there was any chance I could get access to a computer to check my email.

“Sure thing Mr.Guna, our 24-hour business center offers computers, printers, fax machines, and more. If you have your own laptop with you, you can also enjoy free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and a comfortable work desk that’s in your room”, the lady who answered my call said.

By the time I sorted out these files, it was time for bed. It had been a very interesting day, and I did feel disappointed that we needed to leave the next day. The stay has been really good thus far.

The next morning, before check out, we needed to make our way to the Omelet Bar. Only after looking at the spread could I understand why the Hyatt House Omelet Bar is so highly rated. The spread was incredible. You would be spoilt for choice with the hot and cold sumptuous delights that is available for breakfast.

“We have no exclusive spa here at the hotel. We decided that that wasn’t really necessary. Instead, we insist on the necessities, the focused pleasures one would want and need on holiday. Your suites are comfortable, food is excellent, recreational facilities, including the 24-hour gymnasium has state-of-the-art equipment, and of course, your breakfast being the most important meal of the day is served fresh and with many choices”, said Bennett who was also there enjoying his breakfast.

It was indeed a holiday unlike others. The service was so personal that it blew me away. The comfort, the facilities and the hospitality are incomparable.

Best part of all — with the omission of pointless facilities (that is just unnecessary at some hotels, if you ask me), Hyatt House is able to bring the Hyatt experience to patrons at more affordable rates. Surf to https:// kualalumpurmontkiara.house.hyatt.com to find out more.

Hyatt House is more than just a holiday accommodation; it actually lives up to its brand promise, which is to create a contemporary experience in casual home comfort. The management of Hyatt House understands the fact that everyone has different homes and no one could ever replace one’s home, hence they strive to provide patrons with comforts of familiar routines, personable services and they try to make strangers feel like neighbours, to give you a close enough feel of that homely familiarity.