5-Star Hotels in Penang, Malaysia

Layout is nice and comfortable. The kids love it. I like the drawers provided under the beds. Initially I was worried about lack of a cabinet for clothes. Water dispenser is very well used by us. Plenty of power sockets near the bed. Swimming pool had a great view. Chlorine taste was crazy strong though. Kids thought the water was salty. Biggest gripe is that this place is too popular. 4 lifts serving the 30+ levels of patrons are not sufficient. During peak periods like meal, arrival or checkout timings, we waited more than 15mins to get into the lift. Overall very pleasant stay.

This was my first solo trip abroad, and I chose Penang, a city known for its overseas Chinese community and abundant durians. About 70% of the population here is Chinese, mostly originating from Chaoshan and Fujian, which gives it a strong Southern Min and Chaoshan vibe, much like Thailand in the movie 'The Letter to A-ma'. The Eastern & Oriental Hotel (E&O) in Penang, along with Singapore's Raffles and Angkor's Raffles, is considered one of the world's three grand heritage hotels. Established in 1885, it has hosted many celebrities, so it was a must-experience for me. The hotel is divided into two parts: the Heritage Wing, which is the original older building, and the Victory Annexe, a high-rise built just over a decade ago. To experience the authentic charm, choose the Heritage Wing. If you prefer better sea views and relatively newer facilities, the Victory Annexe might be a better option. However, the hotel's most iconic pool is exclusively accessible to guests staying in the Heritage Wing. When I was researching the hotel, I read some rumors about the Heritage Wing being a bit spooky. Perhaps it's due to its age; such tales are not uncommon in old hotels. But objectively, the Heritage Wing maintains its overall character beautifully. From the preserved first elevator in Malaysia located in the lobby to the various artworks displayed in the corridors, and even the doormen in old colonial-era uniforms, everything conveys the ambiance of the South Seas from a century ago. Three positives: First, the E&O is probably the closest hotel to the sea in Penang. Taking a walk by the ocean in the evening or early morning sounds wonderful, even if Penang's sea isn't particularly spectacular. Second, guests in the Heritage Wing receive a complimentary bottle of red wine, and all snacks and treats in the room are free. Additionally, the Char Kway Teow at Palm Court for breakfast in the Heritage Wing is incredibly flavorful – I think it's even better than many so-called Michelin-starred dishes. Third, sitting by the window in the morning, watching the sunrise and the coast, was quite therapeutic. As for negatives, overall, the hotel's service felt a bit indifferent. Compared to other places in Southeast Asia, there was a certain aloofness. This might, of course, be a remnant of its early British hotel traditions.

Definitely like the bath tub! And also the sauna and jacuzzi, it was separate by gender and even have a locker room to store your belongings. Was convenient go to the gurney bay, can just cross the traffic line to walk and enjoy the chill breeze. Around there a lot of choice for food and places to be chill around. Will choose this hotel for the next visit

We always stay in this hotel or the next one every time we visit Penang. As usual, beautiful and nice and clean room. We got a cake for our anniversary. Breakfast is good and not crowded like the other hotel. Best location next to 2 shopping malls. We went for seafood buffet in the other sister hotel and at senior citizen price. Fantastic offer. Will definitely be back. We requested for late checkout because don't want to go too early to airport. They gave us 2 more hours which was fantastic.

We arrived at about 11am and managed to check in immediately which was a pleasant surprise! The room was really spacious and we loved that there is a filtered water tap within the room so we could refill our bottles easily and save money on buying bottled water. The only bummer was that on our second day, there was a power shutdown from 10am to 2:30pm (which they informed us beforehand), but at the same time, the lifts were having maintenance (not informed on this) and we were stuck at our level (20 floors up) for about 20 to 30 mins. We were not able to take the stairs down as well which was abit frustrating as we were running late. So they could have better planned or better coordinated the schedules for the maintenance work. But other than that, the rooms were really clean and the pool and gym were nice as well. The breakfast didn’t have many selection but it was decent. We loved that the hotel was just opposite the esplanade park too! Will stay here again!

I want to give a special shout-out to Shane, the Guest Relations Manager. He was incredibly hospitable and went above and beyond to accommodate our small requests. On the day we checked in, the hotel's air conditioning system wasn't quite up to par for the higher floors, but the hotel immediately addressed the issue and Shane quickly arranged a new room for us. While it might sound like I'm exaggerating, I genuinely experienced the excellent service from Marriott and Shane – I'm very satisfied! I forgot to take photos right away, so I'll express my feelings with the few I have. 😎

Everything was fine except the parking charges, which were completely mishandled. I was clearly told it would be RM9 per day with multiple entries and exits allowed. Yet on the second day, I was charged RM18 on my first exit. Naturally, I assumed it might include an advance charge for the third day.. but then on the third day, I was charged another RM9 anyway. That makes absolutely no sense. I raised this at reception during check-out, and I was told to text a provided number. I’ve sent multiple messages and no response whatsoever. Completely ignored. Yes, it’s “just” RM9 extra. But that’s not the point. If this is how casually you handle even small discrepancies, what does that say about your overall standards? And how many other guests are being overcharged without even realizing it? Frankly, this is unacceptable and extremely disappointing.

We've stayed in many 5 star hotels over the years all over the world but we were still very impressed with The Millen rooms and service! Extremely comfortable beds, service and responsiveness from front desk and housekeeping, beautiful room with the lovely tub that we used daily during our 4 day stay, turn down service with the lovely cookies and second round of room cleaning, ample amounts of water, nespresso pods and fluffy towels, robes and slippers. Everything was beautifully curated in the lobby, corridors rooms and even a very helpful guard stationed at the car park level. We enjoyed our stay thoroughly! The only thing that would have made our stay even better would have been an ev charger in the parking area. Luckily, there was one about 400m outside the hotel but not so convenient as we had to sit in the car to wait for charge rather than relaxing in our room. All in all, we'll definitely be back for another stay next round we're in Penang. Thank you to all the lovely hotel staff that made our stay so memorable!

We had an Amazing experience at the prestige, the room is super spacious and super clean, it really exceeded our expectations! Special mention to the breakfast team, and the lady with the mask who went above and beyond during our stay!! A 5 star experience for a 4 star hotel!!

We stayed in Ansgana wing one bedroom suite. It's born with a magnificent Seaview but unfortunately obscured by the hotel layout like the balcony concrete egde at living room and the missing of curtain binder to gain 5-10% of Seaview. The sofa and TV are setup by the window side both at the living room and bed room but during day time the sunshine is so strong that you have to draw the curtain if you want to watch TV but at the same time your completely lose the view. The breakfast buffet offered were standard and I have no comment but the only obervation is the crows are the only diehard fans of the hotel food as they tried their best effort to grab the food from the table even in front of the guests! The only element that made our stay a good one is the hotel staff. Starting from Cika who handled our check in, our room attendant Masum, the big and tall guy at the buffet restaurant and also the lady who took care of our check out. All of them were efficient and effectively attending and responding to guests needs and tried their best effort to help us during our stay and kindly send my compliment to them especially Masum. Thank you Masum you deserves to be praised. Well done! Ansgana management in reading it's your team that saved your position that still got a 5 points except the food! In conclusion Ansgana tried to pack herself as a resort but quite unsuccessful as after check out we headed to Shangri-La Rasa Sayang and you will experience the layback and relax feel in a resort!