Citrus Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

July 2010

The trick for developers creating a successful budget hotel, so I'm told, is to use good quality materials and sound construction to create a 'good enough' hotel that won't require too maintenance and won't show its age too quickly. The builders of the Citrus Hotel seemed to have ignored these rules. In fact, they pretty much seem to have ignored the entire construction process. My room exhibited an amazing number of flaws: the windows were too big for the frame width, resulting in a big overlap between two panes, which let in lots of noise; the bathtub appeared to be incorrectly installed, flooding the bathroom each time I took a shower; and the security latch on the door appeared to have been installed by someone who had absolutely no carpentry skills whatsoever. In addition to all these defects there were even more design flaws.

Citrus Hotel Room
Room at the Citrus Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Despite all the issues, my room was still good-sized and rather comfortable, for the price. I doubt the hotel will age very well, but it's certainly a reasonable place to stay if you're attending an event at the World Trade Center, which is within walking distance of the hotel.

The hotel's single restaurant, the lobby coffee shop, seems overwhelmed at breakfast. Little has been done to decorate or fit out the space to make it a restaurant. They just set out tables and chairs in the space.

Hotel facilities include a swimming pool, small fitness rooms, spa and restaurant.

Rooms feature air conditioning, hot and cold water, refrigerator, color television (many channels), IDD telephones and free wireless Internet access.

Pluses: Cheap. Near the Putra World Trade Center.

Minuses: Incredibly shoddy construction. Out of the way location (a taxi driver probably won't know it).

Rooms at the Citrus Hotel may be booked through the links below.