This was an impromptu trip to clock more Bonvoy double elite nights and figured I will do a short review of the property. I stayed here ages ago so its also worth seeing if the property is holding up okay, being the only Bonvoy property in the city. This was also a short stay so this review will also be rather condensed.

Address – 2, Jalan Permas 11, Bandar Baru Permas Jaya, 81750 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. Website.

Contact – Tel: +60 7-3813333. Email: rhi.jhbbr.reservation@renaissancehotels.com.

Location – For the JB regulars, the property is not considered ideal as its further out away from the main shopping belt of the city. But as this was primarily a mattress run so being in the Permas Jaya area was not a concern for me as long as I have access to a Watsons to stock up on my sunblock.

Price – MYR479++ per night booked for a lead-in King Room via the official website under the Amex Business Card Rate – a more than decent rate given that Titaniums get access to the Executive Lounge.

Getting There – An evening car ride from Singapore took me 2 hours with a slight jam but nothing unbearable. I honestly don’t know of any other way to get to the property.

Check In – I reached the hotel lobby at 1130pm at night and to my surprise there was a slight queue to check in, with no elite desk open and no ability to check in at the Executive Lounge as it was past the staffing hours. It was a short wait eventually, with the formalities being completed in 10mins. I was given a welcome letter as well as a choice of welcome amenity as a Titanium – I picked sparkling water and cheese platter which the staff said will be sent the next day as it was late night by then which was fine with me.

Room – Prior to arrival, I saw in the app that I’ve been assigned a Club King room which was basically the same hardware as what I had booked except that it includes Executive Lounge benefits. My room, 1611, was spacious for its 34SqM and was conveniently located on the same floor as the lounge. I was actually surprised the space seems very well maintained for its age.

The door opens up to a decently sized walkway – with the wardrobe and mini bar to the left all in one length. Both were equipped adequately with no surprises. A cling-wrapped plate of sweets alongside a welcome note was placed on the countertop – I thought this was a nice touch in addition to my choice of welcome amenity.

The bathroom space was a good sized, open-concept spot of single sink, toilet, and standing shower space. Toiletries are typically Renaissance ones of the Argus brand which I forgot I quite liked.

The main bedroom area is a cosy square of a wall-mounted non smart TV, a work desk, a single lounge chair, and a nicely firm King bed which served me very well for this chillax weekend.

My welcome amenity duly arrived the next afternoon – but they delivered club soda instead of sparkling water and the cheese platter was the most un-platter like I’ve ever seen.

Executive Club Lounge – the space on 16th floor is actually a really nice spot to enjoy some peace and quiet, and it was not too packed during the times I was there. Access to this space means you’ll get breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening cocktails & desserts.

In terms of hardware, a corner of it sits the F&B area while the remaining of the space is fitted out in tables for 1-2pax and families.

Breakfast (6:00am-10:30am) – Offerings were decent although understandably less variety than the main restaurant. I actually had breakfast at the main restaurant very early, and decided to hop by just before the session closed to try small bites which were decent, with strong coffee which is always a plus. There was also an ala carte menu which you can order from if you wish.

Afternoon Tea (2:30pm-5:00pm) – a very modest affair of tea cakes, scones to my surprise, stuffed beancurd puffs (yay to proteins!). I later realized that they also offer hot items like quesadillas but they brought out the food late and I was already on my way out by then.

Service at the lounge was nothing to complain about – I spent too little time there this time to be able to deliver anything more comprehensive.

Breakfast – Guests with club access have an option to have breakfast at Cafe BLD located the lobby level, and the space was huge but peaceful at 6:15am.

Food wise was plenty options but half of which were carbs. I did find however the best fried chicken I’ve tried for a long time – absolutely delicious!

Facilities – Both the Fitness Centre (24hr) and the Swimming Pool (7:00am-9:00pm) were reasonably sized for the property and typical of any other hotel.

Check Out – I did an express check out so no issues here.

In Summary,

Although rates have increased considerably, it is still a decent mattress run property during the double elite night promotion.