Stay & Play
Hyatt Regency Kinabalu, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Article & photography by Steve Gillick
It’s the true measure of a hotel’s customer service when they warmly welcome you and make the check-in process smooth and quick. After a long day of flights and transfers, we arrived in Kota Kinabalu and took the 20-minute taxi ride to the 5-Star Hyatt Regency Kinabalu. I had stayed there on my last trip to Borneo in 2009.
With a room on the Club floor, we were escorted to the Club Lounge for a personalized check-in and welcome drink. We then arrived at our spacious, attractively-designed room (42 square meters/452 square feet), flung open the curtains, and feasted on a gorgeous evening view of the South China Sea, including the Big Marlin Statue (a City landmark), the night market, and lights from fishing boats in the harbour. We just paused by the window to take in the scenery.
We decided to order room service: delicious Nasi Goreng and Seafood Mee Goreng. But good to know that the hotel’s international cuisine includes Chinese, Indonesian, Malay, Western, Halal, and Japanese.
After a peaceful night in comfortable beds with cushy pillows, we took advantage of the hotel’s great waterfront location and walked to the lively fish market, only 10 minutes away. Back at the hotel we watched the dreamy sunrise from our room, before heading to the Club Lounge for a tasty breakfast.
We checked out to spend one night in Kinabalu Park, and then returned to the Hyatt Regency for one more night of tranquility! This time, we sampled the canapés in the Club lounge, and they were so good that we just stayed there! When the concierge heard about our early-morning flight the next day, she offered us takeout breakfast.
But this kind of customer service is no surprise at the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu. In conversation with Reine Beryl Masudal, the Marketing Communications Executive, she spoke about the community spirit amongst the staff (“we have each other’s backs”), which translated into a positive work culture emphasizing customer care. She noted that the hotel proactively promoted healthy lifestyles (e.g., rental bicycles) and that its spaces, from the impressive, smartly decorated lounge to the outdoor swimming pool, and even the bar (which makes refreshingly good gin and tonics), were designed with comfort in mind.
Reine showed us the colorful 165-foot outdoor mural, painted by local artists for the hotel’s 40th anniversary in 2019. It’s a great example of community spirit and involvement. The General Manager, Thor Gervasi, was present to help inaugurate the artwork.
Thor noted that Kota Kinabalu was the gateway for visiting Sabah’s “stunning attractions and vibrant culture”. He suggested that visitors with “open hearts and a curious spirit” could experience “incredible biodiversity, from lush rainforests and vibrant reefs to bustling city life and peaceful mountain trails.”
In our case, we used the Hyatt to explore the immediate area: the day and evening markets, and then further afield, Kinabalu Park on Mount Kinabalu, Sandakan with the Rainforest Discovery Center, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center, Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, and the diverse wildlife along the Kinabatangan River.
Thor mentioned one couple who have stayed at the hotel for every wedding anniversary over the last 25 years and stated, “It’s important to me personally that every guest feels welcomed and well cared for. We strive to create a warm and inviting retreat where you can relax and recharge after a day of discovery, all while experiencing the genuine Sabahan hospitality that defines Hyatt Regency Kinabalu”.
Truer words could not be spoken, and this is from someone who’s stayed at the hotel…twice.
