Vistana

Special thanks to Vistana Penang Bukit Jambul for extending this hotel review invitation.

Vistana Penang Bukit Jambul is a 4-star business hotel along Jalan Bukit Gambir. This 423-room hotel takes advantage of its close proximity to the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone (FIZ). On weekends, the hotel also enjoys a fair share of casual vacationers.

Arriving guests are greeted by Vistana's spacious lobby with marble flooring. Facing the reception counters are comfortable sofa chairs where early arrival guests can rest while waiting to be checked in. Vistana's official check-in and check-out times are 3:00pm and 12:00pm respectively.

Level 2 is where most of the hotel's amenities are located. A modest-size swimming pool allows guests to wade in its refreshing water - not a bad idea in the morning and the evening. Guests who wish to keep their feet dry can relax on sunloungers next to the pool. There are no lifeguards on duty, so for safety reasons, the pool is closed after 7:00pm.

Vistana's fitness center is located adjacent to the swimming pool. Open around the clock, the gym is surprisingly spacious. There are roughly a dozen pieces of exercise equipment including treadmills in view of the pool. Drinking water and clean towels are provided for guests' convenience.

Vistana does not provide in-room dining service. Instead, guests are welcomed to take advantage of the 24-hour coffee bar at the lobby area. Known as Barista, this eatery offers quick bites such as instant noodles, cookies, pies, sandwiches, pastries and snacks. The drinks menu features a reasonable selection of espresso coffee, tea, juice, smoothie, soda, beer and wine.

Hub 247 is a small business center and communications hub next to Barista. Equipped with two computer terminals (PC and Apple) and a printer, Hub 247 is handy for business travelers who need to get important work done. Guests can also take advantage of this facility to print their boarding passes or check the local weather forecast. By the way, Wi-Fi connection is available throughout the entire hotel.

Vistana's main block, the Hotel Wing, has 19 floors in total. The most common room category is the Executive Deluxe. This standard hotel room comes with either a single king-size bed or two single beds. Meanwhile, Club Deluxe and Club Suite are tailored to guests who appreciate a premium degree of comfort. Club Level guests also enjoy exclusive access to the Executive Lounge.

The Club Suite has the living area and sleeping quarters in separate rooms. There are two bathrooms in the unit - not something that you normally encounter. The living room is furnished with a television, sofa chairs, coffee table, small dining table and coffee counter. Located below the television, the minibar is stocked with carbonated drinks - complimentary for Club Level guests.

In the bedroom, a king-size bed faces the second television set. There are around 20 television channels, covering both local and foreign ones - some with 24-hour programming. The bedroom also leads to a dressing table and a large wardrobe. Inside the wardrobe is an electronic safe for guests to store their valuables.

As for the bathroom, the Club Suite is one of the few units to feature a bathtub. Bath salts are provided to guests who desire to be pampered. Alternatively, there is a segregated shower stall with pressurized heated water. Also included are complimentary toiletries and bathroom essentials from Mangosteen Basics.

Club Level guests enjoy exclusive access to the Executive Lounge. Furnished with comfortable seats, the lounge presents a tranquil ambience for guests to relax and mingle. The Executive Lounge is open from 8:00am to 10:00pm. Throughout the day, Club Level guests can help themselves to espresso coffee, English tea, cookies and fruits.

Evening drinks are served at the Executive Lounge between 5:30pm and 7:30pm. The food counter presents a handful of tapas and pastries that the kitchen has specially prepared for its privileged guests.

Guests who fancy wine can get a glass or two to celebrate the evening. This evening, the hotel has prepared red wine and white wine from Chile. Should guests prefer beer, there is also Carlsberg Draught in the ice tub.

Vistana's hotel rooms are catered for 2 guests each. For larger families, the Suite Wing offers Two Bedroom Suite and Three Bedroom Suite for 4 and 6 guests respectively. Each unit includes a common living area for the family to get together. There is also a small balcony for guests to catch a mesmerizing view at night.

Each hotel room includes breakfast for 2 persons (4 or 6 in the case of suites). Breakfast is served from 6:30am to 10:30am on the Ground Floor. This halal-certified coffeehouse is simply called Cafe. The restaurant is usually closed for other parts of the day unless there are special events.

The most popular section of the buffet line is the action counter. Here, egg dishes such as fried egg, scrambled egg and omelette are prepared. It is advisable to inform the chef if you need have special dietary restrictions like onions or butter.

Meanwhile for English breakfast, the buffet includes familiar comfort foods such as baked beans, sausages and baked tomatoes. Mashed potato, prawn fritters and chicken nuggets are also available on certain days. As for something more local, try some spring rolls, samosa and pandan chicken.

White bread and wholemeal bread are sliced and presented in a basket. There is an electric toaster should guests prefer their bread to be browned. The bread spreads here include butter, jam, orange marmalade, peanut butter and kaya (coconut jam).

French toast is prepared from bread slices that are soaked with beaten eggs, and then fried with butter. Older bread is usually used because it is firmer and does not fall apart so easily.

Moving on to the pastry section, the kitchen has prepared sweet treats such as Danish pastries, croissants, muffins, chiffon cake and marble butter cake. In addition, the counter also presents several types of Malay kuih.

Breakfast cereals are particularly appealing to children. There are three types this morning: Corn Flakes, Koko Krunch and Honey Stars. Fresh milk is provided. Other dairy products are plain yogurt and strawberry yogurt.

Roti canai has become one of Malaysia's favorite breakfast dishes. The dough is stretched beforehand and cooked on a griddle. Once cooked, the flatbread attains buttery fragrance that strikes a chord with most Malaysians. Roti canai can be eaten plain or with dhal (lentil curry).

Next, rice porridge is served with several condiments such as omelette, tofu, boiled peanuts and preserved vegetable. Scallion and soy sauce are provided too.

For something heavier, chicken rice is a sensible choice. The roasted chicken has browned skin which is a delicacy to those who enjoy poultry. Chicken rice is cooked with chicken stock, making the rice quite tasty in its own right. Sweet soy sauce and chili sauce are condiments that go well with this dish.

The breakfast also covers other crowd favorites like nasi lemak (Malay fragrant rice), fried noodle, dim sum (点心), pasta, salad and fruits. As for drinks, there are black coffee, tea and two types of fruit juice.

Vistana's pillarless Grand Ballroom is sufficiently large to seat 500 people in a banquet setting. This makes Vistana a popular choice for corporate functions and wedding dinners. Tapping into the bridal market, Vistana has several wedding packages that start from RM800.00++ per table.

For smaller events, Vistana has smaller conference rooms to fit seminars and conferences of any size. Priced at RM85.00++ per person per day, a full-day event covers 2 coffee breaks and lunch at the Cafe. Unlike most hotels, Vistana has an overflow parking area to accommodate an increased surge of visitors.

In-house guests enjoy complimentary parking at the basement levels, while event attendees are charged RM3.00 per entry. There are also additional parking spaces along the perimeter of the hotel. For guests who do not have personal transportation, the hotel provides free shuttle services to Queensbay Mall, Bayan Lepas and Seberang Perai.

Hotel rooms can be booked via Vistana's website or through its 24-hour WhatsApp hotline (018-688-0010). Besides this property, Vistana has two more sister hotels in Kuala Lumpur and Kuantan.

Name: Vistana Penang Bukit Jambul
Address: 213, Jalan Bukit Gambir, 11950 Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-646-8000
Business hours: 24 hours
Website: http://www.vistanahotels.com/penang
Coordinates: 5.33623 N, 100.29152 E
Directions: Driving southbound on Jalan Bukit Gambir, turn left just before Vistana and drive up to the lobby entrance. Basement parking is available from the back of the hotel. Parking is complimentary for hotel guests.