Check in lobby was hard to locate as it was at the side of the hotel block. Upon check in, I was given third floor. When I asked if I could have higher floor as indicated in my booking request, staff said I need to top up. This was clearly upselling. I was not willing as the price for each room was not cheap in the first place. Staff knew that i was aware it was the bottom tier room & mentioned the freebis in the room was npt charged. I was not impressed as I do not come all the way to Penang for some freebies. Hptel staff obviously did not know what hospitality is all about.Entering the room, it was not too bad. When I opened the window, I almost flipped out. It was rubbish (attached a pic). I then confirmed I was given the bottom tier room. Opening the wardrobe, there was a musty oily smell which obviously was not aired for a while. Stay at room was not comfortable. Badly lit and no way to open window to rubbish view. I guess the only good thing was the shuttle to the various shopping/ eating spots. Upon check out, i was asked if stay was good. I indicated to the staff my stay at the hotel was disappointing due to the above reasons. Staff said i could email the hotel in advance in my next visit indicating the reason above. But I will like to tell the management this -- no way am i coming back to this hotel that only know to upsell & missing out on what true hospitality means. There are hotels out there that offer much better services without breaking the bank. Thanks but no thanks.
We have a vacation in penang and stay in this hotel, it is very comfortable and relaxing, nice bed and pillows, full amenities provided, the swimming pool is very fun also, there is complimentary parking provided, location is convenient, close to all the hawkers and food courts, as well as sight seeing places, hotel staff are very friendly and helpful, always attend to our needs, breakfast is good also, we highly recommend this hotel.
We arrived early in Penang and the hotel was able to let us check in early!!! We had a beautiful connecting room for our stays and the view of the harbor was fantastic!! The staff are always so helpful and their thoughtfulness had our stays so comfortable and enjoyable. Will definitely recommend this hotel to my friends and relatives in future.
M Social Resort Penang is a relatively new hotel, so all the facilities are still quite new. We arrived early, around 1:50 PM, and the hotel staff kindly allowed us to check in, which was great as we could get into our room and rest. We really appreciate that!
The first day we checked in, the in-room AI assistant, Xiao Meixi, responded to voice commands, but after that, it basically stopped responding. However, one convenient feature of the AI machine is that you can directly request things from the hotel through it, without needing to call the front desk.
Finally, it would be even better if there were more chairs and tables on the balcony and by the pool. Because the hotel has many guests, when you go to the pool, there aren't enough chairs, and nowhere to put your belongings, which is a real shame. Also, they should consider building a playground for children to attract more parents to bring their kids here, so it's not too boring for the little ones.
Overall, it's a good hotel.
hotel was quite new some of grab driver said us this hotel was built this year(2025) so clean.
easy access to every sightseeing by grab and 5-10mins walking can find local restaurants.
satisfied.
service quality was bad. hotel staff communication skill was no good .
The customer's request could not be fulfilled properly, and the apology was incomplete and unpleasant.
Staying at The Royale Chulan Penang at the end of the year, I was immediately struck by the hotel's exquisite environment. The understated luxury decor combined with immaculate attention to detail truly conveyed a sense of high-end quality. But the most memorable part of this trip was the warmth provided by a lobby staff member named Devika.
Her fluent Mandarin made communication effortless. From the thoughtful guidance during check-in to her meticulous assistance when I checked out on December 13th, everything made me feel incredibly comfortable. Before I left, she proactively helped me call a taxi and confirmed the vehicle details; these thoughtful gestures alleviated the fatigue of travel.
”Malaysian Hospitality” is not just a slogan in Malaysia; it's a genuine sentiment that Devika embodied through her actions. This warm service added an invaluable memory to my trip to Penang.
Facilities: Good
Cleanliness: Good
Environment: Good
Service: Excellent, especially the female staff member named Devika in the lobby. She speaks Chinese and provided exceptionally good and attentive service.
The hotel is refurbished - rooms are modern; bed, pillows and the room slippers are very comfortable; toiletries are aplenty and smells really good. The breakfast buffet has a variety of spread, which is really nice. The only downside are the wellness facilities which have yet to be refurbished, including the tiny swimming pool.
The hotel is more than 40 years old and the rumour is tjt a new management has taken over and a major renovation is about to happen in 2026. The only thing we really enjoyed was the view from the rooms overlooking the sea and the Penang bridge. We were here becuase we attended a wedding and wanted the convenience but the Banquet team did not provide us with the best service for the event area and we have sent a separate email to address that.
The hotel is equipped with good facilities and amenities, but unfortunately you won’t be able to request for late check-outs even if you check-in late. The windows looking out to the courtyard have a lot of dust and stain, regular maintenance is recommended. The pool is cool and 24hours, but the water cleanliness is questionable as spotted some floating substances in it.
Indicated for birthday celebration, ignored remark, no service or extra wow service.
Requested for bouquet to deliver to room upon receive, reception keep it till evening until we call to request and reception request guard to deliver to us.
Overall hotel grade conventional hospitality. No wow service or beach grade 4 stars feel.
Parking need to walk very far to next building of you reach on weekend and if there is event.
Noisy and dirty beach due to abandoned wood branches and no maintenance
Very Good
1243 reviews
8.6/10
Price from
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7.4/10
GGuest Userthis hotel is good overall, but when we arrived, they told us that we didn't have a booking with them and they couldn't locate our booking and details. the room was also said to be taken, and they are waiting for a cancellation in order to get our room. There is a lot of confusion among staff. some visitors were told to leave their rooms once they have entered. we waiting 1 hr 30 min to get our room. so check in was at 4.30pm. parking was also very inconvenient, as we had to park at the basement, which was impossible to even get one if you came into the hotel late and a T&G card was also needed to get validated before leaving the hotel if we wanted a free spot. Room was very spacious and clean. the tea and coffee was hard like its never been changed.
SSiferaThe hotel is more than 40 years old and the rumour is tjt a new management has taken over and a major renovation is about to happen in 2026. The only thing we really enjoyed was the view from the rooms overlooking the sea and the Penang bridge. We were here becuase we attended a wedding and wanted the convenience but the Banquet team did not provide us with the best service for the event area and we have sent a separate email to address that.
GGuest UserWe have a vacation in penang and stay in this hotel, it is very comfortable and relaxing, nice bed and pillows, full amenities provided, the swimming pool is very fun also, there is complimentary parking provided, location is convenient, close to all the hawkers and food courts, as well as sight seeing places, hotel staff are very friendly and helpful, always attend to our needs, breakfast is good also, we highly recommend this hotel.
SSkumar1973Trip.com should have highlighted that on the day we checked in there was a fire drill!
We could jot sleep or rest after our long drive to the hotel. Rooms very old and outdated. Bathroom was small, the bidet was on the wrong side of the toilet.
Air-conditioning was not working! Maintenance had to chg the filter but still it was bad.
Room slippers was the worst, rooms carpet was coming off the metal strip almost cut my feet.
Breakfast and the staff was a plus, but overall very noisy the room, thet need to call the pest control, I think rats running in the vents!! Great free parking but you have to take a long drive back to the lobby, a huge turn around from the parking... bad experience overall.
CCasreneDuring my booking, I requested a room away from the lift for a quieter stay and also asked for birthday decoration. However, upon arrival, there was no birthday decoration, and the room was located very close to the lift.
The room was on a floor with shared facilities, and the room next door was the laundry room. The towels were dirty, and the shower hanger was damaged.
I contacted the staff to raise these issues. They informed me that my requests were not recorded in their system. I requested a room change, but was told that the hotel was fully booked and no room change could be arranged.
The staff were unable to resolve the issues during the peak season and advised guests to avoid staying during the eve or public holidays.
GGuest UserCheck in lobby was hard to locate as it was at the side of the hotel block. Upon check in, I was given third floor. When I asked if I could have higher floor as indicated in my booking request, staff said I need to top up. This was clearly upselling. I was not willing as the price for each room was not cheap in the first place. Staff knew that i was aware it was the bottom tier room & mentioned the freebis in the room was npt charged. I was not impressed as I do not come all the way to Penang for some freebies. Hptel staff obviously did not know what hospitality is all about.Entering the room, it was not too bad. When I opened the window, I almost flipped out. It was rubbish (attached a pic). I then confirmed I was given the bottom tier room. Opening the wardrobe, there was a musty oily smell which obviously was not aired for a while. Stay at room was not comfortable. Badly lit and no way to open window to rubbish view. I guess the only good thing was the shuttle to the various shopping/ eating spots. Upon check out, i was asked if stay was good. I indicated to the staff my stay at the hotel was disappointing due to the above reasons. Staff said i could email the hotel in advance in my next visit indicating the reason above. But I will like to tell the management this -- no way am i coming back to this hotel that only know to upsell & missing out on what true hospitality means. There are hotels out there that offer much better services without breaking the bank. Thanks but no thanks.
AAlex 6226Service everything very good , fast reply and helper. Just the facilities floor is close the child playing sound is louder and noisy. So far everything is ok and location are best.
CCeline KeeM Social Resort Penang is a relatively new hotel, so all the facilities are still quite new. We arrived early, around 1:50 PM, and the hotel staff kindly allowed us to check in, which was great as we could get into our room and rest. We really appreciate that!
The first day we checked in, the in-room AI assistant, Xiao Meixi, responded to voice commands, but after that, it basically stopped responding. However, one convenient feature of the AI machine is that you can directly request things from the hotel through it, without needing to call the front desk.
Finally, it would be even better if there were more chairs and tables on the balcony and by the pool. Because the hotel has many guests, when you go to the pool, there aren't enough chairs, and nowhere to put your belongings, which is a real shame. Also, they should consider building a playground for children to attract more parents to bring their kids here, so it's not too boring for the little ones.
Overall, it's a good hotel.
AAnonymous UserBooked superior room and they upgraded me to deluxe room. By the time I went to the room, I realised this deluxe is very small. I went to receiption to request I want to check in to superior room and they said all rooms were fully occupied. From the moment I checked in and went to the upgraded room and went back to request to switch my room back to superior room was less than 20mins. They told me there are no more room, end up my family of 5 need to stay in this small deluxe room for 4 nights.
I am very upset with this arrangement. Other than that, everything is fine. This hotel suitable for family with small kids.
IIsabelleyishaThe hotel location is right on the hot spot of Georgetown. But it goes with noise at night until 2am. So if you plan to be partying at night it's ideal and walking distance to Love Lane and all Georgetown touristic areas.
But if you wish to sleep and relax after midnight definitely not the right hotel for you.
The room was OK in terms of size but a lot of mosquitoes coming from the bathroom drain. I've killed at least 50 of them thanks to a mosquito raquet 🤣 The tip is to close the bathroom curtains so they don't get in the bedroom.
Humidity in the room had the paint peeling off.
For the price I don't think the room quality was enough. Specially for the humidity and mosquitoes combination.
The breakfast menu was not available but you can easily go down the street and eat at ease or order with the application grab. No bar available in the hotel.
The shared areas are clean. Loved that you have to take off your shoes at the entrance.
There are stairs to get into the hotel but they help you with your luggage. The first time you arrive you need to ring the bell for them to come open for you. Small door not easy to spot at first. I suggest to the hotel to stick the name directly on the door at eye level and big to avoid confusion. I've uploaded a picture of the door for you to not get lost.
After you check in they will give you the door code so easy for you to get by.
Staff has been helpful when asked but not interacting or giving you suggestion or asking you how things are going.
I've rated cleanness average because there was a lot of hair in the bathroom when I arrived. Had to literally take it off during 5 minutes. Thick long hair... Not sure how they didn't spot it.
Apart of that they were cleaning all right the rest of the stay.
Internet was not easy to get when in the room but in common areas or close to the door of the room works better. Don't save on a sim card and buy at the airport for having internet at all times on your phone. Will help you with maps and outside anyway.
The taxi from the airport was very convenient only 30 minutes and I ordered with grab came within 5 minutes.
Hope this information helps 🌹
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