3-Star Hotels in Penang, Malaysia

"The room size was just right and very clean. The soundproofing was good, and we had a sea view from the window. The location is excellent, about one kilometer from the beach, which was super convenient for my morning runs and taking in the view. There's a small supermarket downstairs, making it easy to grab water and snacks. The front desk is on the second floor, and the service was great, plus they speak Chinese. Overall, I highly recommend this hotel!"

"I stayed in Kuala Lumpur for five days at a hotel that claimed to be a direct branch of a certain domestic chain. I called the Kuala Lumpur branch from China and spoke to an Indian female receptionist, informing her I was a platinum member and requesting a room upgrade for my stay from September 12th to 17th. When I arrived and asked for the upgrade, the Indian receptionist I had spoken to wasn't there. Instead, there was a Malay female receptionist. They then called the Indian receptionist who had promised me the upgrade. After taking my payment for the five days, the Indian receptionist became extremely rude and even pretended that the Malay receptionist who was checking me in was her subordinate and that she was the boss. Eventually, I found out that a Chinese person, who didn't seem to be around much, was actually the Hotel Manager. The front desk staff generally didn't speak Chinese. It was chaotic for a direct branch of a domestic chain. I requested a refund. The female receptionist was uncooperative and refused. I tried to contact the domestic chain's customer service, but they were intentionally unresponsive. After all, I am a platinum member. The direct branch didn't provide an invoice, and since I was on a business trip, I needed an invoice from mainland China, not a local receipt for external trips. Later, I went to Penang for business and cautiously booked a 3-day stay at Nio Hotel through Ctrip. I've been scammed by so many companies in China, big and small, so I was careful. The 3-day cost wasn't much, so the potential loss would be minimal. I carefully reviewed Nio Hotel and its AI analysis. The hotel itself was fine, but it lacked toothbrushes and slippers. I had a toothbrush in my luggage as I travel globally for business frequently, and I had planned to bring slippers from the KL hotel but forgot. I flew business class from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, hoping to get a pair of slippers there, but the business class attendant said they didn't have any. When I arrived at Nio Hotel, I found that my room had a toothbrush and slippers, which was great. It had a window, and despite the Muslim prayer calls and the sound of speeding cars, I usually carry earplugs and noise-cancelling headphones, so I slept well. Due to what might be hotel cost-cutting, I found a long strand of woman's hair on my bath towel on the third day. AI helped me analyze that this hotel might be extremely cost-conscious, but given the higher cost of living in Malaysia, which follows the British Commonwealth system, the price was incredibly good value. All the front desk staff when I checked in were Malay and Indian. While I speak Chinese, I also speak English, so it doesn't matter if the front desk staff speaks Chinese or not, as long as they don't speak Arabic, which I don't understand. I also know a bit of Japanese and German. Durian in Kuala Lumpur was too expensive. I bought a piece of Musang King durian to taste at the base of the tallest building in KL, Menara Monica. At Nio Hotel in Penang, I went downstairs to eat durian and met a large group of wealthy Chinese from Surabaya, Indonesia. They were indulging in Musang King durian, each costing 300 Malaysian Ringgit (nearly 500 RMB). I ate a 50 MYR Kunyit King. These Indonesians must have very high incomes. I also saw some Filipino Chinese feasting on durians costing hundreds of Malaysian Ringgit. The incomes of Filipino Chinese must certainly surpass those in China's first-tier cities. While at Nio Hotel, I drank free coffee at the front desk, but I was concerned about the cup hygiene. Suddenly, an East Asian-looking female manager appeared, spoke Chinese, and told me it was clean and safe to drink. I didn't re-wash it with water and had several cups of coffee. Finally, when checking out to fly to Guangzhou, I had another cup of coffee at the front desk around 6:00 AM. My flight was at 8:15 AM. I had already called a taxi, driven by a young Malay man. I forgot that the driver who was picking me up for the airport had arrived while I was drinking coffee. After finishing my coffee, I went downstairs and told the waiting driver, 'I am here.' The driver said it was fine and that getting to the airport would be smooth. It's been several days since I returned, and the nearby restaurant even refunded me 35 Malaysian Ringgit because on the first day, there was a black spot on a vegetable leaf in my dish. The waiter explained it was a bug bite or something. Anyway, this stay at Nio Hotel was very good value for money."

"Early check-in at no extra charge. Clean bedding, well-insulated room, and a clean bathroom. The location is a huge plus, situated at the end of a super lively street, just 5 minutes from the bars but still relatively quiet, so it's perfect."

"This is the first time staying in this hotel. Location wise, is quite convenient. Near to Komtar bus station, near to Gama mall (with a food court on the 7th floor). Hotel is quite old. Lobby area is not bad, but the room is quite dim. Lighting was not enough. Bathroom is quite small, flooring is not very clean. However, the shower pressure is very strong. There are better and newer hotels nearby, however they are more expensive. If your expectations is not high, this hotel can be considered. The hotel doesn't provide water bottles, but there's a water dispenser along the corridor, same for ironing."

"Had a wonderful stay at this property! The host was extremely helpful and responsive throughout — even went out of their way to help when I accidentally left a shirt behind. The place itself was spotless, very clean and tidy. The bed was super comfortable, and the air quality/ventilation in the room was great too. Highly recommend this host and property to future guests!"

"The room was really unique and interesting, an experience I'd never had before. The location is excellent too; you can walk to all the nearby photo-op spots, and the closest restaurants are all delicious. Walking to Clan Jetties is also no problem. The free bus stop is just across the street, which is super convenient. I highly recommend staying here for both the ambiance and location. The Indian staff members at the hotel were all very friendly and would greet us proactively. We arrived at the hotel around 12 PM, right after our flight. One of the staff members said we could check-in early at 1:30 PM, so we left our luggage at the front desk and went out for lunch, thinking we could come back, change, and head out for some sightseeing and photos. However, when we returned at the appointed time, a different female staff member told us we couldn't check in until 2:30 PM. I simply mentioned that I was previously told we could check in at 1:30 PM, and she immediately became upset, telling me not to pressure or rush her. To accommodate her mood, my family of three quietly sat with her in the lobby for half an hour. After that, she simply announced that it was time to check in, without having received any calls or anything – it was just the scheduled time. All the other staff members at this hotel were very enthusiastic, but she was always unhappy and gave us a cold shoulder whenever we saw her. I hope she can find some happiness. I understand that the official check-in time is 3 PM. I was just trying to discuss an earlier check-in. If I had been told from the start that early check-in wasn't possible, I would have taken a taxi to a more distant area to explore and returned later. Travel time is limited, and I want to plan my trips more efficiently, not waste time waiting in a hotel lobby to check in. I'm not here to accompany her at work, and I hope she can be more professional and consider the needs of travelers. I really hope other guests staying here don't encounter her; everything else was perfect."

"Our family had a wonderful weekend stay. The room was large and spotless, and the kids loved the swimming pool. The front desk staff gave us a fast and friendly welcome, and the hotel was only a five-minute walk from the train station. We will definitely come back next year.” Our family had a wonderful weekend stay. The room was large and spotless, and the kids loved the swimming pool. The front desk staff gave us a fast and friendly welcome, and the hotel was only a five-minute walk from the train station. We will definitely come back next year.”"

"I mentioned that I will return in my stay less than 2 weeks ago and I did..yes I love Penang so much..touch wood..but seriously its due to the Merdeka month and lots of events I can visit complimentarily, and enchanting Penang didn't disappoint, location of hotel is superb to cater to my cuisine fix....but I need to highlight to Victoria Garden Hotel .... ..what's with the hair dryer ( refer pic)- why provide a wall -mounted hair dryer when it's not readily wall-mounted. I literally had to carry the dangling hair dryer with the wall bracket, refer picture pls..it's most comfortable and dangerous..the socket will break due to the weight..I saw sparks at the plug point( and the plug point is 2 - pin one..luckily mgt hv adaptor)..Anyway..the staff told me all the rooms' hair dryers are the same! Seriously..I think if you value the guests' comfort and safety, management of Victoria Garden should seriously mount it on the wall somehow , somewhere in the room. Oh yes, the bathroom rain shower head was dripping from the top when I was using the hand- held shower..drip drip drip . Also..may I know why no feedback from the management on the guests review. Thank you very much Victoria Garden.. I'll be back ..maybe.."