Even if you’re no cinephile, it’s likely that this hotel in KL will evoke famed director Wes Anderson’s art style.
Stepping through The Très Hotel’s doors, I can almost hear the familiar tune of Obituary from The French Dispatch, which trended on TikTok some years back when everyone was romanticising their lives by pretending they’re in an Anderson picture.
I can’t help but judge this book by its cover, though. Having had the privilege of enjoying numerous workcations in the past, I tend to find that boutique hotels—especially those that prioritise aesthetics—tend to fall short when it comes to the actual service aspect.
Will The Très Hotel manage to prove me wrong?
A retro escapade
While looking past the beautiful facade is important in any hotel stay, there’s no doubt that most patrons of The Très Hotel come for the unique design.
Tucked away in KL’s Taman Seputeh, which is in the Bangsar and Brickfields area, the hotel describes itself as a locally-owned, 86-room micro-boutique hotel.
The building itself is rather old, and likely some other three-star hotel in the past. There appears to be other businesses inhabiting the building, too. More on the business’ history in a different article, though.
Leveraging these old bones, the hotel taps into mid-century designs and retro aesthetics, much like Wes Anderson does in his films.
The hotel graciously gave us two rooms for the night—the Rushmore Suite and the Deluxe Room.
The Rushmore is certainly the more luxe offering, with a size of 40 sqm and a King-sized bed. On the other hand, the 25 sqm Deluxe Room is more of a standard hotel room with a double bed.
Said to be ideal for couples and honeymooners, the Rushmore Suite features an open ensuite bathtub (yes, open) as well as a vintage vinyl player.
The turntable was especially fun for us (who admittedly have never used a record player before). The selection of vinyls is actually pretty good too—we rotated through the whole collection during our stay.
It was a little bit awkward navigating the bathroom situation, though. Since there were two of us in the room, we couldn’t quite use the bathtub freely.
That much is fine, but there’s also an opening in the bathroom wall which means any noises, if you will, can be heard from the outside. But well, the room is recommended for couples for a reason.
Speaking of the bathroom, the water for both the tub and the shower was incredibly cold and rather low pressure as well. The tub never warmed up, though the shower did eventually. However, we did find the towels and bedsheets to smell amazing.
The spacious suite also has a private dining table. While suitable for work, I would say that the dedicated work desk in the Deluxe Room is a little better for that purpose.
However, neither room has that many plug points, making it harder to get work done. If you’re expecting to do some work here, we recommend bringing your own extension cable.
Frills, but only visually
Although the hotel offers maximalist aesthetics, the amenities are rather minimal. And as for facilities… Well, they’re pretty much non-existent.
As a boutique hotel, it’s not too surprising that there aren’t many frills, but I would say that The Très Hotel’s are on the lower end, even for a boutique hotel.
The only facility they offer is the lounge and coffee bar on the ground floor, which serves a limited range of pastries and drinks.
It also opens rather late in the day (10AM) meaning you wouldn’t be able to enjoy an early breakfast there. On our second day, they ended up opening late as they were waiting on the pastries from a central kitchen.
The pastries are also limited, and there aren’t any hot meals, so you’ll have to either order in or leave the hotel premises to eat. There are no restaurants in walking distance (technically, there are, but Malaysia’s roads do not permit a safe journey). Mid Valley Megamall or The Gardens Mall are your best bet for food.
Given this “food desert,” it would’ve been great if The Très Hotel offered some hot meals. Especially since they market rooms as “ideal for couples” and even “honeymooners”, room service would have been a fantastic option to have.
The lounge makes for a decent space to work, with some plug points available. However, most tables feature low cushioned chairs, making it more appropriate for chilling and chatting rather than working with a computer. That said, it does make for a good informal meeting spot.
Note that they do play music here, though, as there’s another record player in the lounge. It’s a neat addition, though the symphonic music that was playing on the day of our visit was quite loud.
One frill they do have is the photobooth, though it didn’t have any film left at the time of our visit. We still managed to get a photo session in though, and to our surprise, we didn’t have to pay to access the digital images.
There was also a thrift corner, though it’s unclear how long this will remain. While small, it offered quite a nice selection of preloved items from outerwear to shoes for patrons—and other visitors—to browse through.
On the bright side, the pricing matches the minimal amenities with a reasonable figure of around RM150 for the Deluxe Room.
As for the Rushmore, it’s RM350, which fits its uniqueness as well as decent city location, but perhaps a bit pricey for the hotel’s services—or lack thereof.
It’s got its quirks
At The Très Hotel, you should come for the quirkiness, and stay for… well, the quirkiness.
While the city location makes it central to a lot of KL hot spots, it’s not the most accessible for those without cars.
With these factors in mind, I wouldn’t consider The Très Hotel to be the perfect work escapade. Rather, it’s more suitable for getaways, whether that be for couples or solo travellers.
I find that the hotel staff are jovial and friendly, and would certainly have a conversation or two with you should they be free.
Instead of the traditional hospitality, they’re more casual and laidback here, without going above and beyond. I can respect and even appreciate this, but if you’re the kind of person who expects top-notch service and attentiveness, this is not the spot for you.
So, would I workcation here again? Probably not, and that’s fine. But if you’re talking about a leisurely stay with a friend or a loved one, the answer is an easy yes (but only with the promise of piping hot water).
The Très Hotel
Address: 50, Jalan 2/87g, Taman Seputeh, 58000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 03-2276 0323
Website: https://www.thetreshotel.com/
