I last stayed at Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel back in 2014. And yes, this is a Marriott hotel which make it pretty nice for my Marriott Bonvoy Gold membership (downgraded from Platinum.. ha ha).
Recently, I made a quick one night stay at this Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel in 2023 and what do I think of it ?
Table of Contents
Why Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel
This is because I am pretty familiar with the Bandar Baru Permas Jaya area and my family in Malaysia decided to meet up at Permas Jaya.
For this trip, I avoided (kinda of) the massive jam in the Causeway by taking the 5 minute train ride from Woodlands Singapore to JB. And from JB Sentral, it was just a short 10 km or so Grab ride that cost less than 10 ringgit to Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel 2023. Of course, if you prefer to stay at the JB city square area near to JB Sentral, this hotel would not be your kind. That would probably be an IHG hotel like Holiday Inn JB.
Check-In at Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel
The check in was a little slow that day due to only 1 staff manning the desk but once it was my turn, it was pretty easy.
I had booked two rooms and they were able to place me in rooms close by. They were not able to give me two interconnected rooms though.
The lobby was pretty nice (Looking back from my 2014 photos, it does not seemed to have changed much either).
The Rooms at Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel
There were 2 huge beds in my room. The pillows and the beds were very comfy and we slept really well for the night.
There was a working desk and two nice big sofa chairs too.
The view was not too good.
I guess I was not really given an upgrade this time. Sad. Marriott Bonvoy Gold does not seemed to be very useful 🙂
You can see the many stores in the shophouses though. Looking forward to exploring them on foot.
But then I did get some free food and drinks upon check-in as that is part of Marriott Bonvoy Gold benefits.
You can get Marriott Bonvoy Gold easily if you sign up for American Express Platinum Card.
Sign Up for AMEX Platinum Card
The bathroom looks different and indeed when I checked back from my 2014 photos, the wall between the bathroom and the room was glass. Now it is completely sealed up 🙂
There is no bath-tub though. The stand in shower is large and can fit two person… again, if you are into that kind of thing 🙂
Wi-fi was decent and everything worked pretty well too.
Swimming Pool
The outdoor pool did not change much. As small as before and as it was raining, we did not go for our customary “test out the swimming pool” thing. We did that back in 2014 though 🙂
Room Service
I am not a room service person (considering that Permas Jaya has such a wonderful night life with many good food and even a Pasar Malam on certain nights). But the children wanted something to eat before they sleep and the 24-hour room service did not disappoint either.
Breakfast
I did not have the daily breakfast but my children did. As my booking did not have any continential buffet breakfast included in the room rate, we had to pay for a breakfast voucher from the check in counter (rather than the restaurant as it is much cheaper if you do so).
The children can go and have their scrambled eggs and sunny side up and whatever..
For me, I am a local boy and instead, I had a most amazing breakfast at this local noodles place called Restoran Ngee Heng Kueh Teow. YUMMY !! TRY IT !!
For food at the hotel, I would love to try the Chinese Restaurant, Wan Li, one day as I heard of very good review of it. I understand it served excellent cantonese cuisine.
Shopping Attractions
As I mentioned, the Permas Jaya area itself is full of food places and there is actually a good AEON Permas Jaya Shopping Centre within walking distance from the hotel. There is also a McDonald nearby.
There are of course massage places and spas if you are into that kind of thing. And oh every man’s little dream…. a very big Mr DIY shop was also at the Permas Jaya area.
For us, we took Grab rides to KSL mall and have our meals there. And shopping. And massage. And spas. And cheap groceries.. But actually prices have gone up a lot in Malaysia still.
Conclusion
It was a short trip to Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel as it was more for a family errand with my family back in Malaysia. Nevertheless it was always nice to get out of the country and enjoy some good hotel and good food. The service at Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel was pretty good and the food around the area in Permas Jaya is good too.
You will enjoy this hotel as we did.
