The Marion Hotel Johor BahruDeluxe Twin Room

Through the glass front door and up a flight of white, marbled stairs is a dimly-lit hotel lobby. Is the hotel a proponent of energy conservation? Past the tall wooden front desk, a female receptionist. Leaning at the corner of the desk, a housekeeper in her mid-50’s—which, later on I found her to possess the mien of a caregiver—took a gander. Were they ready to accept check ins?

After a verification of identity and payment of Malaysia’s RM10 tourism tax, I received Room 304’s key card. Just one card. That means that you cannot leave the room without first initiating a blackout. The WiFi password was taped to the back of the key card. Rooms 201–206 are on the same level as the hotel lobby. The others are another couple flight of stairs up. No elevators here.

304 is a Deluxe Twin Room without a window or a view. Gauging from what little reviews there are online and the hotel’s official website, only the bigger Premier rooms have them. However, those rooms face the main street and I did not want surround sounds of motorbikes and heavy trucks in my sleep.

This is a small but cozy room (with a faulty door light). The toilet was two steps away from the room door and was wet when I entered. I imagined that a fire sprinkler must have gone rogue when nobody was home. No matter. Its white marbled walls were quite spick and span, and more importantly, showers had a stable supply of hot water.

Opposite the toilet, a black hanging rack affixed to the wall underneath an air conditioner. Four hangers for clothes, and a bench for your luggage. No wardrobe for your clothes nor a safe deposit box for your valuables. Next to the rack, an unstable stool which doubled up as an obstacle in a small room. Complimentary packets of coffee and toiletries on a proper table, with an empty jug and two glasses. There is no water the in room.

But fret not. Take the empty pitcher and collect your jar of hearts. Or, head to the lobby and fill it with potable water. Hot, warm, or cold. You name it, they have it—all within the Cuckoo Fusion Stand Water Purifier equipped with a 6-stage filtration system. Fair warning though, if you are looking forward to making that free packet of instant coffee, bring your own spoon or stirrer. Otherwise, consider using the toothbrush handle as an attractive alternative.

The single bed was comfortable, as were the pillows. Fresh, clean sheets are key ingredients to a good night’s sleep. The entertainment system—a television set—played host to some analogue channels from Singapore. Poor reception made the broadcast visuals noisy and horrible. But the fast in-room WiFi made up for it. No one was going to watch the abysmal propaganda-laced broadcast programming from Singapore anyway.

Once again, The Marion Hotel is a simple hotel with bare necessities. A roof over the head, four walls and a bed, with toilet and a shower. No fancy buffet here. With a 5-minute walk to Naughty Nuri’s Warung, or a 5-minute (Grab) drive to Soon Soon Heng Bak Kut Teh, you will not need one either. I entered The Marion Hotel as a sceptic and left as a believer. All in all, this place makes for a pleasing stay.