The Tale of Two Traders

Written by Xin Li.
Penang and Hong Kong.
Have anyone seen the Shangri-la advertisement featuring a lost adventurer who found himself amongst a pack of wolves providing warmth for him?

The Traders group of hotels, under the wing of Shangri-la has delivered the warmth it promised during two of my stays at their hotels in Penang and Hong Kong.

The Traders Hotel Penang, dates back to the construction of the KOMTAR in the late 20th century. While the wear and tear can be observed throughout the hotel, the warm hospitality has anything but faded.

From checking in to dining at the Lobby Lounge, the service was top-notch and at no point of time I felt like I am treated like a second class guest.

The hotel's rather petite swimming pool was quite a treat under the merciless heat in July and I like how they also provided complimentary chilled towels and water for the guests.

The cakes, which were being sold for half of its price in the evening were not bad I enjoyed the Tutti Fruti very much and their Cheesecake was quite decent too. Top it up with live piano music, the lobby lounge has a pleasant relaxed atmosphere.

Venue wise, the Traders Hotel Penang is conveniently situated next to the Pranglin Mall and within the walking distance of the heritage core of Penang, which provides its guests plenty of things to do (and eat) throughout their stay.

About 1500 miles away from Penang, Hong Kong is notorious for its almost robot like service attitude (especially if you are not wealthy or looked like one). However, at the Traders Hotel Hong Kong, located around the West District area, this is not the case. Similar to Traders Hotel Penang, the service was cordial from checking in to checking out and in both cases, requests for late check out were being entertained.

I stayed at the Club Room with Mountain View at the Traders Hotel Hong Kong (at a discounted rate through Agoda). Included in the club benefits were the complimentary breakfasts and afternoon snacks and hor d’oeuvre in the evening at their 27th floor Club Lounge.

The modest Club Lounge has a panoramic view of Victoria Harbour where I could spot many ferries making their way up and the down the harbour to destinations like Macau, China and the Outlying Islands.

In the morning, we pampered ourselves with a high-rise breakfast at the Club Lounge. The Scrambled Eggs were velvety and creamy with a slight buttery fragrance and their Muesli, packed with generous amount of ingredients, was really good.

Location wise, the Traders Hotel Hong Kong provides an hourly (but not 24hr) shuttle bus service to China Ferry Terminal, Hong Kong Station, Central Station as well as some other venues such as the Pacific Plaza where Upper House is. There is also the inexpensive tram but it could get rather crowded and it is a rather slow mode of transport. Furthermore, bus stops are also located near the hotel and the airport bus also served one of these stops.

In both Traders Hotel, the Shangri-la experience continues to shine without feel and while the facilities or aesthetics might not beat 5/6 stars hotels like the Fullerton in Singapore to Peninsula in Hong Kong, they more than make up (if not fared better) with their consistent excellence in service. Next time I know which international hotel chain I would probably be delighted to check in with.


Traders Hotel, Penang
Magazine Road
10300
Malaysia


Traders Hotel, Hong Kong
香港西环
皇后大道西508号
508 Queen's Road West
Western District
Hong Kong