Tuesday 20 August 2013

Everly Hotel, Putrajaya


Back in June 2013, I attended a conference in PICC, Putrajaya. 

As it was a Saturday and the conference was from 10am-10pm, hubby and I decided to spend a night in Putrajaya.

We chose the Everly Putrajaya since it was a new hotel and it was adjacent to the Alamanda Putrajaya Mall (the mall's entrance is right at the hotel's doorstep where you'll go through TGIF restaurant).

Everly Putrajaya

View from the lakeside
Image credit to Nasrul Fujiwara or snake4499 of Flickr
Image Courtesy of TripAdvisor
The 7 images below credit to AdlineMakes of Flickr 
Distance to Alamanda Putrajaya. 2 Entrance nearby via behind the restaurants or Cinema end.
by AdlinMakes
Reception lobby open concept. Some of the receptionist are very new and not fully experienced
Fuze Cafe by AdlinMakes
by AdlinMakes
Coffee Station not open for business yet by AdlinMakes

Poolside view by AdlinMakes
Another pool view by AdlinMakes
As it wasn't fully operational, certain facilities ie Club Lounge wasn't opened yet.  

The hotel is clean but since it was still new, you would notice that the bathroom isn't used much so expect some dust.

Junior Suite entrance
View from the reception lobby
King Size Bed
Retro funk for the rest area
Breakfast was awesome! Although it was simple, but the food tasted really good! (We forgot to take pictures of the breakfast spread though).


There were a selection of homemade pastries, bihun goreng, nasi lemak, sausages, hash brown, porridge, omelette station, cereals, coffee / tea / juice etc.

The weekend which we stayed in was apparently the final weekend they offered free breakfast.

However, the hotel was quite a distance from PICC. 

The next time we need to attend a conference in PICC, Putrajaya, we would choose Pullman Putrajaya as it is just next to the conference hall. 

The room rates at the time: 


Deluxe (MYR 165++)


Junior Suite (MYR 285++)


Executive Suite (MYR 315++)



We initially made reservations for the Executive Suite (picture below), however, upon seeing the room, it was a bit too small what with having a 2-year old toddler. 

So we changed our room to the Junior Suite (pictures above).



Image courtesy of TripAdvisor

The Everly Putrajaya

No.1 Jalan Alamanda 2, Precinct 1
62000 Putrajaya, Federal Territory of Putrajaya, Malaysia

Tel: +60 3-8892 2929



Updated on Jan 20, 2014:

We experienced an unpleasant check-out process, however, this was resolved amicably. 


We attach a copy of the email we wrote to the customer service via their website. 


Guess what, the TOP management responded swiftly within 48 hours!


To whom it may concern,

I had the pleasure of staying at your hotel last weekend with my wife and our toddler. Although it isn't 100% operational as yet, we enjoyed our stay there, coupled with the fact that it is adjacent to the Alamanda mall and going to the mall was a mere walking distance. Your breakfast was a delightful spread and the service was superb. Ever smiling staff and their efficiency in clearing our plates amazed us. Kudos to the chef and staff!

Unfortunately, we are now experiencing a disappointing after-sales service. 
I had swiped my debit card to secure the hotel deposit for the amount of MYR ..... on 29 June.

Upon check-out the next day, an amount of MYR ..... was deducted.

After checking my bank account today, I realized that a total of MYR ....... had been deducted from my account. I proceeded to contact Everly today and was told that it was an error where they instructed me to contact my bank directly and the resolution would take 2-3 days.

No apologies were offered by Everly in acknowledging the error made from their end. I subsequently contacted my bank, only to be told that it would take 2-3 weeks to get this resolved.

I was extremely devastated at this point. No one had wanted to take responsibility of the error and as usual, the consumer is constantly at the losing end.

Please take this as an official complaint from my end.



I look forward to hearing from you.

After a few email exchange, Dennis Tan, the Managing Director of Everly Group (Value Hospitality Group), himself stepped in for the closure and offered FULL REFUND for the stay.

Picture credit to Borneo Post
Dear .........

I would like to thank you personally for the feedback you provided without which we will not be able to improve. We really appreciate such feedbacks and we strive to respond immediately.

Thank you for supporting us and we look forward to be of service to you in the future.

Warmest Regards,
Dennis

Dennis Tan
Managing Director


Established in 1990, the Value Hospitality Group currently manages five hotels in the nation including the Everly range and Prescott range. Over 350 professionals are employed in all properties under its management.
Currently the other properties managed by Value Hospitality include ParkCity Everly Hotel Bintulu, Parkcity Everly Hotel Miri, Prescott Hotel Klang, Prescott Inn Kuala Lumpur in Medan Tuanku and Prescott Metro Inn, Kajang.


For this type of service recovery to happen in Malaysia, it is something that I have to personally commend. 

I am impressed with how much they value their customers and the quick response time. 

Although the hotel is currently rated as a 3-star hotel, I would personally award Everly Hotel a 5-Star rating and wouldn't hesitate to return.

Well Done, Everly Putrajaya Hotel! 

We apologize for the long overdue credit, you guys truly deserve it. Let's hope this is how you model your customer service standard moving forward. 






Friday 16 August 2013

A 2-year old's Traveling Essentials


A few days before Syawal this year, hubby bought a luggage for our 2 year old toddler.



Yes, she has her own luggage now and all her stuff are packed in it. 




It fits the cabin in the flight perfectly. 

Instead of her having to pull the luggage on her own, she ends up sitting on it whilst we drag her all over the airport.

Click here to find out more about Trunki:


Her Luggage

* A week's worth of clothes. 

Daily Usage
20 diapers
4 pairs of socks
A pair of slippers and a pair of shoes
1 container of formula milk to last a whole week

Shower Bag
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Shower liquid cleanser 
Shampoo
Baby body lotion
Baby oil
Nail clipper
Ear buds
Yu Yee Oil
Minyak Gamat
Zambuk Ointment
1 extra pack of baby wet wipes

Day
3 jumpsuits
3 pants
3 shirts
1 pair of jeans

Night
3 pairs of pyjamas


We prepared TONS of things for our little toddler in preparation of the journey ... come to think of it, she has more stuff than us! 

Since our flight back to hubby's hometown in Sabah was at 1300 hours, we made sure our toddler had her breakfast at home ie bagel and formula milk.


Packed Lunch

Her trusted water bottle (which she keeps in her backpack)
1 container of cooked pasta mixed with a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp of butter
4 pieces of nuggets
1 container of snacks


My Bag

Wallet with her MyKid included
3 diapers
1 pack of baby wipes
Changing mat
Camera
1 bottle of formula milk
Diaper rash cream
A spare change of clothes for our toddler
Baby powder

* Notice how her stuff conquers most of the space in my bag???? :)


iPad

Series: 
Diego
My Little Pony
Bubble Guppies

Games / Apps:
Endless ABC
BeBop Blox
My Story World
ABC Aquarium
Wee Alphas


Yes, the apps / series downloaded by hubby on her iPad kept her occupied throughout the 2.5 hours flight considering that she took breaks for her lunch and also took a nap (I breastfed her in the flight).

We are extremely blessed to have her traveling with us with no issues. 



She was even excited to see the airplane! 




Since we took AirAsia and we had to walk towards the plane, she got all excited and kept repeating "Airplane! Airplane!"

When the plane was about to take off, she would go "Weeeeee! Yee haa!"

On occasions when we were about to touchdown, she was already sleeping comfortably whilst breastfeeding. 



Since I wore a hijab, I managed to cover her entirely. 




We took the hotseat so we paid slightly more but it was worth it as we needed the additional legroom.

It took us back to the first time when we travelled with her to Sabah and she was less than a year old. 



Each time we took off, I ensured that her ears are covered and get her to take sips of water or I would breastfeed her so that she doesn't feel the pressure in her ears. 




I guess the early exposure to flying makes it easier for us now to bring her on flights, Alhamdulillah.