Royale Chulan Penang

6/10

Pleasant

15 Apr 2026

Robert

I had a big problem with a mould which was pretty obvious by the smell in each of the four rooms I was showing,where I picked the best and still got a sinus migraine overnight. My wife isn’t sensitive and she didn’t have an issue even though she could smell it the first day. They seem to do a good job of cleaning it on the second day so the next two days seem quite OK but I believe it came back again, possibly because they couldn’t get deep into cleaning away the mould that was probably, I suspect, in the Air-Conditioning. The carpet was very clean. Having said that, I loved this place for it ambience, The, great breakfast, and the wonderful swimming pool that goes into the shade in the later part of the afternoon was a plus because I didn’t have to protect myself from the sun. The gym is very well equipped annd it is also an interesting location for restaurants and the old colonial side of Georgetown. So if you are not mould sensitive or they’ve managed to permanently fix the problem then it’s good value and enjoyable. It took it took a big toll on my respiratory system by the end of the week I spent there.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

24 Feb 2026

Norma

Room fine well provided but hairdryer very weak. Swimming pool area requires upgrading as it is tired and decking breaking up and wood very hot to walk on. No staff for drinks etc

10/10

Exceptional

06 Feb 2026

Paul

Great staff, room was comfortable but possibly a little cold. Breakfast was excellent

8/10

Excellent

03 Feb 2026

Tom

Very busy hotel, big Chinese holiday. Breakfast was great, buffet but freshly made. Good location in UNESCO area.

Partner

2/10

Poor

02 Feb 2026

Pretty

Room quality - very bad. Aircon wasn’t working properly. Very old property
Staff - very rude and unable to cater to good service levels
Not kid friendly

Business Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 Feb 2026

Shaun

Nice room, good location, helpful staff

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

26 Jan 2026

Sara

Great location but old building and needs upgrade. Room service not great, I would rate it 3.5

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jan 2026

Isaac Lorca

Very clean and very friendly and welcoming staff

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jan 2026

David

All good.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Dec 2025

louise

Lovely hotel with excellent service and staff. Great location easy walk to everything. Good breakfast with lots of different choices. Pool was clean. Decoration was very festive and seemed good with families

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Dec 2025

Christopher James

Upon arrival I saw the scaffolding and workmen painting the exterior and thought oh no not again. Quite the opposite it was wonderful and ideally located

Self

10/10

Exceptional

07 Dec 2025

Anthony

Great staff, comfortable and quiet room.

Leisure Self

4/10

Poor

05 Oct 2025

Lynn

I don’t like to leave bad reviews…but I was so very disappointed with the conditions of our room at this hotel.

I will say that the front desk staff addressed the concerns when we called it to their attention. But the fact is, I shouldn’t have to call to their attention that there was mold growing on the walls of the shower and there were no towels, soap or bathroom amenities in our room.

There was some music thumping well past midnight on two of our three nights. And during the day the noise from the pool 4 stories down was very audible.

To their merit the breakfast buffet was extensive, there was plenty to choose from, some of it better than others. The location of the hotel is convenient and made walking to most areas of Georgetown easy. And despite what others have posted, our interactions with all staff were good. They were pleasant and smiled when we entered the hotel etc.

This was likely an incredible hotel 10-20 years ago. But is missing the mark by today’s standards.

8/10

Excellent

02 Oct 2025

Ivan

Nice old building with nice features. Facilities were limited by the nature of the building and some of them were out of order. Great location to access old Georgetown

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

02 Oct 2025

Bonnie

AC worked well and room was pretty quiet. We did not have housekeeping every day. The day we did, we did not get wash cloths replaced and we had to ask for them.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

18 Aug 2025

Steven

Lovely hotel with lovely staff. A bit dated perhaps but that's to be expected for an old hotel! Everything else was great.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jul 2025

philippa

Excellent choice for Georgetown

Lovely hotel in a great position in Georgetown. Easy walk to all the cute streets and restaurant.
It has a lovely breakfast with a good selection of many different foot styles.
The staff are friendly and always helpful.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 May 2025

Susannah

Lovely hotel. Attentive staff. Top class venue. Best location.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

27 May 2025

Muhammad

Average hotel in Georgetown Penang

The hotel entrance is quite hidden from the street and it was kind of hard to find. There’s a doorman who opens the door for hotel guests. Since we arrived early, we stored our luggage there so we can go sightseeing in the morning. The room was small but comfortable. The only complaint we have was the lack of bathroom supplies. The shower gel bottle was empty. There were no face towels and no vanity kit. The slippers provided were very flimsy and easily torn. We had to request for the bathroom supplies to be delivered to our room.
The buffet breakfast was really good and the service was very efficient. I would choose a different hotel if I were to come back to Georgetown again since there are a lot of hotels to choose from.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

25 Apr 2025

Richard Philip

No bar

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

07 Apr 2025

Stephen

Enjoyed staying at Royal Chulan.

The only issue was that there is no alcohol sold on premises. This is not advised on any of the hotels information when booking which is a bit disappointing.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Mar 2025

Alexander

This is a great hotel in the heart of old Georgetown near the waterfront. Great facilities, good value and most importantly very helpful and friendly staff. Highly recommended.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

26 Mar 2025

Richard

I absolutely love this hotel. There's a lot of history to it. The rooms are really nice, the staff is great, the breakfast is fantastic. Walking distance from the ferry terminal is nice too.
I will definitely be back!

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

16 Mar 2025

Deveena

Everything was very good. Breakfast could be better.

8/10

Excellent

01 Mar 2025

Deanna

Unfortunately the view from our room was that of a dirty ledge and a huge building blocking everything else. It is a clean facility but quite worn with time. The staff tending the rooms were very friendly and welcoming.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

22 Feb 2025

Wai Hong

The hotel room is big, services are good.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Feb 2025

Edward

An excellent location, close to all that George Town has to offer. Friendly, helpful staff. Clean and very comfortable rooms with all the facilities you might want. And a tasty and varied breakfast offering as well. A great choice.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

08 Jan 2025

John

The hotel is very well place for those wishing to explore the city. Little India and Chinatown are fairly close and that's a relief as there are no alcohol sales in the hotel for thirsty guests. This is not mentioned on any site to our knowledge. The rooms are fine, the wifi powerful, and the value is good, But when the place is full, a gloomy secondary dining room is used for breakfast that is huge and warehouse-like, with curtains firmly drawn to hide the dirty windows. Some tidying-up in the entrance (piano) area would make it look like the photo on their website too. It just needs a manager with sharper eyes. The hotel driver, Bala, deserves a medal for fine service.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jan 2025

Augusto

The hotel is a special historical landmark. It also has a terrific, hardworking, and amiable staff.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

10 Dec 2024

D M

Quality Hotel with friendly staff. Comfortable bed spacious room. Breakfast buffet had a wide variety of choices and very good food. Would definitely stay here again

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Dec 2024

richard

The pool area and gym were kept exceptionally clean and neat by young man

10/10

Exceptional

11 Aug 2024

HONGBING

Great location and the room is very clean and comfortable.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

06 Jul 2024

Deirdre

Walking distance to everything in georgetown

2/10

Poor

06 Feb 2024

Jamie

The property is oirdates and many facilities are not working, like the business centwr. My room smelled of smoke, as did many of the hallways. The attempts to cover the smell with airfresheners resulted in a terrible smell.

Business_and_leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

31 Jan 2024

Qing Zhou

Old building with colonial history background. Very good service and friendly staff. I enjoyed my stay. Thanks.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

26 Jan 2024

Paul

Good access to old town from back of hotel. TWO problems: I found one cockroach in my room, breakfast room very busy unless you get uo very early.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jan 2024

Sally

Good hotel comfortable and friendly. Easily walkable to all George Town has to offer.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jan 2024

Janice

Clean, cosy room, great staff service and nice buffet breakfast.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

31 Dec 2023

Christopher

The staff at Royale Chulan was very hospitable and made our stay very pleasant!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Dec 2023

Peter

Loved the style and Heritage of the building. The staff were wonderful.

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Nov 2023

HEMA

Enjoyed our stay. Very nice, polite & helpful and accommodating staff. Gym was adequate and better than a lot of other hotels I've been to. Breakfast buffet was quite good with a nice change of food daily. Only terrible thing were the fruit juices esp. the OJ. Would definitely highly recommend and stay again.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

13 Nov 2023

Neu

Breakfast

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Oct 2023

Anthea

Second stay here. Came back for the location and breakfast. Staff are lovely. Would definitely stay again.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 Aug 2023

Nicholas

Great service from all staff, room was perfect for us, buffet breakfast was amazing, would definitely stay again

4/10

Poor

09 Jul 2023

Amanda

The hotel must have been grand in its day. It is tired and run down now. While the staff are generally great, some laundry went missing and it was a nightmare to resolve - right up to the point of our departure.

I did not like the breakfast at all (we only went once). If I was travelling alone, I would not have liked the location of the hotel in terms of access when walking (the actual entrance is tucked around the back, off the street).

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

04 May 2023

Ervan

Older, but still nice, courteous staff, good spot

Room was nicely appointed in terms of furniture. Hotel staff was extra helpful in multiple ways. Food service was good. Downtown historical districts and shopping are walkable.

Some minor negatives: TVs are broadcast only with limited selection (i.e. no Youtube or Netflix). During my stay there was a lot of trouble with the WiFi. While bathrooms were remodeled and mostly modern age was showing in some cracks.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

29 Apr 2023

Mior Naqiuddin

-

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

28 Apr 2023

LIM

Like - nroom is clean, breakfast is good,
Dislike - a lot of cars parked on car ramp which makes driving in & out very narrow and dangerous
A request - can I have official receipt as none was issued to me during check out. Thks

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

26 Apr 2023

Eugene

The property is old but clean .. shower was strong and air con powerful. Bed was hard but ok… Staff were super helpful and friendly. The free breakfast buffet was awesome and went beyond my expectations… location is ok and parking free

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

18 Feb 2023

Sharin Shaifuddin

Very clean. Friendly staffs. Location very good

Business Partner

8/10

Excellent

14 Aug 2022

Peter

Pros: Our room was large, clean & pleasant, and we were allowed early check in and late check out. The location was very convenient.

Cons: The restaurants were closed (apart from breakfast buffet restaurant) and the room service menu only had a fraction of the dishes shown on the menu. The TV service had a very limited selection of channels of interest to a European.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jul 2022

Maison

Amazing Stay At Royal Chulan Penang

Excellent reception by Mr Ganesan! Very helpful and friendly. 5 star employee

Business

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jun 2022

Lawrence

Staff were helpful and easy to talk to.
Close to ferry wharf and bus station. Easy walk to most areas once you know the area of George Town.
Good local food court across from hotel.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

04 Mar 2022

Arne

Great

Great for value. Very satisfied

Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 Sep 2020

Bernard

Hotel staff and room Everything was good
But the food is poor

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Mar 2020

Verified traveler

We had a long stay there just as the Covid-19 crisis escalated. Overall the staff and management were very kind and accommodating given the circumstances. The location for seeing Georgetown is very good. There are a few excellent restaurants within easy walking distance. There is a functional gym and a nice pool. The beds are really large and excellent. Breakfast is fine, definitely for the price. I hope all the staff come through this crisis, we wish them all the best.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Mar 2020

Verified traveler

Clean & nice

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Mar 2020

syed saifuddin

City classic

Get free upgrade to end suites. Nice port view. Location just walking distance to art street.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Feb 2020

Lau

Good stay

Good location and cleanliness

Business

8/10

Excellent

23 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

The Hotel is located in a quiet area of George Town and the entrance is within an alley which leads into a wider area. The staff were friendly and helpful and provided helpful advice. My room had a smallish window, which I expected to be a bit bigger due to the Superior room status. Plenty of options for breakfast and spacious area. Located ideally a bit away from centre of town but within walking distance.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

22 Feb 2020

Goh

Will Stay again

Nice. Very comfortable.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

17 Feb 2020

John

Well located on the edge of the UNESCO World Heritage sight, within easy walking distance of all the major attractions within the old town of Georgetown

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

16 Feb 2020

LK

Good value and location. Friendly staff, reasonably clean rooms

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

15 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

Our room was fine. View of pier was great!
We were not offered an upgrade. We had a bad experience at the pool one day which the Manager was to speak with us about and he never did. So this was disappointing. Overall our stay was great and we would try again

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

I had a nice spacious room which was lovely. My room was facing the pool rather than the street. I was expecting room facing the road.

Staff generally very friendly and polite.

The carpet was a bit dirty after few days of my stay. It should've been hoovered properly but generally it was a pleasant stay.

Leisure Self

4/10

Poor

26 Jan 2020

Ying

We came in at around 11.30am with a 6 month old and they refused to let us check in early although there were rooms available. Baby cot was also not arranged as requested.

At 4.15pm day 2 our room was still not cleaned by housekeeping. We couldn’t wait so called to ask them to come and left the room for them to clean. When we came back they had removed one of our keys that was in the slot at the door.

Won’t be coming back to stay again. Service is poor and room wasn’t that clean. There were mould stains near the sink

Friends_and_family Family_with_children

4/10

Poor

14 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

While the location in general was fine being near many of the historical sites, to get to the lobby means walking down side streets or walking between tables in the restaurant. There is no real entrance on the main road. The rooms and suites on the second floor look out either to the car park or a wall halfway up the swimming pool and you can’t really open the curtains. Maintenance is generally poor and the breakfast a disaster. Staff other than the restaurant staff are friendly.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

08 Jan 2020

David

Great location for the Ferry terminal and has a good swimming pool.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

30 Dec 2019

norfadzil syam

Lazy ass maintenance guys

My room was leaking when I arrive, I asked front desk to check the leaking while I go out. They just put towels to absorb the leaking water. For 2 nights, carpet in my room was smelly

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

29 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

Gym access is Not 24 hours

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

27 Dec 2019

Khaveenraj

Awesome

Awesome place to stay

Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

Insufficient Parking Lot at the Hotel

There is insufficient parking lots at the property. The Management should think about improving and expanding the car parking space to accommodate guests who drive to the hotel.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Dec 2019

Goh

Yes I will return. Hopefully improved.

All great. if not the best. The only problem is the front desk and cafe. The front desk is not helpful, and the cafe staff especially male supervisor (I assume he is the supervisor there) are not courteous. Room's Comfort-wise is great which the bed is comfy. Room layout is unique and breakfast is great.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

29 Nov 2019

Mira

Recommended for next stay

Leisure Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

23 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

Central, pleasant, well maintained. Welcoming.
Slightly dull breakfast - and blah coffee...

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

21 Nov 2019

Xerxes300

Room layout is excellent, great partitions of space between the bedroom and bathroom. Bed is comfortable, the pool charming. Great front desk staff who were very obliging. The food and beverage staff need improvement with their service in the main restaurant. I ordered sandwiches one afternoon when I was the only diner in the room but it took them half an hour to deliver the food I nearly screamed out of hunger - this is unacceptable for a hotel of this stature! Food was great but the service was terribly lackluster! The food staff did try to make it up to me for my next meals by paying more attention to my needs but it felt forced, kind of trying to win my confidence back but the first dining experience has already dampen a bit my overall otherwise brilliant experience of the hotel which could have been a first class experience if not for that terrible initial let down.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

Charming hotel in an ideal, central location in Georgetown. Friendly, professional check in service. Room was a good size, super comfortable bed and superb views from our 4th floor room looking out onto the cruise liner terminal and jetty. All amenities provided, i.e. tea/coffee making facilities and free bottled water everyday throughout our stay.

Room was cleaned to a high standard each day and staff were always very friendly and forthcoming. Great walk in shower and hot water at all times.

Breakfast had a good selection each day, with hot and cold food, fruit and tasty home made waffles.

The pool is located on the 2nd floor and well sheltered within the confines of the hotel rooms. The times we used it, it was always quiet so was nice to chill out. Also included a jacuzzi which was on a timer system. Gym and massage facilities were available to if you wanted to use them.

The hotel was ideally located near Weld Quay. This is where the main RapidPenang bus terminal was and gave access to all routes to locations throughout the island. Bus is the most ideal method of travel as they are very regular and extremely cheap. Travelling from the airport to the hotel only cost RN5.40 (approx £1).

Overall, I highly recommend this hotel to anyone wishing to visit the lovely island of Penang. It is steeped in history and the people are so friendly, none more so than all the hotel staff. Will definitely consider using again if we ever return. Thanks to all!!

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

17 Nov 2019

NORAZLINAH

Old hotel, need to upgrade. Fittings in the toilet spoit. Took 4 rooms, no to my satisfaction. Really need to reno the hotel.

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

10 Nov 2019

Mon

Spacious room in heritage building. Handy location to explore Georgetown. Food wasn't really 4*.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

It is a good.location
Rooms are of a good size and we'll maintained.
Could do with another electric point at a convenient place where the ironing board can be set up more easily - I had to unplug the bedside lamp and squeeze the ironing board into a narrow space between bed and lounger.

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

11 Oct 2019

GordonM

Very central, walkable and quiet. Nice pool, spa and gym. Good breakfast buffet

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

03 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

1) Hotel does not read nor reply messages sent on Expedia message app
2) Front desk team could have better courtesy to inform about what I requested (quieter room or floor) when I found out the room is next to the lift as well as a seminar room
3) Front desk then offered me level 5 room, which is opposite a club
4) I received an Expedia 10% or 20% discount email on the F&B, however I was charged the full price for the cocktail I ordered

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

02 Oct 2019

Sam

Spacious room

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

10 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

could offer turndown services if possible

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

09 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

Good stay

I received an upgrade to a suite, the balcony view was stunning. Very delightful experience. Overall the hotel was abit running down , the breakfast choice is limited as for 4 stars hotel standard.

6/10

Pleasant

31 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

Overall ok.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

27 Aug 2019

Kutbi

Friendly Staff, Nice and clean room, good breakfast etc...

Business Partner

6/10

Pleasant

26 Aug 2019

Siew

The Malay lady who worked in the front desk on 23rd Aug morning shift needs improvement. She doesn't own the problem when we asked for a king size bed room as Expedia/the hotel screwed up our booking, the front desk could not find our room booking record and we have made full payment. The Indian trainee asked us to fill in a new form. We booked a queen/king size bed but gave us a room with 2 single beds. The front desk lady said she is not the one handled the booking but those people worked in the upstairs. The Indian front desk trainee knew the 314 room with king size bed was available, but the Malay lady said to him that didn't release to us. We confronted her when she said the front desk doesn't the problem but the upstairs staff are! How can a front desk personnel said such thing? We told her in this case we can speak to the right people if she was not the right person who we should speak to. Expedia please give a reason of why our booking record was able to find, and the trainee initially gave a same name but different address' booing form for us to sign! Horrible, I gave him the passport to check and he didn't check at all!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

24 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

Great central location. Staff were great. Rooms very comfortable. Breakfast buffet covered every taste and was delicious.
Special ‘thank you’ to Rafi in the restaurant who went well out his way regarding pickled papaya that I took a liking to; very kind and generous of him. I was honoured.
I would gladly stay again at the Royale Chulan Penang, and recommend it highly to others.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Aug 2019

Robert

Overall a great place to stay

To be picky I would point up the breakfast area food needs to be monitored a little more closely - popular dishes on the day needed replentishing - the local area was quite good but a clear A4 instruction sheet would have made it easier

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

The Royale Chulan has been my hotel of choice for many years because the customer service is first class, staff are helpful & courteous & the rooms well designed, spacious & functional. Breakfast is also a good variety of food, western & eastern. I now know the staff on first name basis & unless something changes drastically in service will continue to stay here.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

06 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

The Room wasn’t very clean and room wasn’t maintained well.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

06 Aug 2019

Lee

Unfriendly staff. The story begins from when i was checking in at the counter, there was a lady(maybe india lady 35-50 years old approx) found out that i used my nickname to book from Experdia. She straight away said this to me : You cannot use your nickname to book it! You have to book it as per your IC! (In a rudely way). I was driving a long way from KL to the island for about 3-4hours, i was tired and I wasn’t expecting i would be treated like this. Spoiled my mood for the evening. Other than that, just a little bit dusty around the corner of the room. Overall are okay, amenities are okay, breakfast is okay as well and convenient location to do my food hunting around George town.

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 Jul 2019

Mala

Good and friendly staff

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jul 2019

Frederick

The furnishings and bed are great. Specious clean room.
Only negative is breakfast is below standard. Nothing to shout about otherwise the rest is good

Business_and_leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

26 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

It was close to Jetty and Little India. But food selection for both breakfast and executive lounge is not great.

Business_and_leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

24 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

There were many ants crawling on the tables in the room. Found one or two on the bed too

Business Partner

8/10

Excellent

22 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Beautiful hotel near the old historic downtown.
Nice breakfast and friendly staff

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Great staff, friendly and accomodating
No pool bar staff

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

A very good 4 star hotel.Rooms clean spacious & well appointed, Breakfast was a good mix of Asian food. Pool was quite small but adequate.Bar was a bit pricey but okay .

Leisure Self