Workcationing at KL’s new Hotel Indigo showed us locals a luxurious take on Malaysian charm

This is a workcation series where we personally visit and review hotels, resorts, and more, to find out how well they cater to digital nomads and hybrid professionals. 

Hotel highlights:

✓ Instagram-worthy interior design at every corner, featuring a nostalgically localised touch

✓ Well-equipped facilities such as the gym and the pool

✓ Delicious dining options within the hotel, from a comforting breakfast to a fancy dinner

✓ Many attractions in walking distance from the hotel, such as the KL Tower and the bustling Changkat area

Even if you’ve been to a Hotel Indigo somewhere else in the world, you’ll still find its first Malaysian location in Kuala Lumpur to be a breath of fresh air. 

No two Hotel Indigos are the same, thanks to the boutique hotel brand’s concept of reflecting the neighbourhood surrounding its properties. 

With views of the KL skyline featuring Merdeka 118, Hotel Indigo Kuala Lumpur at the Park (Hotel Indigo KL) is filled with a tropical luxe vibe, with nostalgic callbacks to ubiquitous Malaysian features, such as ikat mati drink packets and those familiar metal shophouse grilles.  

During our recent 3D2N workcation at this hotel, we locals got to experience exactly how localised Hotel Indigo KL is. 

A uniquely Malaysian flair

While checking in, we were surprised to find that this newly launched hotel has already attracted quite a number of guests. Judging by the accents and languages, we noticed that there were many tourists from Mainland China, as well as a few seemingly from Europe. 

To counter the sweltering heat outside, I was given an icy cold hand towel and a refreshing pineapple-flavoured welcome drink at the receptionist, a nice touch for arriving guests.

Speaking of outside, allow me to backtrack a little to the hotel’s exterior. Featuring a relatively narrow facade, Hotel Indigo KL’s driveway is rather tight, meaning cars would have to reverse down the slope leading up to the main entrance on the fifth floor. 

But that’s where the somewhat hidden car turntable becomes handy. What appears to be a logo of the hotel at first turns out to be a spinning deck that reverses a vehicle for you.  

The lobby is filled with warm tones, and the space features a fair amount of foliage—a recurring theme throughout the property. 

As mentioned, a big charm of Hotel Indigo KL is its incorporation of Malaysian elements, which is best observed in its interior design. Aside from mimicking the lush greenery of our country, Hotel Indigo KL also highlights local furniture, some made with rattan, some with rescued wood. 

Of course, there were some more on-the-nose elements as well, such as the aforementioned metal grilles. But even so, it was done in a very elegant manner, so much so that I feel proud this is what some tourists will see when visiting Malaysia. 

Inside our room 

Even the entrance to our room was gorgeous, featuring a beautiful dark wooden door, the side panel decorated with some vibrant tiled details.

Inside our two singles standard room, we found many “easter eggs”—items made by familiar local businesses. There were drink coasters from APOM, baskets from Penan Lab, snacks from JustGood, and even ceramic art from Kéceramics.

This reminded us of our stay at the homegrown KLoe Hotel, which also featured a variety of localised items. It’s great to see how hotels—from local ones to international chains—are championing Malaysia’s unique charms nowadays. 

Like the rest of the hotel, our room was tastefully designed. From the Chinese lunar calendar-styled walk-in closet to the woven nylon bedside tables, there was so much to take note of. As they say, a photo speaks a thousand words, so here’s a photo gallery to articulate it all:

Although our room was facing a neighbouring building, there are specific rooms with views of the KL Tower, though they come with a higher price tag. 

Work from anywhere 

No workcation is complete without actual work, so we took to the lobby to get our grind on. 

While it might be busy near the check-in hours, the space is rather free in the morning, with plenty of room for you to set up your workstation. 

The only issue about working in the lobby, we noticed, was the charging ports, or rather, lack thereof. We managed to find a few, hidden on the bottom of some pillars.

Hidden around the corner next to the reception are two cosy nooks for those who like to work in a more isolated environment, or perhaps even take a call. Again, though, a criticism here is that there are no visible charging outlets.

Next to one of these cubbies was a shelf of thoughtfully curated books featuring local stories. We spotted Hanna Alkaf’s titles, Tan Twan Eng’s The Gift of Rain, and other books about Malaysia. 

Of course, the table in our room also made for a conducive work area, but with only one chair available, only one of us could comfortably work there at a time. That said, the sofa is quite comfy for those who can work with their laptops on, well, their laps. 

Eat, rest, recharge 

Now, onto the vacation portion of our experience. 

Let’s start from one of the most important things, sleep. Although the room itself wasn’t very soundproof (based on a noise test we conducted), we didn’t hear any loud noises throughout the night from either any neighbours or the city outside. 

The bed was leaning towards the firmer side, but too much so, and the pillows were the ultra-soft kind, which meant doubling up was absolutely necessary for someone like me. 

After a good rest, how does working out to the views of the city sound? Open 24/7, the hotel gym features a sizable assortment of equipment, including the usual suspects of yoga mats, weights, and treadmills.

On the same floor, you’ll find the infinity pool. Here, you get to float to the sights of the KL Tower. Open from 7AM to 8PM, we recommend an early swim to catch the morning rays glowing over the skyscrapers.

I will say, the pool feels a little bit old despite the hotel being new, with the floor of it feeling a bit gritty—but perhaps that was an intentional design choice. 

As for gastronomical offerings, the hotel has two food establishments: Wok Star, the all-day dining spot, and Silver Monkey, the restaurant on the 24th floor that opens for lunch and dinner. 

Like the hotel, the dining options aim to give a localised flair as well. While the breakfast buffet was on the more limited side, there were still really solid options, from curry noodles to kuih-muih. 

Dinner was a delicious affair, starting out strong with bread with kombu butter and ending with the most decadent and indulgent chocolate-covered banana cheesecake. 

Neighbourhood charm 

While the gorgeous interior of the hotel makes it difficult to leave, the location offers plenty of opportunities to explore KL. 

The bustling Changkat area is but a leisurely 15 minutes walk away. If you’re looking for something a bit more touristy, you can make your way over to KL Tower, which looms over the hotel. 

The KL Tower area is also home to the eighth stop of the KL Hop-On Hop-Off bus. As a partner of the hotel, you can pick up tickets from the concierge. 

That said, we must advise you to carve out a decent amount of time if you want to experience the bus. Due to the frequency, we had to wait quite a long time to board the bus. With KL traffic being what it is, it takes a while to finish the whole route too. 

A conducive escapade

New hotels always have this exciting sheen to them, but even overlooking the newness of Hotel Indigo, we found it to provide a blend of comfort and luxury without coming off too high-brow or sterile. 

Boasting a global standard of hospitality, Hotel Indigo KL appeals to guests looking for a localised experience. 

Of course, there were some little issues, such as our door not locking unless you apply a fair amount of force while closing, or the room being not quite as soundproof as we’d like, or the elevator card reader being finicky at times. 

But these things aside, we found the staff to be helpful, the ambiance to be pleasant and conducive, and the amenities and facilities to be top-notch. Hotel Indigo KL is an ode to the city surrounding it, and a tranquil haven in and of itself.