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4.0
#21 of 122 hotels in Kota Kinabalu
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Step into Dreamtel and be captivated by the friendly charm of our service associates. Situated in the historical part of Kota Kinabalu, the hotel is just within walking distance to Padang Merdeka, the Atkinson Clock Tower and the Malaysia Monument. The hotel is also minutes away from the central district of food, shopping, nightlife, business and everything downtown Kota Kinabalu has to offer. With 160 guestrooms, we have a wide selection of room types in our hotel to suit varying guest requirements including Twin, Double and Triple. Whether you are travelling for business or on holidays with friends and family, we have just the room for you. Dreamtel Cafe is a 120-seat restaurant that combines international flavours as well as local cuisine. From formal board meetings to casual corporate affairs and special events, Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu has the appropriate venue for all your event needs.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
City View
Centrally Located
Languages Spoken
English, Malay
Location
5 Jalan Padang, Kota Kinabalu 88000 Malaysia
Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu
585 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Stayed in a twin room with windows for 4 nights. The room was quite spacious; a bit dated but tidy. The bed was springy. It wasn’t to my liking but mum didn’t mind it. I still slept fine until the early prayers in the morning (I think around 5am on a daily basis), so get ready because that will be your morning call. Speaking of noise, the walls are quite thin so conversations in the corridor and room next door can be heard quite distinctly. I appreciated the night light when everything was switched off at night. Basic amenities were offered, including slippers and bottled water (note that tap water is treated with chlorine, so if you choose to drink it, it’s advised to boil it first). Our air con broke on our third day and upon informing the front desk, a maintenance guy came and promptly fixed it which was highly appreciated. Breakfast is a selection of Asian and Western fares, though not a wide selection. There’s an egg station outside where you can order how you want your egg from the chef. Location wise you are in the heart of it all. Everywhere was walkable and there were buses along the main road although I never took it so cannot comment.
Overall, it was a decent stay with good service.
Disclaimer: This was part of a trip with Trip a Deal.
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Date of stay: March 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A small hotel with basic needs for business travellers. The hotel is right in the city and it is at strategic location where surrounded by restaurants, convenient shops, cafes and complexes and within walking distance. However, it is not suitable for guest that spend more time in hotel as said it is quite basic and suitable for short stay business traveller. Breakfast is kind of basic one, and you will get bore if stay more than 2 days.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Location
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Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This hotel is conveniently located within walking distance of most attractions. It was a 3 night stay as part of a tour. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Breakfast was a buffet, and somewhat disorganised. There were not enough clean plates available, we had to ask on more than one occasion for a plate. The buffet was not replenished when food ran out, it would appear that the staff in the restaurant were run off their feet, which made it rather frustrating for guests. The kettle in our room did not work, it took three trips downstairs to get this fixed.
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Date of stay: September 2019
Value
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from DreamtelKotaKinabalu, Front Office Manager at Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu
Responded 3 Jan 2020
Dear pam j, Kopivosian from Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu! Thank you for the 5 star review despite the shortcomings encountered during your stay. We appreciate your invaluable feedback and will look into improving our breakfast operations and the amenities in the room. We hope to have the chance to welcoming you back to our hotel in the future. Warm regards, Annette Grace Front Office Manager Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu
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Stayed here during Christmas and was pleasantly surprised by the guest appearance of Santa + Santarina + Olaf and a church choir caroling at the lobby :) Room is great, try to get a high floor with a view of the city. Good location just opposite Gaya Street weekend market area. Breakfast is not too bad.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Location
Cleanliness
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from DreamtelKotaKinabalu, Front Office Manager at Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu
Responded 3 Jan 2020
Dear Wallflower69, Kopivosian from Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu! Thank you for making the time to review your recent stay with us. The team at Dreamtel is absolutely ecstatic with the 5 star review. We are happy that you have enjoyed Christmas with us. Should you choose to come and stay with us again, do let me know and I will personally look after your reservation. Warm regards, Annette Grace Front Office Manager Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu
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Booked a room for a five-night stay during my recent trip to Kota Kinabalu. It was the best choice in term of location as it was the pick-up dan drop-off point for TMBT participants. I was given a room facing the city as requested and the view was awesome. Room facilities are good. Breakfast was okay too. Staff were friendly. It is just a few minutes away from Gaya Street where good cafes are found and night market are held on weekends.
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:No special pick-up and drop-off space available. It is a disadvantage to those who drive.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fine. A large room with an ok (7/10 clean) bathroom with hot water. But the decor is a bit dingy and the breakfast room really sad - I was in and out in 5 mins. The reception team are wonderful - really helpful. Good location just a few minutes walk from the city centre. However there are so many similarly-priced hotel options in KK I wouldn’t recommend staying here. Others are fresher/cleaner.
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Date of stay: December 2022Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ferigrina Chan, Marketing at Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu
Responded 4 Apr 2024
Dear Isabel M, Kopivosian & Greetings from Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu! We would like to thank you for taking the time to share your concerns with us. We understand how important a good breakfast is to start the day right, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused. Thank you for taking the time to share your positive review of our hotel staff! We are thrilled to hear that our team members provided you with exceptional service and made your stay with us truly memorable. Please feel free to reach out to us directly if you have any further concerns or if there is anything else we can do to make amends for your previous experience. We value your patronage and hope to have the opportunity to restore your faith in our establishment. Best regards, Ferigrina Chan
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A good selection of buffet breakfast. Eggs cooked to your liking plus Asia selection. Ok room. The bathroom is good. Safe good. Good location, close to Gaya Street and you can walk to the waterfront. Also near some landmarks. Lots of shops nearby.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Rooms
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Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from DreamtelKotaKinabalu, Front Office Manager at Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu
Responded 29 Jan 2020
Dear Trippin' T, Kopivosian from Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu! Thank you for the lovely review of your recent stay with us. We look forward to welcoming you back to our hotel in the future. Warm regards, Annette Grace Front Office Manager Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu
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We split our vacation in 2 parts. First nights decided to be spend in KK to emerge into local culture. For this purpose we chose this hotel, firstly for the good location. Walking distance from the Gaya Street (do not miss the Sunday market, where if looking carefully you can find authentic souvenirs among the many "made in China" stuff), also close from the Hua Hing Seafood restaurant - worth going for experience - and walking distance to seafront. Rooms are not large, but spacious enough, clean, good Wi-Fi. The breakfast is covering multiple cultures, therefore anyone could find something to eat (including omelette/egg station). Also in one evening had the dinner there, and we enjoy the food. Tried and liked local food laksa in a very nice presentation and very tasteful. Staff is very friendly and always helpful. Even is a 3 stars hotel the level of some services are slightly better than classification. And all of this could be obtain for a great value for money. Also they provide free services to keep your luggage's after checkout.
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Date of stay: April 2017
Cleanliness
Service
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The rooms and toilets were clean and modern. Was not expecting it but thy did have cable movies available if you wanted to stay in at night.
There was complimentary WiFi in the rooms but while the signal was pretty strong, the overall network was so slow that I gave up.
Breakfast was a buffet - it was pretty average but they did have two chefs available to make eggs every which way you wanted. There was also always fresh fruit available. We had to head out earlier one day and they packed is our breakfast which was cool - it was just a sandwich and a chocolate bun, some juice and water. Still a nice gesture.
The hotel also has room service - pretty average or below average. The hotel is also close to the a range of food, as well as the marina.
I'd stay here again if I was travelling on a budget.
Side note to travellers: taxi between the hotel an airport is a flat rate of 30myr. No taxi meters.
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Date of stay: February 2015
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I booked this hotel solely because of the location which is sort of the transportation hub for KK. I just got off from a 14 h hike down from Mt Kinabalu, got on the Ranau-KK bus and it stop right at the doorstep of this hotel. The next morning for the airport, there are already taxis lining up and i never need to hail one.
Very comfortable- slippers, toothbrush, hot water, great pillows and blankets. Good fare for breakfast. Very thoughtful for the mandarin orange and choc gold coin as it was the CNY season.
Most of all--as of all Sabah people--the staff are super friendly, polite, accommodating and always with a smile- hard to get that in the super stressful hotel industry. There was a lady complaining about her room, and the receptionist never let down his smile. It was awesome and made my heart warm. Yeah you show them how its done-with grace, and composure. I love Sabahans.
Thank you for the swift check in check out and comfortable stay.
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Date of stay: February 2015
Rooms
Service
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Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I got a jug of ice from the breakfast room ,had very nice meals there staff were great,Chef made me nice things to try,his coleslaw was just the best,also at a great price.
Thank you for your question. You can go to the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park from the Jesselton Point which is 15 minutes walking distance from the hotel. Alternatively it is a short taxi ride away at the cost of RM15.00.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia56 contributions30 helpful votes
Around 15mins car ride from airport. Rental cars can be hired at the airport but may be more expensive, hiring from the hotel front desk would be cheaper. To save money on the trip to the hotel, you can take the bus to Padang Merdeka costing only a few RM, the hotel is just beside Padang Merdeka.
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