Howard Johnson by Wyndham Kota Kinabalu City Centre, formerly Hotel Shangri-La Kota Kinabalu

Hotels
Howard Johnson
8.1 (1932 reviews)
11, Jalan Masjid Lama, Bandaran Berjaya , Kota Kinabalu , my

Free
Children allowed

Facilities

Offsite parking discounted rates available
Parking
Non-smoking rooms
Air conditioning
Restaurant
Room service
Family rooms
Lift / Elevator
Luggage storage
Safety deposit box
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Friendly staff
Good location
Great breakfast
Cons:
WiFi issues
Old towels
Outdated facilities

Categories

Cleanliness
7.56
Some complaints about old towels and dusty curtains were noted.
Service
8.53
Guests mentioned helpful and friendly staff.
Location
8.57
Convenient location, close to amenities and city center.
Room Quality
7.82
Some rooms are renovated but others are outdated.
Amenities
7.55
WiFi issues and some facilities not meeting expectations.
Value for Money
8.21
Good pricing for the quality overall.
Food and Beverage
8.56
Highly praised breakfast and food quality.
Overall Experience
8.03
Generally positive experiences but with some room for improvement.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-01-06 23:34

Property Description

Stunning Views of Kota Kinabalu and Tunku Abdul Rahman Park
Convenient Location near Major Attractions
Modern Rooms with 24-Hour Room Service

To enjoy breathtaking views of Kota Kinabalu and the islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, book your stay at Hotel Shangri-la Kota Kinabalu. Indulge in Asian and Western fusion dishes at Tivoli Café & Bar and unwind with refreshing drinks at Bar Lounge. With a prime location near Atkinson Clock Tower and Gaya Street Sunday Market, exploring the city is a breeze. Experience comfort and convenience with modern rooms offering 24-hour room service. Don't miss out on this unforgettable experience – book your room now!

Important information:

From 1st January 2023, a tourist tax of RM 10 per room per night is applied to all foreign guests. This tax is not included in the room rate and must be paid upon check-in. Guests with a valid Malaysian Identity Card or valid permanent residents MY PR Card are exempted. NB: • Early check-in allowed with additional charge of RM100
• Late check-out allowed with additional charge of RM100

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Airport code: BKI

Property Policies

  • Parking

    Free private parking is possible on site (reservation is not needed).

  • Pets

    Pets are not allowed.

  • Internet

    WiFi is available in the hotel rooms and is free of charge.

  • Children and extra bed policy

    Children of any age are allowed.
    Children up to and including 3 years old stay for free when using an available cot.
    People 6 years old and over stay for MYR 90 per person per night when using an available extra bed.
    Any type of extra bed or child's cot/crib is upon request and needs to be confirmed by management.
    Supplements are not calculated automatically in the total costs and will have to be paid for separately during your stay.

Location

Guest Reviews

8.1
Based on 1932 reviews
Cleanliness: 7.56
Service: 8.53
Location: 8.57
Room Quality: 7.82
Amenities: 7.55
Value for Money: 8.21
Food and Beverage: 8.56
Overall Experience: 8.03
R
Robyn solo_traveller au
8
Good place to stay
Pros:

Clean and location

Cons:

Na

2026-05-30 via Nuitee
J
JUNIADI solo_traveller my
8
Pros:

Everything... Except... Read below

Cons:

During our stay 2 nights, dissapointing of noisy at level 10, up to our room... Construsctionfrom morning till 5 pm. Drilling all the time. Already complaint but no action from staff... Very annoying. Mostof the time we have to go out because of that noisy drilling... What to do? U tell me!

2026-05-30 via Nuitee
P
Poh solo_traveller my
9
Pros:

- Attentive and responsive service team
- The bed and pillow
- Drinking water tap in the room

2026-05-29 via Nuitee
J
Jo solo_traveller my
4
Pros:

Nothing..

Cons:

Di sidai dulu dua jam,bru di bagi chk in.sda rugi 2 jam,lps tu mau suruh chkout plk,on time..

2026-05-29 via Nuitee
P
Pearl couple bn
4
never
Pros:

staff friendly and helpful..bed comfortable and easy to go everywhere because its in the middle of the city.

Cons:

can't get my beauty sleep in this hotel..so much noise from the inside and outside.the floor in my room is not clean, and mostly the aircondition in my room is not working..so disspointed..this is our first and last to chk in that hotel..

2026-05-29 via Nuitee
M
MARLINA extended_group my
10
Pros:

Room very clean

2026-05-29 via Nuitee
R
Roslan solo_traveller my
7
Okay for a night.
Pros:

Free parking. Bathtub. Complete electronics need in the room. Location near to 7E. Direct filtered water (drinkable) in the bathroom.

Cons:

The window is too high, cant really enjoy the beautiful city view outside. Breakfast tastes not good. The pillow too soft but not thick enough, not comfortable.

2026-05-29 via Nuitee
I
ISAC couple au
6
Average.
Pros:

Location, breakfast and facilities.

Cons:

Too much motorbike sound the whole night resulting in very poor sleep, consequently making our day very tiresome. Stayed there for 5 nights and the staff knew about the motor sounds in the night from earlier complaints/reviews. As a senior couple they should have offered us a room which is not on the roadside. Did complain to the staff and they offered to change the room which was towards the fag end of our stay so we decided to stay in the same room as we had too much stuff to gather to shift room.

2026-05-29 via Nuitee
N
Noor shahfinaz couple my
8
cleanliness. Staff are so warm.
Pros:

Air Condition shall not be centralize on each guest room. It is because, not all guest prefer the cold temp every time. It took time to decrease the temperature, end up i ask the technician to switch off completely the air condition in the room.

Cons:

The adjustment temperature in the room.

2026-05-28 via Nuitee
S
Susan extended_group au
8
2026-05-28 via Nuitee
A
azmi couple my
10
2026-05-28 via Nuitee
K
Kamarudin Sulaiman solo_traveller my
10
2026-05-26 via Nuitee
Z
ZAINAL solo_traveller my
9
Definitely in the list to repeat if i need to stay in KK
Pros:

Newly decorated, looks great and modern. Has smart tv, can watch netflix youtube etc.
I like that this is actually an old hotel so it has bathtub. Newer hotels these days doesnt have it anymore.
I also love the lighting of the room. The level of white+yellow light is just nice and not overly dimmed. But you can adjust it if you want more romantic vibe.
For breakfast, I obviously didnt try all the food but i see there's plenty of choices. I love the ambiance of the restaurant and the all staffs are nice, welcoming and helpful.

Cons:

I didnt know that i need to pay deposit RM1OO since it was not stated in the details (i booked online). I didnt have enough cash with me, but the good thing is they allowed me to check in anyway and just pay deposit after i withdraw from nearby ATM. Eventually I forgot to pay the deposit but they didnt make it an issue.

The room i got, had like ''dusty'' smell (?) i dont know how to describe it but it seems like the room had no guest for quite some time maybe? It is clean tho. I didnt make a complaint since it is not a big issue for me. But someone with sensitive nose or have sinusitis might feel a bit uncomfortable at first.

Initially the hot shower was not hot enough, so i asked the front desk and they dispatched a housekeeping staff that was willing to manually adjust the temperature setting for me. So all was good.

2026-05-24 via Nuitee
S
Stephen solo_traveller gb
5
Needs improvement.
Pros:

The staff were very helpful and friendly, and the breakfast was very nice.

Cons:

I stayed 3 nights in this hotel, as part of a tour. The first two nights I was placed in a room that was exceptionally noisy; it was close to the hotel's own maintenance and admin offices, which meant a lot of slamming doors at all hours of the day. On top of that, the noise from the traffic (at all hours) demanded the use of earplugs.

My 3rd night was at the top of the building, and, while much quieter, it had the problem of broken air conditioning - it was impossible to control the temperature, and as a result the room was very cold. Extra layers of clothing were required.

2026-05-23 via Nuitee
K
Kazuko solo_traveller jp
5
昔は、良いホテルだった。インテリアは、未だに良い。バスタオルや掃除のタイミングを合理的に管理をする必要があると思う。
Pros:

ロケーションが良かった。

Cons:

部屋の掃除は、非常に良い人もいたし、マアマアがまんできるひともいた。一番の欠点は、ドアノッブにかける、「部屋を掃除してください」「邪魔をしないでください」というタッグが無いことだった。午前中に掃除をしてほしいと言ってあったのにもかかわらず、正午頃疲れて帰って来ても、近隣の部屋の掃除中で、私の部屋は掃除してなかった。すぐに、インターネットで仕事をしなければならないのにできなかった。今まで、止まったホテルには、こんなことは無かった。また、ホテルのバスタオルが、非常に古くて汚いので、持参したタオルを使わなければならないことがあった。バスタオルの管理が間違っていると思う。

2026-05-20 via Nuitee
M
Muhammad couple my
10
2026-05-19 via Nuitee
J
Joe Winston couple my
7
2026-05-19 via Nuitee
P
Puteri solo_traveller my
10
2026-05-19 via Nuitee
L
Lina MY solo_traveller my
10
2026-05-18 via Nuitee
H
Hannah solo_traveller gb
10
Great place for a short stay.
Pros:

Great location and near to shops and malls.
Breakfast lovely and lots of choice.
Was able to leave bags for a little after checkout.
It was great having drinking water in the hotel room on tap.

Cons:

Nothing - all was good

2026-05-17 via Nuitee