A grand chandelier is hung at the atrium (Photo: SooPhye)
Making its debut in Malaysia, Waldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur is the capital’s latest luxury retreat. Hotel general manager Etienne Dalançon highlights 10 of its standout features.
Peacock Alley
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It’s a gathering place with views on two sides overlooking the garden and the main porte-cochère. Slightly elevated and with high ceilings, it gives you a better perspective of the surroundings and the entire space. Here, we also have a magnificent clock that pays homage to the iconic Waldorf Astoria ritual of “Meet me at the clock”. There are many special things about this timepiece. First, it tells time through lights. Second, its development began by looking at an Islamic astrolabe and how it could be transformed into a contemporary clock. We used modern engineering to bring it to life, which in total took three years. Everyone should know where the clock is because it is the heart of the hotel.
The Qajar painting
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It is an important artwork restored from the Islamic Arts Museum in Kuala Lumpur, which we had the great opportunity to mount on our wall at the reception area. It depicts 24 royal courtiers positioned in three rows of eight, all facing left and wearing lavish robes and turbans or crowns. It’s truly a striking statement piece that required almost half a year of meticulous cleaning.
Necklace chandelier
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Drawing inspiration from the artistry of high jewellery, the chandelier features more than 1,500 hand-beaten bronze prisms and 268 pieces of scalloped glass — referencing the number of suites at Waldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur. It is hung at the grand staircase atrium, where arriving guests stop to admire it. For us, it has a significant meaning that connects to the property. But for those who don’t know, it can just be something that makes the space beautiful with its rich interplay of light and texture.
JG reception
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We have a separate entrance for this, leading to three dining venues by French-American Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. JG KL marks his first restaurant in Malaysia, bringing together Asian flavours and French cooking techniques; abc kitchens KL is more casual, rooted in a market-to-table philosophy and spotlights seasonal, locally sourced ingredients; and The Bar is a vibrant venue where guests can indulge in handcrafted cocktails, fine wines and champagnes, complemented with exquisite bites curated by chef Jean-Georges.
Istana restaurant
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It’s the only dining place open from day to night. In the morning, it has the quintessential breakfast spread. Then lunch and dinner are dedicated to Malay cuisine from 13 states in Malaysia. There are 13 items for starters, main courses and desserts, which are either signature or forgotten dishes, meaning they are hard to find and nostalgic. We want to surprise guests with something they had when they were five years old, then never had again until now. Or we want people to eat a meal that can be found only in their hometown. It’s a really unique dining concept. The chef had to begin his research very early on, visiting all parts of the country to talk to local people and try various restaurants.
Yaari
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Helmed by Indian chef Garima Arora, who runs a two Michelin-starred establishment in Bangkok called Gaa, the restaurant takes its name from yaari, which means “friendship” in Hindi. So, it’s all about sharing the food and love. We came up with this communal concept with Garima to present a more approachable and fun setting for our diners. Why open an Indian eatery, you might ask. Because no one really does it here. There are many Chinese restaurants already so I want to do something different, and it’s really enjoyable when you have a young talented chef to work with to create something new.
Coda
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This compact yet vibrant speakeasy is intimate and lively, and it boasts great music with an amazing vinyl collection. Its food menu is probably one of the best I’ve seen — speaking from years of experience going to bars. There’s a really great nightlife in KL that international travellers don’t know about. They often think of Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bangkok and Singapore, but I dare say it’s even better here. At Coda, the offerings are different every day. So, if you come for three nights, you can expect three rotating menus of cocktails and bites.
Suites
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There is a total of 268 suites. When we started, we looked at the structure and thought about how we could be unique. How can we make the hotel different? When it comes to design or furnishings, a bed is a bed and a TV is a TV. What else can we bring to the table? The answer was space. Luxury can be many things but, most of all, it’s about time and space. So, we said, let’s give just that. Let’s break two, three or four rooms to create one suite. So, we enlarged the offering to provide space.
Lawn
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It’s our very own urban oasis. Guests can sit outside when the weather allows and just soak in the environment. You can also see the birds and hear them chirping.
Exchange movie theatre
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This is a small hidden room designed for utmost privacy. It’s a cinema that can fit up to 12 people. Guests can reserve it for birthday parties or screenings. It’s not a meeting room, but corporations can also use it for presentations.
This article first appeared on Nov 9, 2026 in The Edge Malaysia.
