Shō Hotel Penang

The room is very spacious and wide. The facilities are excellent, and the customer service is extremely friendly. We received a complimentary welcome drink, which can be claimed within 24 hours. The swimming pool is very clean and offers a beautiful view from the Level 9 lobby. Everything was perfect.

Convenient located near to Udini square and Tesco. Very new and modern design, love the rooms they were spacious

Nice environment. However, cleanliness of bedsheet and towels need to improve.

The hotel room and overall environment are nice. However, the pool water is too cold. I booked the hotel mainly for family time to use the pool, but the temperature isn’t suitable, especially for kids.

I stayed at Sho Hotel Penang for four nights, and here’s my honest review based on the overall experience. ✅ Pros: • New and modern: The hotel is newly built and began operations in April 2025. The design is stylish, and the room was spacious and modern. • Check-in experience: A welcome drink was provided, which was a nice touch. • Location: Centrally located and easy to get around (though traffic in Penang can be heavy, as expected). • Entertainment: Netflix and other streaming apps are available, but guests need to log in with their own accounts. • Responsive technical team: We reported a few issues in the room, and the technical team responded quickly and resolved them efficiently. ⚠️ Cons: • Parking charges: Although parking is capped at RM10 per day, we were charged RM24 on the first two days. Parking validation is done on the ground floor. • Swimming pool placement: The pool is next to the lobby, which leads to water being splashed on the floor near the lifts. • Lift capacity: There are only 3 lifts serving a 32-floor building, and during peak hours, we had to wait multiple rounds to get in. • Poor soundproofing: Conversations, crying children, and even doorbells from neighbouring rooms can be heard. Earplugs are recommended for light sleepers. • Shared floor with facilities: Facilities like the gym, yoga/meditation room, kids’ room, and laundry were located on the same floor as our room. The facility rooms share the same layout as guest rooms, it doesn’t look like a proper gym. • Housekeeping delays: Despite turning on the housekeeping alert in the morning, our room was not cleaned when we returned in the afternoon. • In-room amenities: No complimentary bottled water, tea, or coffee. Only an empty jug and glasses were provided for filling water from a corridor dispenser (jug holds less than 1L). • Smart projector issues: The room uses a smart projector instead of a smart TV. Not all Netflix apps are compatible, so check the setup upon check-in. • Bathroom concerns: The shower head was broken upon arrival, and the staff appeared to be already aware of this issue. On our final night, we witnessed a housekeeper cleaning the toilet using what seemed like a bath towel or white floor mat, which was concerning. ⸻ 📌 Final Thoughts: Based on our stay, Sho Hotel Penang did not meet our expectations of a 4-star experience. While there are positives, the issues we encountered—particularly with soundproofing, housekeeping, and facilities—affected our comfort. For these reasons, we won’t be choosing this hotel again for future Penang trips. We hope the hotel management will consider these points and work toward improvements.

On 30/12/2025, I ordered big breakfast and the staff informed that sausages were out of stock, with such disappointment, my hubby and I drove out for local breakfast. On 31/12/2025, I ordered big breakfast and again, the staff informed that sausages were out of stock and replaced with a piece of hash brown; also, I requested for no ice for orange juice, the staff carried such unpleasant face and removed the ice, without replenishing more orange juice. RM30 breakfast with such unpleasant experience.