Hotel Olympic Malaysia Kuala Lumpur

What's nearby

Stated distances are measured from the property; other entries note how you'd get there. Walking times in Kuala Lumpur run longer than the distance suggests once heat, crossings and pedestrian detours are counted.

Check-in, check-out and languages

Check-in

From 15:00

Check-out

By 12:00

Languages at reception

English, Malay, Mandarin

A refundable cash security deposit (commonly MYR 100) is typically required at check-in — confirm the current amount and accepted payment methods before arrival. Early check-in / late check-out may be charged when available.

Who Hotel Olympic suits — our verdict first

Hotel Olympic is the cheapest of our Kuala Lumpur picks and the most characterful address among them: it occupies Wisma OCM, the Olympic Council of Malaysia's building on Jalan Hang Jebat, and leans into it — the hotel is authorised by the Council, integrates with the national Olympic training centre, and keeps Olympic-history displays on site. The 155 rooms are colour-themed and simple; this is a two-to-three-star proposition run with more personality than the price implies.

Book it for the neighbourhood. This is the edge of Chinatown and the old colonial core: Petaling Street's market canopy is about five minutes on foot, the heritage shophouses of Kwai Chai Hong a few minutes more, and the Merdeka 118 mega-tower now rises directly behind the district. Travellers who need a pool, a lounge floor or mall-adjacency should read our other three KL guides instead — that is not what this address is for.

Getting there from KLIA airport

Ride the KLIA Ekspres to KL Sentral — 28 minutes non-stop — then take the LRT one short hop to Pasar Seni, from which the hotel is roughly a ten-minute walk across the Klang River into Jalan Hang Jebat; allow about 50 minutes door to door. The newer Merdeka MRT station is similarly close on the other side, handy if you arrive on the Putrajaya line.

With heavy bags, a Grab from KL Sentral takes under ten minutes outside rush hour and drops you at the Wisma OCM entrance — worth it, because the walk from Pasar Seni involves kerbs and crossings that are tedious with a case.

Where it sits: Chinatown and the old city

Hotel Olympic occupies Wisma OCM on Jalan Hang Jebat — the Chinatown side of central Kuala Lumpur, next to the national stadiums and in the shadow of Merdeka 118. This is the old city edge rather than the Golden Triangle shopping belt: Petaling Street's market canopy is about five minutes on foot, Central Market and the Sri Mahamariamman temple a few minutes more, and Merdeka Square a comfortable walk north.

The practical consequence is character over polish. Evenings here are livelier than many central-KL guidebooks admit and end earlier than Bukit Bintang's; by late night the quarter quietens. Pasar Seni and Merdeka stations keep you plugged into LRT and MRT for KLCC, Bukit Bintang and the airport train at KL Sentral. Stay here to sleep inside the story of old Kuala Lumpur; stay at the Furama or Concorde when malls, pools or lounge floors are non-negotiable.

Chinatown and Petaling Street on your doorstep

The reason to sleep here is what surrounds you. Petaling Street's covered market — souvenirs by day, a denser night market after dark — anchors the quarter, but the better eating hides in the streets around it: morning dim sum rooms, decades-old kopitiams, and the restored laneway art and cafés of Kwai Chai Hong. The Central Market's craft halls and the Sri Mahamariamman temple are minutes away, and the whole colonial core around Merdeka Square is one comfortable walk north.

Evenings here are livelier than central-KL guidebooks suggest and end earlier than Bukit Bintang's; by late night the district quietens, which — depending on your taste — is either the drawback or precisely the point.

Rooms and what the hotel actually offers

The inventory is 155 rooms across several categories, each with its own colour theme — a cheerful touch in an otherwise functional building. On-site you get a restaurant, a bar-lounge, a meeting room, a minimarket and a 24-hour front desk; free Wi-Fi runs throughout. Set expectations at 'clean, secure, simple': the fabric is that of an office-era tower converted to hospitality, not a purpose-built resort.

The Olympic thread is more than branding — the building houses the Olympic Council of Malaysia, and the sports-museum displays give the corridors a story no chain hotel in the city can match. Sports-minded guests will enjoy it; everyone else will simply find it a curiosity between breakfast and the market.

How it compares with our other Kuala Lumpur picks

Hotel Olympic is our value anchor in Kuala Lumpur. Spending more buys, in order: the Furama's halal kitchens and Bukit Bintang shopping grid; the Concorde's four-star comfort, pool and KLCC walkability; and Cititel Mid Valley's mall-machine convenience. None of the three, however, can stand where this one stands — inside the old city, with Petaling Street as your corner shop.

A sensible split for longer trips: two or three nights here for the old quarter and street food, then move up the ladder to the Concorde or Furama for the modern city. The guides for all three are linked below.

Booking notes and practical tips

Rooms vary in outlook more than most hotels this size — some face the stadiums, some the Merdeka 118 tower, some internal angles — so state a preference at booking and again at the desk; the 24-hour front desk is used to juggling them. Light sleepers should ask away from the Jalan Hang Jebat frontage.

Our live-rates link opens the booking partner's page for this exact property with no FlightLogic markup. Chinese New Year transforms the district — spectacular, crowded and loud in equal measure — so book far ahead for late January or February and treat the noise as part of the experience rather than a defect. Typical nights sit in the £25–£55 band depending on season and room category; that is an indicative band, never a live rate.

Frequently asked questions