The Jesselton Hotel
69 Jalan Gaya, Kota Kinabalu 88000 Malaysia
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US$37
Free cancellation until 16/12/22
US$34
Free cancellation until 14/12/22
US$53
US$28
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TravelocityUS$37
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About
#14 of 179 hotels in Kota Kinabalu
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The Jesselton Hotel welcomes business and leisure travelers alike with a central location in the heart of the city and an array of selection for places to visit; encapsulating the full lifestyle of a city life within a tropical haven. Located on 69 Gaya Street, the hotel doors open to a Sunday Market which has become the place to go on for some retail therapy. Another great place to experience the culture and the livelihood of the Sabahan families on a Sunday outing. The hotel is just a few minutes’ walk from the Sabah Tourism Corporation office, KK Heritage Walk and Night Market, Shopping Malls and about a 20 minutes’ drive from the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA). The prime location also provides an easy access to a whole range of dining options including Italian, French, Western, Asian and fusion cuisines, which are all available within walking distance to the hotel. Experience for yourself this wonderfully inspiring one of a kind colonial jewel in KK!
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Property amenities
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Bar / lounge
Meeting rooms
Baggage storage
Concierge
24-hour front desk
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
Wifi
Restaurant
Breakfast available
Complimentary Instant Coffee
Newspaper
Non-smoking hotel
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Room features
Air conditioning
Housekeeping
Room service
Safe
Refrigerator
Flatscreen TV
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Smoking rooms available
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Classic
Charming
Languages Spoken
English, Malay
Location
Full view
98Great for walkers
Grade: 98 out of 100
132Restaurantswithin 0.5 km
18Attractionswithin 0.5 km
Contact
69 Jalan Gaya, Kota Kinabalu 88000 Malaysia
Getting there
Car HireSee car hire from US$22/day
639Reviews10Q+A86Room tips
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Advertised as colonial, translates to old fashioned.. you have to order your breakfast in advance and specify at what time you want it, as the food is prepared elsewhere and brought covered in cling film. No on site restaurant anymore. Staff helpful but hotel needs modernisation. Good location
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Travelled with friends
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.
Helpful
We stayed here for 2 nights at the beginning of our stay in Borneo. Perfect location on Gaya Street for the weekend food markets and the Sunday Market. Staff were very welcoming especially on reception. The room was lovely, comfortable bed and spotlessly clean Definitely worth a stay if you are in KK for a few days.
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: Food market is on Friday and Saturday nights. Definitely worth a visit.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Comfortable stay in a spacious room with bar fridge, shower-over-bath and kettle/tea/coffee. Great location with the waterfront an easy walk from hotel. Surrounded by convenience stores, restaurants, massage places and 7/11 if you feel like a cold beer! Friendly efficient staff. We were able to leave luggage at the hotel until we returned from further travels in Sabah. Hotel is an easy drive from the airport…less than 30 minutes. This is not a modern hotel, but is very charming and authentic. We would choose to stay here again.
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
We stayed at the Jesselton for 1 night as were stopping over in KK between trips from Mulu to Sandakan. The hotel itself was built in the 1940's after the war and retains many of these features which add to the charm of the hotel. Having said that the common areas and the rooms do all seem a bit tired and could do with a bit of a refresh. I do appreciate that the hotel has only recently re-opened following the pandemic and this could be a contributing factor. The location is great and there are dozens of local cafe's and restaurants were we had a great bowl of spicy Laksa. Breakfast was freshly made and served in a small room on the third floor...conveniently close to our room! For a short stay in KK The Jesselton was fine and I much prefer these boutique type hotels to the main chain hotels.…
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Date of stay: August 2022
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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.
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Friendly staff who were accommodating to our needs. Very central location, right along Gaya Street where the sunday market is, where there are the weekend night markets and loads of eateries around that area. It is only a short walk from a large modern mall, the promenade and seafood market. The only downside was a penchant for leaks from the bathtub area whenever the water is turned on...
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
I stayed at this hotel for 4 nights and recommend it to those who want a hotel with character in Kota Kinabalu. The location is very central, just 10 minutes walk to the seafront and market. There are a lot of restaurants within 5 minutes walk including a nice Italian restaurant. There is also a nice cafe on the street corner where i had a good breakfast. The room was comfortable and clean. I had a view over Signal Hill, there was some traffic noise. but not enough to prevent me from having a good night's sleep. The hotel restaurant was under restoration, but there are many places you can eat close to the hotel. The only negative was that my room was not cleaned until 3pm everyday. i found this annoying when i wanted to return to room after lunch to relax. However, all in all i enjoyed my stay based on the great location and the colonial character of the hotel. I f i…
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
We stayed 5 nights, strongly recommended if you are staying KK. This is not a very big chain hotel but very cosy and have a character. Locaion: great! 10 min easy walk to Jesselton Point, 5 min walk to nearest shopping mall, 2 min walk to laundry (service wash Rm18, done by nice lady), in front of hotel for Sunday morning market & weekend evening food market, lots of eating places on the same street (most breakfast opens 7) Service: 5 star! From the booking on line to the check out, staff was very kind and very attentive. Newspaper "Borneo Post" sent to the room every morning was nice especially not many hotel provide papers nowadays. In addition it was nice to know local news too. Room: very clean and spacious. Room 214 was near to the traffic lights and could hear noise a bit.…
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
+1
At the front desk , check in was a breeze, and we were assigned to rooms 101/108 and 301 for our stay from 24 – 26 Jan and 29 – 31 Jan respectively. Rooms are spacious and clean , it has fast speed wireless internet connect including a safe box and comfortably supplied with all the necessary amenities. It is a heritage boutique hotel , nicely decorated with colonial furnitures and fixtures . The location of Jesselton Hotel is very central , it is right in the centre of town where all the tourist spots is located . A mere 10 mins walk lead us to the restaurants alongside the waterfront boardwalk , harbor for the ferries /boats to take passengers for cruises or island hopping, wet and dry markets and the handicraft market. There is a convenience store just opposite the hotel , and several food outlets and bars as well as shopping malls . As our check out day happens to be on Sunday, the street in front of the hotel is closed for a market packed with all types of goods, food, live entertainment, etc which poses some conveniences as we could not park our car to collect our luggages!!! very pleasant stay and we plan to return in the near future to this hotel Nevertheless the stay was very pleasant stay and we shall return !!!…
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Date of stay: January 2020
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Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
we spent 2 periods at The Jesselton, with a trip to Kuching in between. I cannot speak more highly of the Management and Staff of this small boutique Hotel. It is old (1956) but very clean. Some of it is dating but it is undergoing restoration at the moment. It lacks a restaurant at the moment as this is part of the restoration effort. There are eateries all around within 1 minutes walk, so no problems there. Night markets virtually outside the door 4 nights a week. I'll be back, thats for sure.
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
+1
This historic hotel is located at the end of a row of shophouses along the famous Gaya Street. A new annex is formed from the 2nd story of the next lot of shophouses which is where we had our room. It looked out onto the back street and further into a main road, and is reasonably quiet. The rates are very good value. The room was very cosy, with good furnishings (open cabinetry) and fittings. The bed and pillows were very comfortable and we felt very much at home throughout our time there, considering this is one of the few stays we spent a lot of time in the room. Our stay was quite enjoyable and staff were very helpful especially when we had to extend another night as one of our party was not feeling well. Lots of channels and cable TV helped us tide over that too. We stayed over the weekend and got to experience the night market and Gaya Street market right at our doorstep, which was wonderful. There are many restaurants and shops nearby for souvenirs, snacks and also medicines. Thank you Michelle for dropping by to talk about the history of the hotel. We really enjoyed our stay and will love to come back again. Kudos also to your staff who were always very warm and helpful.…
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Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
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PRICE RANGE
US$31 - US$38 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
jesselton hotel kota kinabalu
LOCATION
MalaysiaSabahWest Coast DivisionKota Kinabalu DistrictKota Kinabalu
NUMBER OF ROOMS
44
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Frequently Asked Questions about The Jesselton Hotel
Which popular attractions are close to The Jesselton Hotel?
Nearby attractions include Kota Kinabalu City Mosque (0.05 km), Gaya Street Sunday Market (0.3 km), and Suria Sabah (0.2 km).
What are some of the property amenities at The Jesselton Hotel?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge.
Which room amenities are available at The Jesselton Hotel?
Top room amenities include air conditioning, a flat screen TV, and a refrigerator.
What food & drink options are available at The Jesselton Hotel?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant, a lounge, and breakfast during their stay.
What are some restaurants close to The Jesselton Hotel?
Conveniently located restaurants include El Centro, Chilli Vanilla, and Nook Cafe.
Is The Jesselton Hotel located near the city centre?
Yes, it is 0.8 km away from the centre of Kota Kinabalu.
Are any cleaning services offered at The Jesselton Hotel?
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry service are offered to guests.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at The Jesselton Hotel?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English and Malay.
Are there any historical sites close to The Jesselton Hotel?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Monsopiad Cultural Village (10.6 km).
Is The Jesselton Hotel accessible?
Yes, it offers wheelchair access. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.