"Good Hotel in a great position in Kota Kinabalu"”

My husband and I visited this hotel during a short stay in Kota Kinabalu. We were pleasantly surprised by the position of the Hotel between two big shopping malls and on the seafront. The reception area is very grand and the door men always provided a 5 star service for this 3 star hotel by holding the door for you as you came in or left. We were lucky enough to be upgraded from a standard room to a suite and the room was a great size with a nice desk, comfortable chairs and two beds (one double and one single). Whilst other reviewers say that for great views, you need to be on a higher floor, we were on the 2nd floor and were still able to see the sea out of our window which we hadn’t expected because of the reviews. All the bedding was spotless and the bathroom and shower was huge. The corridors were very large and spacious too and it gave the feeling of being in a very grand hotel. Even though it is stated to be 3 star, it felt more like a 4 star. The breakfast choice was just okay. We didn’t fancy asian food for breakfast (which there was a lot of) so the options were beans, eggs and toast which was okay. My husband actually asked if they had any cereal and they did bring us both some cornflakes but you need to ask for it if you like cereal. There was also fruit too. We weren’t really impressed with Kota Kinabalu itself but its handy as a base to use before doing trips to the Islands or Mt Kinabalu and if you love shopping you will love it! Would thoroughly recommend the Gaya Centre Hotel as a good place to stay in KK!

Repeat Stay Critique”

Three years ago we first visited Kota Kinabalu. Both my wife and I loved the place due to its laid back, calm and safe feeling. The shopping was good and relatively cheap, the island beaches sublime, and plenty of things to do. We stayed at the Gaya Centre Hotel then, which we found more than acceptable and were absolutely delighted at its location and cost. As we decided to visit Kota again, we also decided to again stay at the Gaya Centre Hotel. We were not disappointed as right from the get go everything was perfect. We arrived early so expected to have to wait until our room was ready, no it was ready. When booking, I had asked for a room on a high floor, we were put on the 12th floor overlooking the sea, and when we got to the room it was better than the room we had had the previous visit. It took the staff on duty no time to book us in, sort out power adapters and helped me solve a problem on my tablet logging on to the free wifi. As we had been travelling for a few hours and had little sleep the night before, we decided to have a meal delivered to our room. WOW, in a flash it was there, and very good it was too. A perfect start. Unfortunately, things tended to slip from there. There seemed to be a problem with housekeeping in that the bathroom was a bit smelly and an amount of mould was accumulating around the base of the mirror and shower tiles. The meal tray and used plates from our meal were not collected from outside our room, where we had put it on our first day, they were still there on the third day. I informed reception/dining room staff and within minutes it was gone. There was also an occasion when the room had only been partially cleaned, again this was rectified immediately after informing reception. What a shame this happened, as this leaves a lasting poor impression of the hotel. I have to say that the hotel is looking tired with hallway carpets looking very grubby and wallpaper torn in places, but generally the staff were excellent in

Position, Position, Position!”

We spent 10 days at the Gaya Centre Hotel, and if we ever go back to Kota Kinabalu we would stay there again. Yes the carpets are a bit old, yes the Wi-Fi was awful (7th floor), yes the TV wasn’t the best quality picture, but…… the bed was very comfortable and the room was always cool and clean. The hotel is located between two shopping malls, one, the Suria is the best in town, everything else in town is only a relatively short walk away, three or four minutes or at most 10 minutes, the Sunday market only 300 metres, half the hotel faces the sea, as does the restaurant, yielding spectacular views, the ferry terminal is close by as are the various fresh (wet) markets, the staff are extremely helpful, and the food was better than OK, although after 5-6 days the breakfast buffet menu started to repeat. Additionally, there are many cafes and restaurants, within 600 metres or so. Overall our experience at the hotel was excellent, and when it is eventually refreshed / refurbished it would be an even more fantastic place to stay, and worth more than its three star status. For the price paid, the hotel was excellent value for money, and as stated earlier we would stay there again.

Excellent hotel more than expected”

Gaya Centre is a hotel close to the Gaya Street, where many famous restaurants and food stores situated, and where the Sunday market displaced. The hotel is just opposite to the shopping mall Wisma Merdeka, which is a mall selling relatively cheap cloths, and especially have several money exchange stores with a good rate (the rates are relatively better than those at Warisan Square). More excitingly, around 10 min. walking, you can get to the Jesselton Port, where you can take the boat to various famous islands. In view of the above, Gaya Centre is at a very convenient location, which is the reason for us to choose this hotel. Afer we stayed for three days at the hotel, we found it worth more than that! The room is very spacious and clean, the bed is big and confortable, the washroom is clean, and shower is strong. Though our room is facing city view only, we could still enjoy the attrative seaview at the balcony outside the restaurant, where we took our buffet breakfast. The breakfast tasted good, though selection is limited. But with such a low price, I think this is more than enough. I will strongly suggest my friends to choose this hotel when they go to Kota Kinabalu in the future.

Great, friendly, helpful staff. Great location.”

My stay here was excellent. The young staff were very helpful and friendly. The location is great, very central, right by the water with great views of the nearby islands and a stones throw away from all the amenities the city had to offer. They have a tour operator that can organize any of the main attractions in Borneo. Kota Kinabalu is a great place to stay if you only have a short time to take in the best of Borneo but I could see myself spending a lot longer here next time I go back and I can't recommend Gaya Centre Hotel enough. A good tip is to get breakfast straight away at 6.30, get a table outside and watch the little harbor come to life as the sun rises, definite photo op to make anyone back home stuck in work jealous.

Excellent Beach Front Hotel at Affordable Rate”

the best part of gaya centre hotel is that its located right at the beach front of kota kinabalu while only walking distance from the attraction of kota kinabalu. the hotel is next to the new suria sabah shopping mall and walking further toward north, you will find the jesselton point is only 10 minutes. otherwise walking 15 minutes toward south, you will find the kraftangan market and api business centre where you will find more shopping malls. the room is clean, spacious and very comfortable equipped with the basic facilities.

...the best place to stay in kota kinabalu!!”

my daughter and i have the same birthday that is may3 and we always make it a point to travel on birthdays and this kota kinabalu trip is really one of the best.The hotel has the best location, we got a seaview and its like we have a painting of nature in our room!!!!flatscreen,spotless cr and bath,looks like new, our rooms are cleansed everyday, alltoiletries replenished, tho without that much international channels which i hope the management should study about as well as no swimming.Our hotel is just beside the Suria Sabah , the newest and biggest mall in KK.and watching Avengers in the 3D even in the late night is still safe.Breakfast is a variety coz we stayed 4 days, its even a short walk to the Jesselton Port where we boarded a ferry for an overnight brunei trip. These are only superficial, the most important thing is the hospitality and professionalism shown to us by the staff in the hotel, from the time we went in, to the porter, to the Front office(Rajaie and others gave me a smile always) and for a traveler, that is welcoming. Surely , I can not think of any other hotel to stay when Ill go back to kotakinabalu the next time. The housekeeping even bid us a goodbye by wishing us well and waving her hands to say goodbye...how sweet the people are in Gaya City Centre Hotel....and the price...its value for money even more.....

Still My Favourite Hotel In KK”

Fourth time staying at the Gaya Centre Hotel and have always been happy to be back. Booked a Deluxe Double Room but got upgraded to a Panorama Room with a king-sized bed located on the 13th floor of the hotel. As always, very good location within walking distance to most of the shopping and food places in the city. Just right next to Suria Sabah Mall, across the road from Gaya Street and a 5 minute walk to Jesselton Jetty. Gaya Centre Hotel has always been my first choice in Kota Kinabalu and will continue to be so.

Quiet hotel with Great location and room amenities”

We stayed for 2 nights at the gaya centre hotel, it is a simple, quiet and fairly large hotel close to major shopping areas in kota kinabalu (big, small malls and sunday market are close walking distance to the hotel) rooms are large, there is a great cafe in the 4th flr. staff were friendly and accomodating. there are also terrific eating locations near for seafood, halal or malay types of cuisine. the hotel is also near the jetty port for diving or island hopping to near islands. overall, the hotel is a good hotel for shopping, diving and relaxing.

Very basic, affordable hotel”

we stayed at the gaya centre hotel for a total of 3 nights. it was our base for our travels around sabah. the following is a summary of our notes: 1. cleanliness - the room was clean (new carpet, new furniture). the bathrooms were ok. we were bothered by the smell of sewage from the sink (they didn't use u-tubes for plumbing). 2. location - the location was good. it is located across the street from the wisma merdeka mall and a handful of tour agencies, as well as walking distance to the central and filipino markets (approx 15 min). 3. rooms - the room was definitely on the smaller side. we had a room with a partial seaview. all rooms come with a small refrigerator. 4. service - the service was good. the hotel had an empty, eerie feeling, almost like there were no other people staying there except us. we did not see any other guests during our stay. although free internet was advertised, they did not tell us that their entire 12th floor was not wired for internet. we decided to move rooms just so that we could use the internet. however, this hotel seemed to have recurrent periods of internet outage which was terribly frustrating since they could not fix the problem even within a 48 hour period. 5. sleep - beds were very hard. the worst part about the room was the traffic noise until about 1am. the hotel must not have renovated their windows because even on the 12th floor, the cars passing by sounded like we they were right outside our window.

Great value for the price”

The Gaya centre is an excelent option in Kota Kinabalu either for leisure for business. A great location, a short walk from the jetty to Tunku Aman Marine park and to restaurants and shoppings. The price is amazing considering the clearness and the quality of the facilities. The only con about the hotel is the internet service. There's no wifi at the bedrooms and the wired internet does not work if there are many users at the same time.

Well refurbished rooms!”

i'm usually not impressed with hotels in kota kinabalu, as both the more expensive as well as cheaper ones are usually a bit run down the gaya centre hotel is an old hotel that has just been refurbished. the rooms are extremely comfortable, a good size with new furnishings. location is also good, especially that it's close to my favourite hangout - borneo books at wisma merdeka! the only thing is there are no other facilities such as gym, spa, swimming pool, tennis court etc.

Great Value, Top Location”

This is the third time we have stayed in Gaya Centre Hotel. Each time the hotel impresses us with its great value and perfect location next to Wisma Merdeka and Suria shopping malls at the heart of town. It is right next to the waterfront with great views out the islands and the harbour. The rooms are simple, clean and functional, the staff are friendly, courteous and efficient and the hotel offers exceptional value that you would not expect in this location. Breakfast choices are not huge, but at this price, they are reasonable. There are food courts in Wisma Merdeka and Suria where you can dine reasonably and numerous other restaurants around the immediate vicinity. Boats out to the islands can be found at Jesselton point just 200m away and numerous travel, dive and adventure tour businesses operate in Wisma Sabah next door. Good pubs and nightlife can be found at the basement of the Hyatt and further along the waterfront.

Not Luxurious but Extremely Value for Money”

our short 4day stay in kota kinabalu was made more pleasant by our stay in gaya centre hotel. the location was excellent with just 10 minutes walk from filipin market. despite being in the city centre, we had an excellent seaview. our hotel is located right beside suria sabah shopping centre. distance from the airport is about 15 min drive. beds were very comfortable, tv channels were good. very value for money for a three star hotel. i would stay there again if i was in kk in future.

Quality stay in good location”

The Gaya Centre Hotel offers good quality rooms in a perfect location along the waterfront of Kota Kinabalu. The Suria Sabah Mall is directly next door and the waterfront markets (craft and food) are just a short walk away. There were always taxis waiting outside the hotel, so getting to the airport and places a bit further from the city center was never a problem.

Customer oriented hotel. Never disappointed. ”

Gaya Centre Hotel is the best in its loacation. It stands right next to the Suria Saba, a huge shopping mole. (No need to ask taxi or shuttle bus!). We can enjoy nice sea view by walking along the habour front. We can cover all main shopping centers in KK by walk for 20-30 mins. Gaya Center Hotel is indeed customer oriented service. In a room, we have pen & memo, iron, hair dryer,and extra toilet papers. There is a kiosk. It seems a normal; however, it is not a normal! I also stayed other hotel in KK which price was the same as the Gaya Center Hotel. No pen & memo, no iron, no hair dryer, and no extra toilet papers. Maybe we are OK without such an extra service, but Gaya Center Hotel has! It makes us a very comfortable hotel life. Thank you very much!

a-m-a-z-i-n-g!”

this is my 2nd time back here at this hotel and my first time was somewhere in june 2012. i had a great 1st experience here and my 2nd was just as good. my partner and i arrived early at the hotel and despite putting a remark on our booking, stating that we'll be arriving for an early check-in, the normal check-in time was only at 2pm. to be fair to the other guests, we decided to stay and wait since it was raining in kk when we arrived, we could not go anywhere. but at 2pm, the staff told us we needed to wait a little longer as our superior queen bed room was not cleaned yet. since my partner and i had nothing much to do, we continued waiting. then, one of the staff called us and told us that we were upgraded to deluxe queen bed room as they felt bad for keeping us waiting for the room to get cleaned. although, our room was at a far end of the corridor, we still managed to get a sea view from our upgraded bedroom. also, there was one time, i went out with my partner about 12pm and we put the 'please clean my room' signage at the door knob, and to my surprise, when we came back to the room about 1pm, it was cleaned and tidied up already! that shows how prompt their cleaning services are! even the staffs were friendly and knowledgeable when i asked for directions around the city and etc. it is my second time back here at gaya centre hotel and i never regretted one single bit! it is cheap, affordable and even if it's classified as a budget hotel, the service felt 5 star!

nice hotel ba waterfront”

gaya centre hotel should not be mixed up with gaya hotel which is a place for so called world traveller who we do not really like. the place is by the waterfront of kota kinabalu and really very nice when it comes to comfort, reliability and friendliness of the staff. have your breakfast outside with a wonderful view over the bay.

clean and superb location”

I stayed just one nite at this suite room of this hotel with 2 double bed for 4 person. The toom was quite big, clean and tidy. The bathroom was very clean also. Superb location since side by side with Mal Suria and Istana mlMerdeka. The view from this hotel was great, u can see Gaya Island surrounded by the sea. 5 minutes walking distances to Jesselton Point, nearby gaya walk center, padang bus terminal and also filifino market..very great location for the money u have spent. I will absolutely stay at this hotel again during my time at Kota Kinabalu

Great Value!”

My stay at the Gaya Centre Hotel in Kota Kinabalu was extremely good! I found that the rooms were very large and well appointed with coffee kettle and bar fridge. I was put into a room on an upper level with views of the city. The buffett breakfast was very good offering eggs, baked beans, sausages, beef bacon (muslim country so no pork), coffee etc etc, Service was great as well