With spacious contemporary rooms, a rooftop infinity pool, and a terrific location in George Town’s UNESCO-listed heritage district, the upscale Fifth Avenue Hotel makes a comfortable and well-placed base for exploring Penang’s endlessly fascinating capital.
There is something particularly fascinating about staying in a newer hotel in an old city, provided the hotel understands that the city outside its doors makes up a big part of the attraction. At the beautiful Fifth Avenue Hotel, on Lebuh Macallum in George Town, Penang, the formula is a relatively straightforward one that we found most appealing: contemporary rooms and facilities, plenty of space, and a location that we think puts one of Malaysia’s most rewarding urban destinations within easy reach.
Opened at the end of 2024, the 241-room hotel occupies a prominent position right in the historic city centre, with the property itself taking its name from the network of streets and neighbourhoods around it. Honestly, it’s a lovely hotel and packs plenty of appeal, but we’d also say that its location is one of its strongest attributes. George Town’s UNESCO-listed heritage areas, traditional markets, Chinese clan houses, temples, street art, cafés, hawker stalls, and increasingly sophisticated restaurants are all quite close by, while the surrounding streets still retain the everyday character that makes Penang so much more interesting than most conventional destinations.
That combination of heritage outside and contemporary comfort inside is very much the Fifth Avenue proposition. The hotel’s public spaces are large and polished, with a spacious marble-and-chandelier lobby making an immediate impression, while guest rooms are notably generous by modern city-hotel standards. We liked the spacious layouts, comfortable beds, good bathrooms, walk-in wardrobes, and, in some room categories, useful kitchenette or lanai facilities. This was pretty interesting, especially in a food-centric destination like Penang. We were able to order freely, knowing that we can easily pack the leftovers and enjoy them later in our little separate kitchenette and lanai area. It’s a relatively unusual offering in a hotel room, and because of that, a bit hard to adequately describe. It’s a separate space, fan-cooled rather than air-conditioned, with a table, nice tiled floor, big windows, and basic kitchenette facilities. It’s a nice little extra space for guests who might be interested in using it. We were, and ate at the table on two occasions and found it a positive addition to our accommodation.
The views are another asset. Higher-floor rooms look across George Town and, depending on orientation, towards the hills and surrounding cityscape. Up on the 17th floor, meanwhile, the rooftop infinity pool provides the hotel’s most obvious visual flourish, with an elevated panorama that makes a compelling case for lingering after a day spent exploring Penang in the heat – more on the pool later. The hotel also has a gym on the same floor with city views, while its dining facilities include Big Apple Dining (playing into the New York theme that we’re happy to report is quite subtle and never overdone) and Tapas.
Breakfast certainly seemed to be a crowd-pleaser, and though it was the only meal we had at the hotel, we definitely enjoyed the wide selection of the buffet’s offerings and its ability to cater to both local and international clientele. We thought the service was quite good, too, even when the restaurant was rather busy. The friendliness and attentiveness of the staff on duty made a nice impression! We would overall give Big Apple strong marks for cleanliness, comfort, facilities, and service. It’s a large space and was a delightful place to start the day each morning.
We also enjoyed some time spent at the pool – though probably not enough! We were fortunate that the weather was pretty good during our visit, and the 17th-floor vantage point afforded some sweeping city scenery while we relaxed by the sparkling-clean infinity pool. Exercise buffs can also enjoy those same views while burning off some calories on the treadmills in the well-equipped gym, which includes plenty of top-tier TechnoGym equipment.
The hotel is noted as a five-star property, but as it’s a local, standalone hotel (as opposed to a property that’s part of an international chain), we understand that the overall experience at times might not quite reach the loftiest standards that some guests might expect. But it’s mostly just a few minor inconsistencies; for instance, we weren’t quite sure when the bar and restaurant was open or not. There’s also not a club lounge, which some guests might appreciate in an upscale city hotel. If guests are expecting a highly polished luxury-hotel experience at a global standard, rather than a very comfortable, contemporary city hotel, they may notice a minor issue here or there. Otherwise, it’s likely that this property will meet just about everyone’s needs. We very much enjoyed the hotel, however, and think Fifth Avenue is a great addition to Penang’s collection of upmarket high-rise hotels.
As far as the rates go, we were pleasantly surprised. If you’ve priced some of George Town’s well-known international-branded hotels recently, you probably came away with a bit of sticker shock. That won’t happen here. The room rates are genuinely attractive for a property of this calibre, and though you might not get a fancy club lounge or a slew of luxury accoutrements and branded goodies in the bathrooms, you’ll be plenty comfortable in this fine hotel… and you’ll likely pay anywhere from RM250 to RM600 less per night!
For us, though, the real appeal of the Fifth Avenue Hotel is less about whether it conforms perfectly to a particular star category and more about what it offers as a comfortably upscale base for exploring George Town. You can have a spacious, modern room, cool down in a rooftop pool, and then step outside into a city where a bowl of noodles, a century-old shophouse, a Chinese temple, a colonial-era building, or one of Penang’s legendary food stalls may be only a short ride away.
To learn more, or to book your own stay, visit fifthavenuepenang.com.
