Hard Rock Hotel Penang

Penang Hard Rock Hotel

Hard Rock Hotel Penang is the latest resort which has added a touch of rock to the ever busy area of Batu Ferringhi on the island known as the Pearl Of The Orient.

This unique resort-styled hotel has been creating a huge buzz from the locals right up to the foreigners and I had the pleasure of staying here to fully experience what the Hard Rock Hotel in Penang was all about.

The 6-storey hotel resort officially opened its doors on September 19th 2009 offering patrons a retro facade  for the main building. A chic and modern interior is carefully designed while tons of Rock and Roll Memorabilia from various rock stars around the world are found throughout the resort.

Photo of Hard Rock Hotel Penang
Hard Rock Hotel Penang sea view

The Hard Rock Hotel and Resort in Penang is situated towards the end of Batu Ferringhi where the old Casuarina Beach Hotel once stood. The resort hotel boasts of 249 unique rooms and suites with mostly views of the sea. These amazing rooms come fully equipped with just about everything a traveler needs.

Penang Hard Rock Resort
The pool at the Hard Rock Resort in Penang
With such a world renowned brand name, the Hard Rock Hotel here provides guests with unique facilities which include a 26,000 square feet free-form swimming pool which is the largest in Penang and reputedly the largest in Malaysia.

Just wandering around the pool area gave me an different perspective of hotel pools. The kids pool, the lagoon room pool area, the pool bar and the sand pool, all interconnected to make this one huge pool. Family activities such as volleyball and dancing sessions at the pool is provided where the staff would participate here.

Reception and Bar at HRH Penang

As we entered the HRH in Penang, we were greeted by the pleasant ushers (known as Rock Agents) who show you to the main reception or check-in area. Don't get me wrong, but I assumed that I was been lead t o the bar when one of the ushers casually noted that the reception doubles as a bar. How unique is that!

Lobby lounge area

The main lobby area which is open air also serves as a lounge come nightfall where on weekends, performances by local or international bands takes place. The designer rattan day beds make you want to just chill and laze there. Some guests even catch the sunset from this area. I personally tried lounging on one of these chairs and it was pretty hard to leave them.

 Mini Rock Shop

Around the lobby area, a mini Hard Rock Shop sells the famous Hard Rock souvenirs but note that they are Hard Rock Hotel and not Cafe merchandise.A larger Rock Shop is situated outside in a stand along building selling everything the hotel and cafe carries.

View from my Seaview Deluxe Room Balcony

After checking in which was a breeze and hassle free, we made our way to the Seaview Deluxe room on the second floor. First thing by habit, i opened the curtains and the view was stunning. I could see the entire pool area and the sea beyond that. Do read about my room experience in my other article.


A lot of people tend to think that the beach at the Hard Rock Hotel in Penang is shared with other resorts. So, I personally had a walk out here just to confirm this and the beach is semi-private - Meaning, outsiders can use the beach and there are third party sports operators around the beach who are not affiliated with the resort. Please take note of this.

Notices for hotel guests about the beach and sea

Sand bottom pool

Most intriguing on my walk around the resort pool was the man-made sand pool to give you the effect of the sea. Special Sand was placed at the bottom of the pool which had a depth of about one feet of sand while rocks were placed throughout. Never have I seen such creativity at a swimming pool so this gets points from me. 

The Shack, a sunken pool bar

At the pool facilities area, a sunken pool bar known as The Shack is found at the back facing the lagoon rooms. Apparently, if you are staying at any of the lagoon deluxe rooms and make any room service orders, the waiters will swim over to your lagoon room private deck and hand you your order of food and drinks. Cool right?

Kids play pool at the Hard Rock Penang
The kids section of the swimming pool was utterly interesting where if I was a kid, I would have jumped in and went wild as the water gadgets and slides looked most inviting. With this, I believe that parents with kids would have a field day here!

Starz Diner or the regular coffee house

Moving over to the coffee house or Starz Diner as it is called there, the decoration was simple yet tasteful with a hint of design. At one end of the restaurant, glass mosaics form a picture with a myriad of colours seen through large pigeon holes.

The 150 seat diner is indoor and an outdoor section is available for smokers or for those who prefer the Malaysian warmth.


Buffet breakfast is served until 10am daily where a selection of fusion Asian delicacies are offered. An open kitchen lets you see the chefs in action while they prepare some of the made-to-order meals.

À la carte is offered throughout the day while on weekends, special dinner buffets are offered and on Saturdays, a Seafood Buffet Dinner is the special here.

Beatles Memorabilia

For the Hard Rock fans, you will be pleased to know that there are over 500 pieces of memorabilia located throughout the hotel. Some of them pretty unique that you will not find them at the general Hard Rock Cafes.

I was also quite impressed by the Elvis Collection at the Kings Club where we checked in. A daily memorabilia tour is available for guests where staff will take you on a tour around the hotel to view the extensive collection of Hard Rock memorabilia's.

Teens Club

For the teenagers, The Teens Club which is a games room where a foosball and pool table is available and coin operated. Funny thing was I saw adults hanging out here when I made a visit to this place which is located just next to the mini rock shop.

Going a little further in the games room and you see three LCD TVs hooked up to a PSP, XBOX 360 and Wii. These are provided for free and is monitored by staff who make sure that others get a fair chance to play their favourite video games.

Two internet kiosks are also provided for those who prefer to surf the internet or simply check their emails and Facebook. 

Body Rock Gym at Hard Rock Hotel

The Body Rock Gym is pretty cool as it is self operated. Access is via your room card and the view here is very soothing to ones eye. Exercise machines face the swimming pool which is partly decorated with fresh green tropical plants.

One can use the gym anytime of the day without supervision. However for children visiting the gym, parents are advised to tag along.

Lil' Rock for the toddlers

Lil' Rock is available for the younger kids aged 4 to 12 where parents can simply drop them off under the supervision of staff while the parents have some alone time at the pool or just about anything they want to do minus kids.

Fun activities such as arts and craft, table games, playing area, an internet station and a wide range of movies are available here.

Sunset Stage, open air area above the Pizzeria

The Pizzeria is famous for their wood fired pizzas is located just by the beach in an independent building. A staircase at the side leads up to an open area called Sunset Stage. It is here where one can witness some of the beautiful Penang Sunsets.

I was told that some events are even held up here in this open area where you can see just about the entire sea section of the HRH.

The hotel-resort also shares the same building with the Hard Rock Cafe. However, you need to exit the hotel to enter the cafe which is just next door. A fairly large car park which is free is available and on weekends, it can get pretty full as the occupancy of the hotel peaks to about 95%.

The famous Batu Ferringhi Night Market which is a daily event is also accessible by walking down the road while various eateries are also found outside the hotel while nature parks are located about 10-20 minutes drive from here.

Inside the Teens Club
If you are visiting Penang Island, I would highly recommend staying at the HRH as it would suit the families perfectly while the Hard Rock fans would find this place very interesting compared to other common resorts.

Staff are well trained and friendly and are always looking to assist you while greets will be coming in throughout the day from all directions making you feel always welcomed. For first timers, if you are unsure, take my word for it, it was very different in my usual hotel and resort experience and I walked away  happily with a Rock 'N' Roll Experience never before tried.

Hotel Tip: If you are not a fan of music, please ask for the rooms away from the Cafe.

Hotel Amenities;
  • Rock Spa
  • Rock Shop
  • Body Rock Gym
  • Teens Club
  • Lil' Rock Kids Club
  • Swimming Pool
  • Hair Saloon
  • Function Hall (Meetings, Events, Launches and Weddings)
Dining and Nightlife;
  • Hard Rock Cafe
  • Starz Diner
  • The Shack
  • Pizzeria
  • Lobby Lounge
Room Types:

ROOM CATEGORIES BED TYPE SIZE
Hillview Deluxe King Bed or 2 Single Beds 29 m2 
Hillview Deluxe with balcony King Bed or 2 Single Beds 41 m2
Family Room King Bed with a Single Trundle Beds or 2 Single Beds with a Single Trundle Beds 53 m2
Seaview Deluxe King Bed or 2 Single Beds 35 m2
Lagoon Deluxe King Bed or 2 Single Beds 42 m2
Kings Club Seaview Deluxe * King Bed only  35 m2 
Seaview Studio Suite * King Bed only  53 m2 
Rock Star Suite * King Bed only  93 m2
Kings Suite * Hollywood King and King Bed 185 m2


For room prices and promotions, please visit the official Hard Rock Hotel Website 

Hard Rock Hotel words by the main road

GPS Coordinates for Hard Rock Hotel Penang - N5 28.065 E100 14.509

Directions to Hard Rock Hotel Penang - If you are driving, head on the Batu Ferringhi main road. When you come to the busy part where you see The Ship Restaurant in the shape of a wooden ship on your right, just continue straight for about 900 meters and the Hard Rock Hotel will be on your right side.

Address of Hard Rock Hotel Penang; 
Batu Ferringhi Beach
11100 Batu Ferringhi,
Pulau Pinang,
Malaysia
Telephone: 04-881-1711

Map to Hard Rock Hotel Penang



View Hard Rock Hotel Penang in a larger map

You can also view some of the Hard Rock Hotel Penang in Videos which I have captured during my stay here in 2010. Probably some of the things have changed since then. 

Overall, I must admit that it has been a long time since I stayed in a fun hotel-resort where staff were cheerful and lively.

Location wise, it was pretty spot on as the main beach, shopping and entertainment areas were walking distance and good old Penang Food was just a stones throw away. I would also like to disclose that my 3D/2N experience was complimentary on behalf of Hard Rock Hotel Penang.

Malaysia Asia

Blogging since 2007, but writing online since 1997. I belong to the 1st generation of worldwide bloggers, which is of course old-school. Since 2008, I created Malaysia Asia and this travel, flood, gadget and lifestyle blog has won numerous physical awards from tourism boards around Malaysia. (Not those online awards). After 12 years of blogging, I have semi-retired and now blog about things I like, do product reviews and enjoy life. My work has been featured in Lonely Planet, CNN Travel, Yahoo Travel, Wall Street Journal, and many other international publications. Find out more about me and thank you.

17 Comments

Please Select Embedded Mode To Show The Comment System.*

Previous Post Next Post

Contact Form