Kuala Lumpur. The very name would remind you of a lively city. One filled with tradition, culture, as well as bustling streets lined with a slew of grand hotels. And each one of these hotels competes to offer its own unique blend of impeccable hospitality — from luxurious rooms and stellar service to gourmet dining and exclusive experiences. Standing proud and tall right in the heart of this vibrant city is one such icon: Renaissance Kuala Lumpur.

We at The Grid Asia were absolutely thrilled to accept a lovely invitation to join their three-day, two-night (3D2N) brand activation, affectionately dubbed the Renaissance Day of Discovery (or RDOD for short). While previous years kept the fun contained to a single day, this year, the hotel truly decided to go all out with a spectacular three-day affair!

The theme for this year? Layers of Discovery. And, true to its name, every day genuinely introduced a new layer, showcasing not only the hotel’s fabulous offerings but also what makes the Renaissance brand in Kuala Lumpur so special.

Day One: Daytime Discovery

Our grand experience kicked started on a sunny Friday afternoon. Our rendezvous point? The R Bar — a spot we quickly became very familiar with thanks to our many visits throughout the stay. We were there for the Navigator Welcome, and the energy was already buzzing.

The event was brilliantly emceed by the well-known Malaysian celebrity, Hunny Madu. She’s not only a star but is kind, humble, and utterly down-to-earth; her seamless hosting skills instantly livened up the whole experience. Joining her as the Guest Navigator was Imran Aqil, an exciting, up-and-coming Malaysian personality with a formidable social media following. We spent a great time mingling and socialising at the R Bar, getting to know the fabulous people who would be sharing the next three days with us.

After a delightful catch-up, it was finally time to head up to our rooms!

Checking in was a whole experience in itself, too. The Renaissance team calls it the in-room discovery, and it certainly was! We stepped inside and immediately spotted the most striking sight on the table: a welcome tray. On it sat a small standee of the iconic Twin Towers and the letters spelling out RDOD. The ‘R’ was actually a perfectly crafted macaron, and the ‘DOD’ and the little towers? They were surprisingly — and deliciously — made of chocolate! Alongside this sweet welcome, they had prepared a lovely variety of Nyonya Kuih, fresh fruits, and a generous bag full of goodies.

This delightful surprise concluded our Daytime Discovery. We had the rest of the afternoon free and easy to settle in, rest, fully enjoy the room, and get ready for the evening’s adventures.

Evenings Collective: Renaissance Rituals and A Street Soirée

As the day began to transition to night, it was time for the Evenings Collective of Day One! We started off by participating in Renaissance’s Sunset Hour Ritual, a daily event that is special to the brand. The ritual invites guests to come down to the R Bar where their expert mixologist will artfully whip up a different mocktail or cocktail every single day.

To turn up the fun factor for RDOD, they prepared a Mixology Mystery Game just for us! We got to try our hand at mixing up our own mocktails — a truly fun and engaging activity!

And after the sun had fully set, it was time for dinner. For this meal, the Renaissance team had prepared something wonderfully out of the ordinary. Instead of a standard hotel dinner, they set up a Nasi Kandar pop-up right outside the convention centre, spilling onto the street for a full-on Street Soirée experience!

We were treated to an incredibly authentic local feast, coupled with fantastic live music performances. We snagged seats right up front, with the talented Adam Malek and Le’ Lagoo leading the performances. And when it comes to Malaysian feasts, you simply cannot miss out on a freshly pulled, frothy glass of Teh Tarik.

Also featured during the Soirée was the local ice cream maker, Licky Chan, known for their wonderfully unconventional flavours. For that night, we took a leap of faith and tried the Fresh Milk Ice Cream topped with soy sauce. It was an odd combination indeed, but trust us when we say that it worked surprisingly well! Think of the common, yet uncommon, sweet and salty combination. It blends like a charm, kind of like salted fries dipped in vanilla ice cream.

After a wonderfully fulfilling meal and great time socialising under the stars (coupled with a gorgeous view of the twin towers), we finally headed back up to our room for a well-deserved night’s rest.

Day Two: Active & Artistic Discovery

R Activities

Bright and early! That was the motto for Day Two. We certainly weren’t afforded a lie-in, as we had to wake up early and head straight down to the hotel’s lovely Paradise Trails for some exhilarating R Activities.

Much like the Sunset Hour Ritual, the R Activities are another fun event special to the Renaissance brand. The hotel offers these engaging fitness activities to guests to ensure their stay is fulfilling and active. And what was on the menu for us that morning? We broke a good sweat with a high-energy Zumba session! There’s nothing quite like dancing away to start a fresh morning.

Having thoroughly earned our appetite, we were served a yummy, healthy breakfast right after the workout. And, honestly, we still dream about that particular smoked salmon to this day! But that wasn’t all — there was a wonderful variety of overnight oats, creamy yogurts, fresh salads, fluffy waffles, and so much more to fuel up on.

We grabbed a cup of coffee to-go before quickly heading back up to our room to freshen up, knowing our next exciting activity was just around the corner.

A Creative Field Trip

Next up on the agenda was the much-anticipated Discovery Tour! The Renaissance team took us offsite for this one, and it honestly felt just like a little school trip.

Remember that bag of goodies we received on day one? They had cleverly slipped in an RDOD T-shirt for us to wear during the tour. What with the matching tees and being gently herded onto the buses, it definitely brought back nostalgic memories of our school days.

Our destination for that late morning was GMBB, a fantastic creative community hub located in Bukit Bintang that passionately celebrates countless Malaysian artists and creatives. The GMBB building spans nine whole floors, so believe us when we say there was a plethora of local works and creative talent to explore!

We started off our tour with a delightful cup of coffee from Jiak Kopi Coffeeshop, a quaint cafe that wonderfully retains a vintage, cosy feel. From there, we explored enchanting storybooks celebrating local tales at the Hikayat Fandom Folklore World, admired unique, Ocean-themed furniture at Lasprecious Design, and even stumbled upon Algae Eats, where we got to try algae coffee and algae ice cream! How intriguing is that?

Of course, this is just a mere snapshot among many, many more discoveries. Honestly, you might need an entire day (or maybe even two) to fully explore everything GMBB has to offer. It was incredibly fun and truly enlightening to discover all these wonderful local works and talents.

After a thoroughly stimulating tour, we headed back to the hotel for a curated lunch at Evolution, Renaissance Kuala Lumpur’s Italian restaurant.

Day of Discovery Party

The night of Day Two served up what was arguably the highlight of the entire RDOD experience: the spectacular Day of Discovery Party!

The atmosphere was electric. Everyone arrived dressed to impress, and with an extended guest list, the R Bar was certainly bustling. Yes, it was packed, but in the best way possible — everyone was clearly having the time of their lives!

For this grand party, the Renaissance team really geared up for a good time, preparing tons of fun and surprises for their guests. From fascinating pop-up booths to absolutely amazing live performances, they had covered every base.

As the party kicked off, we immediately gunned for the booth that caught our eye: the DIY Perfumery led by Julyana. It was a blast, matching our favourite scents and crafting our very own personalised perfume — a brilliant keepsake, as well as a new daily essential.

We also indulged in some gorgeous white henna on our hands, delicately applied by the ever-talented Henna Artist Reen. Her hands were superbly stable, and her 10 years of experience really shone through with every intricate stroke. To top off the artistic fun, we also had Vivian Lees create a memorable caricature portrait for us!

Other amazing pop-ups included Tarot Reading by Ra, a showcase of fashion in heritage by Tangsi Tujuh, a fun walk-in photobooth, and more. There was something exciting happening in every corner of the room (literally)!

We were also blessed with live performances throughout the evening by Melissa Anne, Haikal Farid, and Yuji. And for a special treat, we even had the lovely opportunity to hear our fabulous emcee (and singer!) for the entire event, Hunny Madu, perform her own song live. To keep the energy pumping and the dance floor moving, we were accompanied by dynamic beats spun by DJ Vikna all night long.

It was an unforgettable night filled with glamour, art, music, and best of all, great company.

Day Three: The Renaissance After-Party

Alas, like all good things, this incredible experience had to eventually come to an end. We reached Day Three, our final day, but Renaissance wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye yet! They made sure to hold a vibrant after-party before we all checked out and headed back to reality.

The farewell was held with an easygoing, upbeat vibe. We enjoyed great music, specially curated by Disko Santan on the deck, spinning tracks that kept everyone in a happy mood. There was plenty of good food, alongside delicious coffee from hétam+ to give us one last caffeine hit before the journey home.

For a cute little keepsake to take home, there was a fun calligraphy pop-up booth, providing a custom reminder of our three-day jaunt here.

It was the perfect blend of relaxation and fun — a thoughtful, lively send-off that truly capped off an exceptional three days of discovering the many layers of hospitality and creativity that the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur has to offer. We checked out with full hearts, inspired minds, and a host of fantastic memories from the Renaissance Day of Discovery! And, personally, we’re more than excited to come back for more.