Design hotels: RuMa Hotel & Residences, Kuala Lumpur

Located in Kuala Lumpur’s Golden Triangle district, the RuMa Hotel and Residences offers a quiet, design-conscious alternative to the city’s fast-paced rhythm. With 253 rooms and suites, the property invites guests into a layered, thoughtfully detailed world where Malaysian craft and material culture are brought into a clean, contemporary frame.

Outfitted by Shanghai-based architecture and interior design studio  MQ Studio, the hotel draws on the textures, histories and vernacular design language of the region. Six antique timber pillars – salvaged from a Malaysian home – greet guests at the entrance, while copper detailing and quarried stone walls in the lobby nod to the country’s tin mining heritage. The overall effect is one of warmth and depth, balancing formality with familiarity.

Throughout the hotel, the design remains restrained yet expressive. Guestrooms reflect a modern take on colonial-era styling, softened with timber panelling, woven rattan, and lantern-inspired lamps. The overall mood is one of quiet domesticity – a home away from home – with subtle cues that promote rest as much as productivity. Every detail feels considered, from the calm colour palette to the tactility of natural materials underfoot.

RuMa takes its name from rumah, the Malay word for ‘home’ – a concept that’s echoed not only in its interiors but in its approach to service and experience. Whether in the calm of the hotel spa or the dining venues that draw from local culinary traditions, there’s a sense of ease that feels both intentional and deeply local.

Despite its central location, within walking distance of landmarks such as the Petronas Towers and Bukit Bintang, the hotel manages to create a sense of distance from the noise of the city, allowing guests to experience it from a place of quiet perspective.

In a city known for its contrasts, The RuMa offers one of its own: an inner-city stay shaped by heritage, comfort and craft – a modern hotel with its roots firmly in place.

theruma.com