You can walk, or jog, to the Kuala Lumpur City Centre development, and carry your shopping bags back without need of a taxi. You can ogle the glowing, cloud-piercing thrust of the Petronas Twin Towers at night from the rooftop pool or popular bar. You can get a high-tech room at an unpretentious price and the brightly lit buffets go way beyond standard congealing stews and pasta stations. What the Traders Hotel lacks in terms of history or atmosphere it more than makes up for in location, service and tasteful, minimalist aesthetics. But please reserve ahead, especially as the place is packed out during frequent convocations at the next-door Convention Centre.

• 1. Traders Hotel
  161 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; (60-3) 2332 9888 3.15992101.71562 shangri-la.com