Jalan Pahang • Titiwangsa • Since 1997
Grand Seasons Hotel,
Jalan Pahang KL
Jalan Pahang KL
A Personal Timeline 2002—2026
From family celebrations to closure and rebirth as Irama Kuala Lumpur — a museum record of a Titiwangsa landmark through personal photographs. Photos by Hj Zulheimy Maamor.
2002Prime Years • Family Majlis
Majlis Anak-Anak Salindah & Examo
This is 29 September 2002: My wife and my kids with a big maroon balloon inside the ballroom with the famous celebrity Kak Yong Tengku Mariam.
Bottom right: another celebrity (forgot her nama) holding the mic and my wife holding the little one.
2002 was right in the hotel's prime - just 4-5 years after it opened in 1997. Back then it was marketed as a 3-star but with 5-star height – 40 floors, 800 rooms, that tall small salmon-pink tower you could see from Jalan Pahang.
201311 Oct 2013
Still fully operational
On 11 October 2013, sending my son for a few days of training at Port Dickson, waiting for the bus in infront of the hotel.
This year, the hotel is still well-maintained, with a signboard with bunga kertas in front, a photo of me in an orange T-shirt at the side entrance, and my family waiting in the lobby.
2017
Class of '73 Reunion & Final Years
On 5 August 2017, a few weeks before my 2017 Hajj at Mecca, I attended the reunion of Class of 73 - SRJK (Inggeris) Gombak 1 & 2 at this hotel. Big group photo, maybe 40+ people, balloons and the banner behind them.
That was exactly what Grand Seasons was famous for in its last years – affordable ballroom packages for school reunions, family days, kenduri, and government courses. With 800 rooms and big banquet halls, it was the go-to for old classmates gathering from all over KL/Selangor.
Ceased Operations
After 20 years operating, the 40-storey hotel with 800 rooms, Malaysia's tallest hotel, was losing money. The owner, Prominview Sdn Bhd, announced it would cease operations.
The internal memo said:
"We have discovered that there are many issues with the building facilities due to age, such as water plumbing and piping, central air-conditioning system."
The board decided to close with effect from Feb 28, 2019.
2021-2022
Rumah Prihatin@Grand Seasons
The empty hotel was taken over by the Federal Territories Ministry to become a COVID-19 welfare centre. It was rebranded as Rumah Prihatin @ Grand Season and started operating in stages beginning from 15 July 2021 – used for a free food kitchen (1,000 packs), 300 rooms for quarantine, mental health counselling, vaccination support for homeless / disabled and an NGO operations centre.
After that programme ended, it was left vacant – which is why in April 2024 it looked like in my photo below, with the weathered facade and hoarding.
APR 2024
Empty Shell
Exposed concrete, no flag, green bus in front – after Rumah Prihatin, before the renovation.
Irama Kuala Lumpur
Fully refurbished and repurposed into Irama KL - 766 bilik, 5-star, tagline "Feel the rhythm". 72 Jalan Pahang, Titiwangsa Sentral. Ballroom 700 pax, auditorium tingkat 40, 7 restoran, pool 25 m. Expected to open in 2026.
Same address - 72 JALAN PAHANG, TITIWANGSA SENTRAL - but now a 5-star hotel.
The new hotel is set to open in 2026, marking one of the largest new hotel developments in the city with 766 rooms and suites. It will have 7 restaurants, two ballrooms, and a 300-seat auditorium on the 40th floor, with the tagline "Feel the rhythm" – Irama means rhythm/melody in Malay.
So Grand Seasons is gone, but the tower is back as Irama KL. If you drive past Jalan Pahang now in 2026, you should see new signage and scaffolding coming down.
Photos by Hj Zulheimy Maamor • 2002—2024 • 72, Jalan Pahang, Titiwangsa Sentral, 53000 KL • Formerly Grand Seasons Hotel (1997—2019) • Now Irama KL (2026)
Updated: 24/9/2026: 1:46 a.m.
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