From Treacher Road to Jalan Sultan Ismail – the story of KL's first international luxury hotel.
If you grew up in Kuala Lumpur in the 60s and 70s, you would know this building. The tower with the bold letters on top – HOTEL MERLIN. Today we know it as Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur on Jalan Sultan Ismail, but for a generation of KL-ites, it was simply The Merlin.
Built for a New Nation - 1957 to 1959
Hotel Merlin, now Concorde Hotel, was built in 1957 on what was then known as Treacher Road. It was founded by the late Datuk Lim Foo Yong, one of Malaya's pioneering hoteliers.
Designed with municipal architect Eric Taylor, it was only the second hotel in the capital to be built to international luxury standards. At 77 metres high, it dominated the skyline of early Kuala Lumpur. When it officially opened its doors in 1959, two years after Merdeka, it was considered the most prestigious hotel in the young nation.
At opening, it had 204 rooms, with 100 rooms reserved specially for long-term guests. For that era, its amenities were state-of-the-art – in-room telephones and a separate radio relay system in every room.
The Heyday: Why Everyone Wanted to Stay at The Merlin
Location was everything. Sitting in Bukit Bintang, the Merlin was the go-to place for foreign envoys, businessmen, and wealthy travellers who could afford it.
But what made it truly legendary was its Dragon Court Chinese Restaurant. If your parents had a wedding dinner in KL in the 70s or 80s, chances are it was there. The restaurant was famous for its luxurious interior and ornate dragon pillars. Today, it lives on at Concorde as XIN Cuisine.
As one former staff member, Madam Siew Yin, who served 26 years as a housekeeper since the hotel opened, recalled in an NST interview – the Merlin was one of the busiest and largest hotels in modern Malaya when she first joined. Many families have deep roots there. Husbands and wives met while working as floor captains, auditors and coffeehouse cashiers.
The high-rise tower block you see in this iconic photo with the big HOTEL MERLIN signage was the later expansion, adding hundreds of rooms to meet the boom in KL's tourism.
From Merlin to Concorde: 1990 to Today
The Merlin name served KL from 1957 until 1990 – 33 years. In 1990, it was rebranded as Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
Now into its 67th year since independence, the hotel is a 19-storey, 581-room, 4-star institution in the beating heart of the city. It has survived redevelopment rumours and sale listings, with management reaffirming, "Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur is here to stay."
Next time you drive down Jalan Sultan Ismail, look up. That low-rise block with the classic lattice facade at the front? That is still the original 1957 Merlin block from your grandparents' era.
Do you have memories of Hotel Merlin?
Did you dine at Dragon Court or attend a wedding there? Share your story in the comments below.
Sources: New Straits Times (Memories of Merlin Hotel), Free Malaysia Today, Concorde Hotel KL archives.
Tags: Hotel Merlin KL, Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Old Kuala Lumpur, Sejarah KL, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Treacher Road, Vintage KL
Hj Zulheimy Maamor
21 September 2026: 1:44 p.m.
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