On a trip to Malaysia, we were looking for an easy hotel that was comfortable and close to Johor Bahru’s Senai Airport. This is because we were flying into Singapore and then heading on to Penang, and we realised that it was cheaper to stay in a Johor Bahru hotel and fly out of Senai the next morning to start our Malaysia trip than to stay in Singapore and fly out of there.
Since we were flying out of Senai early, we wanted a hotel super close to here so we didn’t have to worry about finding a taxi super early.
That’s when we found SEM9 Senai Hotel. This recently opened eSports hotel is just a few minutes walk from check-in at Senai and sounded absolutely perfect.
While this hotel suited us due to its position by the airport, it also sounded like a great choice for anyone looking for eSports hotel or for somewhere to game with their friends.
So is it?
Here are our thoughts after our stay here. I include all the details you need to know about the SEM9 Senai Hotel from its location to the room choices, facilities and dining options so you’ll soon know if SEM9 Senai Hotel is for you.
Spoiler: It is a solid choice and we have now stayed here again and updated this article fully.
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SEM9 Senai Hotel Review
This hotel isn’t just for airport convenience. It also has eSport rooms – so hotel rooms set up for gaming for two to five people. Some have beds and some don’t so be careful when you book. Some rooms are also regular style hotel rooms without the gaming.
I stayed here with my three kids. We concentrated on the sleeping aspects of the room rather than the gaming 🙂
Location
Address: 21, Jalan Terminal 1, 81400 Senai, Johor, Malaysia
This hotel is very well located for airport access as it’s just 400 metres and less than five minutes walk from the airport. I’ve stayed in actual airport hotels that weren’t even as convenient as this. There’s a group of restaurants, shops and facilities all around the hotel so it’s a very handy spot for air travel.
Rooms
There are a range of rooms at SEM9 Senai Hotel which can be basically split into three categories. There are those that are like regular hotel rooms, those that are hotel rooms with gaming facilities and those that are purely set up for gaming.
For regular hotel rooms, there are twin, king, triple and family (deluxe) room options with bedding for two to four people. All rooms have a wall mounted TV, tea and coffee making facilities, some bottled water, air-conditioning, toiletries – basically, everything you would expect from a quality hotel. There are also desk areas.
Then there are the rooms that contain all of these things plus LED gaming desks, high performance gaming PCs and 24-inch gaming monitors. There is a desk, monitor and PC per person in the room.
You can also hire a gaming room without a bed if you don’t need to sleep. There are two person options with sofa bed and bean bag and the possibility of playstations or a five person room which is all about the gaming.
S9 Classic Deluxe
This room type has two queen beds so it suited the four of us well for an overnight stop.
On entry to the room, you can find a decent cupboard, the wall mounted TV over a long desk with a chair with complimentary water on the desk and two large and comfortable queen beds.
In between the beds is a small bedside table which also has two USB-A sockets for device charging. There was no in-room fridge or safe but we didn’t really need either for an overnight stay.
The air-conditioning worked well and cooled our room to a comfortable sleeping temperature. Given the warm and humid conditions outside it was a great comfort.
The bathroom was small and simple, with a shower, toilet and basin. A bit annoying was that there was no shower screen or curtain, but again it didn’t really impact us that much given it was an overnight stay.
There were enough towels and toiletries, including toothbrushes, making it somewhere you could avoid getting your own stuff out if you just wanted to keep things as packed as possible prior to the airport.
Being a non-gaming room our room lacked the LED style touches that the gaming rooms have. It was a very comfortable room for the four of us to rest up before an early flight.
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On our next visit, we stayed in a triple room. It was basically the same but with a queen and a single bed.
Facilities
Not surprisingly, this hotel advertises high speed internet which is free to all guests. However, I found the internet slow and not great to use. It looked like there are two guest networks, and it’s possible that people staying in the gaming rooms get access to better quality internet. I would hope so.
There is parking for an extra charge as well as a free shuttle to the airport except on Saturdays. However, the airport is so close, you won’t need this unless you have a lot of luggage or if it rains.
I didn’t bother booking the shuttle as it seemed easier to walk. However, then it was absolutely pouring with rain when it was time to go, so it would have been handy.
There is a tiny merchandise store where you can buy clothes and a conference room for those larger eSports sessions when a room just isn’t big enough.
But that’s it – the SEM9 does not boast much in the way of facilities.
Dining
During our stay the breakfast options were basic: bread (and a toaster), jams, cereal and milk, juice, tea or coffee. There are also some hot options which were chicken nuggets, wedges, fried tofu, steamed buns, fried noodles and a rice dish. It did the job.
There is no problem finding something to eat around here if you don’t like the included options or if you don’t have breakfast included in your room rate.
There are eating options in the immediate surrounds and at the airport terminal. There’s a McDonald’s a mere minute walk from the lobby, more fast food and coffee options at the airport terminal. There are several good looking local restaurants even closer than that.
Multiple convenience stores provide additional options or a place to buy snacks for the flight. You won’t go hungry unless you’re just too deep into a gaming marathon to be able to go out.
If actually leaving the hotel is simply too much effort, there is sadly no room service. However, a vending machine selling a wide range of simple foods and drinks, like some cup noodles or milo, is in reception.
Final Words
I had a great experience staying at the SEM9 Senai Hotel. It’s convenient and easy for anyone who wants easy access to the airport, and I imagine it’s a gamers dream come true.
It isn’t somewhere I’d stay for an entire stay in Johor Bahru (unless I was there for some eSports action) and it does lack facilities for a longer, comfortable stay. However, it is quiet, comfortable and we had a great night’s sleep. It’s got everything you could need close by, minutes walk away and that includes the airport.
So if you have a late flight in or an early flight out or simply need somewhere to rest before a flight and maybe play a couple of hours of Counter Strike or whatever you’re in to then it’s hard to go past the SEM9 Senai Hotel.
Click here to see the latest prices.
Looking for other accommodation options in Johor Bahru? Find our full hotel guide here. You can also find our full guide to things to do in Johor Bahru here and all our guides to Johor Bahru here.
Planning a trip to Malaysia? Have any questions? Join our Malaysia Travel Planning Facebook group here now! It’s the perfect place to ask any questions and to be inspired!
