NO PRETENSE - GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY FOR THE INITIATED & INDEPENDENT!

Location – Excellent
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1. Located next to Times Square. Exit A from Causeway Bay MTR station. Walk around the Salvatore Ferragamo shop corner and it’s right there (on your left). Word of caution: The walk to exit A is a fairly long one. So you have a lot of luggage, my advice : Take the airport shuttle bus. It stops right in front of the hotel and the frequency in every 15 mins.
2. Easy access to shopping (Times Square, WTC, Sogo) and eateries in the vicinity.

Lobby/Reception (1st Floor)
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1. Take the escalator to the first floor, and you will see the modern looking reception. Check-in is efficient & business-like.
2. Forget about bell-boys, concierge (the reception doubles up) . This hotel is for the self-initiated & independents.
3. There is an internet corner with broadband access (accessible by guest card). It is like a study room, complete with stationery. You can have free internet access here.
4. There is also a China Travel Service (HK) Ltd travel desk, and an eatery, Dining Room on the same floor.
5. 3 lifts serve the guest rooms (the rest serve the restaurants within the same building) and the wait is very manageable.

Other Self-Service Options
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1. Laundry / Dry cleaning : You will have bring your laundry bag and complete the laundry form (from your room) and bring it to the Housekeeping Dept between 7:30 to 9:00 daily. Pick-up is at 19:00 to 23:00 Daily.
2. Ironing : Ironing Room is on the 11th Floor
3. California Fitness: If self-service is insufficient exercise for you, the hotel has an arrangement for you to work out at California Fitness….at the prevailing going rate.
4. Meeting rooms : 2 connecting rooms for small size functions are available on the 7th floor
5. Vending machine is located at lobby level & there is a 24-hour convenience store within walking distance.

Room
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I have a double bed, non-smoking room on the 28th floor (there are 29 floors in this hotel) overlooking Times Square, and I could even see the sea from my bay windows. Access to the room is by room card which doubles up as activating all the lighting.
1. The rooms are good size by HK standards and even compared to hotels from the Dorsett chain. The room is basic & well-maintained. The fluorescent lighting made the room look more functional rather than cosy. Likewise, the study desk light is a florescent too! The well-maintained carpeting lends some warm touches to the room.
2. Mattress is firm with lots of plush pillows. The sheets are of acceptable quality & clean.
3. There is a study desk with PVC-bound swivel chair and you may use the LAN cable provided by the hotel to connect on the internet on your notebook. The speed is slower than Tokyo’s but is fast enough. I had some teething problems connecting but once the server was re-set, it’s just great. It’s even free. I experienced staying at the Four Seasons, Shangri-la, Conrad & Hyatt. Not only was I charged exorbitantly for internet connection, there were not as fast. They even provide an adapter plug in the room…..how thoughtful!
4. The only stationery provided is a hotel notepad & pen. Don’t expect any envelopes or any hotel stationery. BYO.
5. There is a hotel safe & torchlight (next to your bedside) and a LCD alarm clock.
6. Good size TV, with remote control. A total of 19 channels for you to choose from : 7 Chinese, 8 English (including BBC World, CNBC HK, AXN), 1 Spanish, 1 German, 2 Japanese.
7. Telephone : Has voice-message facility. Only 1 is available on study desk, not beside your bed or the bathroom. Corded (not cordless).
8. Cloths hangers/Closet/Drawers : The closet is small sized and there are no drawers in this closet or room. You find an empty fridge in the closet as well (strange). To sum it, closet space is manageable with a 2 or 3 days stay. There are clothes hanger hooks to hang your cloths.
9. Luggage rack: A foldable luggage rack is provided.
10. Bedroom slippers : They even provide bedroom slippers! That’s a really nice touch!
11. Other nice touches : Hairdryer at study desk, kettle jug, cups & sachets of Chinese tea and coffee.
12. Air-conditioning/Heater: There is no heater option at all. The weather was freezing cold this Feb 2008. When I called up housekeeping, the hotel immediately provided me a portable heater which was very effective (both solutions & heating me up!)
13. Sofa : There is a sofa-bed set in my room. Staying alone in this double room bedroom is definitely not optimal!

Bathroom & Toiletries – Well designed & functional
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1. Soaps/Shampoo take in the form of a dispenser, at the washbasin & in the shower. If you are particular about conditioning your hair, bring your own conditioner. Bring your own moisturizer too.. this is not a 5-star hotel.
2. Other toiletries provided : Disposable toothbrush with toothpaste, shower cap.
3. The shower is good size & sufficient power in the water jet. If you like baths, sorry this is not the hotel for you.
4. Bath towels : Clean and well-maintained.
5. WC: the door of the bathroom doubles up as the door to lock your WC. I applaud the optimal use of space & design.
6. There is no power point for shavers nor disposable shavers provided. BYO!

Breakfast – Very order, organized & adequate!
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I was curious after reading all the poor reviews about the breakfast. You get your breakfast coupon/s upon checking in. Breakfast is served from 7am to 10:30am at W’s Entrecote (a steak restaurant from noon onwards). In typical efficient HK-style, you get to choose from 4 set menus : A, B, C, D. A & D are western options, offering croissants/bacon. B & C are oriental options offering congee or noodles.

The breakfast turned out to be much better than I expected after all the poor reviews. I enjoyed the century egg/lean meat congee a great deal, the fried mini- spring rolls, the deep-fried mini pork bun, followed by fruits. Tea/Cofee & orange juice is included all the sets. Sure, it is for venue for feeding the masses but I would not likened it to being in a canteen.

It is served in such an orderly & organized fashion that, if you are a late-morning person, you never have to end up eating leftovers (most hotels like to serve breakfast buffet style).

CONCLUSION
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I would pay the extra (compared to Dorsett chain or the YMCA) and stay here. Yes, even on business, this hotel is adequate enough. My type of hotel. Getting straight to the point and doesn’t make a pretense of its limitations (which are few). How often to we use the swimming pool, anyway, if you are a single or a lone business travel? I paid slightly over HK$1000 for my stay. If you can get the room for less than or equal to HK$1000.00, I would say, “Take it! you are getting your money’s worth!”