This hotel is brand new – so new in fact that most taxi drivers have not even heard of the place, nor have some of the locals who have lived there for more than 20 years! Situated in Sheung Wan (to the left of Admiralty), close to the Macau Ferry Terminal on Hong Kong Island, this new gem is certainly a pleasant surprise! I agree with some other reviews in that calling it 5-star is a little over the top, but it is definitely like no other Courtyard out there!
The shuttle bus from Hong Kong airport to this hotel costs $HK140 per person one way (we found this the most economical and hassle free with 4 people since we had a lot of luggage). Usually there are a number of hotels on the way, but for us luckily we were the first stop. First impressions are less than satisfactory – with the driveway an awkward angle off a small street in front of a local bus stop. The lobby is unimpressive (small and literally has one couch, 3 check-in desks which were never fully utilised, a small takeaway cafe store I never saw open and concierge). We checked in twice to this hotel, the first time was a breeze and all requests were honoured (interconnecting, non-smoking rooms on high floors). But the second time took a very long time (for some reason there was only 1 desk open and she was very inexperienced).
Rooms are small, but very resourceful. Everything is new and chic. The most unusual feature is the wall between the room and the toilet – it is glass! So if you stay in the room alone, you could use the toilet with a view! Electric blinds (both shades and blackouts) make it effortless – although why wasn’t this technology implemented in the window that separates the room with the toilet? Toilet amenities include shaving kit, toothbrush, sewing kit, and the usual sanitary bags and shower caps. A great feature is that new scales are provided in each room to weight yourself (or more importantly, luggage). Cables are provided so you can connect a laptop or camcorder device to the large flat screen LCD TV. The shower is good with a choice of handheld or rainforest head. Although switching between the 2 showerheads gives the guest a mighty freeze for a split second as the water becomes warm – beware! The beds were very very comfortable (being new and all) and the pillows very supportive.
Slippers are also provided (and good quality as well!), and the phone system is nice and new (one button to operator – no more various buttons to various departments). Local calls from the in-room phone to Hong Kong are $HK5 for the first 30 minutes, which is great to know. The hotel also provides a free shuttle service for guests in the morning (weekday and weekend itinerary differs), and goes as far as Wan Chai. Bus stop is right outside the hotel (with services to the airport and Causeway bay), or the tram stop is on the next street which can take you to the Sheung Wan MTR station and beyond. If you need to take a taxi, make sure you bring the address of the hotel (e.g. on your room card envelope or a hotel-branded note paper – we found this very helpful!) There was a pretty good eatery about 5 minutes walk from the hotel for a nice bowl of noodles which was very cheap and good for supper!
The view of the harbour is quite nice – you can see (on a good day) Kowloon and beyond, and the Macau boats coming into the harbour. We didn’t get to stay on the city view facing side, but those rooms are cheaper. Our rate included breakfast at MoMo Cafe on level 2 every morning. This was satisfactory although quite expensive (I wouldn’t pay the price it was asking). There was barely anybody there every morning. Waffles are quite nice – there is also fruit juice, yoghurt, toast, salads, dim sum (including sticky rice), Chinese porridge and the traditional English breakfast stuff – but since the turnover was low, the quality was lacking. Service was also quite mediocre – even though there were so few people they seemed to be more occupied in their own conversations. Tea also apparently meant 1 teabag in a whole pot of hot water for 15 seconds on one morning – we basically got slightly coloured water to drink.
As with all Marriott hotels, it’s better if you can book through the official Marriott reservation system online, then find a cheaper rate from a legitimate website with the same room type within 24-hours – Marriott, upon assessing the case, may not only match the cheap price, but also beat it by 25%, and you then qualify for all of the points for Marriott. Expedia is often quite cheap, and this is one website which Marriott will honour for price matching.
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