Hong Kong and Macau - Please help choose a hotel

Parents are going to Hong Kong for the first time. Will be doing normal touristy things. I can get the following rates:

Harbour Grand Kowloon-$148 harbour view room
Hotel ICON-$150 Harbour View 36 Room, Club room $190
Langham Place Hotel Mongkok-$155 Essential place room
Mira Hotel-$155 City King
Hyatt Tsim Tsa Tsui-Cityview $160, Club Room $192
Sheraton Hong Kong-Standard Deluxe $162, Deluxe Harbourview $176
Intercontinental-Plaza view $190, Harbourview $225

With the exception of the Intercontinental they are all pretty similar in price. I had booked a club room at the Hyatt a long time ago but in the meantime all the other hotels have come down to the prices indicated. Should I switch to something else.

Are they members and/or elites of SPG/IHG/Hyatt Diamond? Because that might influence on which hotel to book.

Harbour Grand is not in Tsim Sha Tsui, it's about 10 minutes away by public transport. However it's close to a big private residential area and close to a local mall, where you can see the more real Hong Kong.

Are they members and/or elites of SPG/IHG/Hyatt Diamond? Because that might influence on which hotel to book.


Members of everything but not elite anywhere. Also prices I am getting are using Amex 36% discount at travelocity so points might not be earned. Except Hyatt which was booked using my points and is priced at the rate I would value my points at. I am a Plat Hyatt member but don't think it will do much for my parents.

The slam-dunk choice for me would be the Harbourview room at the IC for $225. 10 and 20 years from now, they will still be talking about the incredible view that they had. Service at the hotel is also several steps above any of the others listed.

Next best choice for me is Hyatt TST -- relatively new hotel in a great location (in the middle of everything in TST, but without being in the Nathan Road quagmire).

The other half and I are currently staying at the Hotel ICON, which I would highly recommend if you haven't made a choice yet. It's a teaching hotel for the Polytechnic University, but that only shows up in the avant-garde uniforms of the male staff (cotton crewnecks and khaki cargo pants, that's a student vote if I ever saw one) and an aggressively helpful demeanour on the part of most everyone. There is a certain amount of overstaffing, which doesn't hurt anything of course. The rooms are high-tech and gorgeous, though there are a few gotchas, like an electronic "do not disturb" button right near the door where most hotel rooms have switches for their lighting. The hotel has a number of restaurants and bars and things - the Market is a buffet with around 6 international cuisines as well as a lovely dessert bar. (This is important to me because I travel for cake!) The atrium is also fairly spectacular.

Some of the rooms have free minibar, and I would definitely recommend the harbour view rooms if your budget extends that far, because it's a great view. There's also a MTR stop within about 300 yards and a ton of food places, and it's an easy walk to the harbour. It isn't quite central, but the location doesn't suffer any at all.

I doubt that's the price for the IC. Much more likely the IC Grand Stanford in TST-East. Otherwise, if one can get a harborview room at the IC for $225, no need to consider the other options.

are these rates in US$ or HK$?

are these rates in US$ or HK$?

USD of course.

No-brainer: IC harbourview.

Except it isn't for the IC ex-Regent, but rather for the fake one IC-Plaza, which is less desirable than the Sheraton despite the higher price (unless you are attending a convention there). A bit confusing and at times deceptive having 2 IC's so close and yet so far!

From that list I'd pick the Langham as having the best room, and the Sheraton harbourview if able to get a high enough floor (probably not without status or upgrading to the much more expensive Towers).

Members of everything but not elite anywhere. Also prices I am getting are using Amex 36% discount at travelocity so points might not be earned. Except Hyatt which was booked using my points and is priced at the rate I would value my points at. I am a Plat Hyatt member but don't think it will do much for my parents.

How does this discount work?