missemus

Hallo there, Im considering staying at the Upper House in Hong Kong on my next trip there, but have heard much about the new opened Four Season.., which one to choose?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Kettering Northants QC

Are you possibly getting the Four Seasons on Hong Kong island confused with perhaps the Ritz Carlton in Kowloon, The Four Seasons has been open nearly 9 years? I've known big hotels open and close in roughly that time the original Ritz Carlton in Central lasted 15 years and I think there was a hotel just down from the Four Seasons in the shun tak centre that lasted less than that IIRC

Lots of excellent hotels in Hong Kong but 4 or 5 generally find their way to the top of the pile - The Four Seasons, The Upper House, Mandarin Oriental and Peninsula. Lots of people have their favourites and each is different (location, style etc)

luxury1996

I don't like UH very much... I am a big fan of either of the MO properties as I prefer to be in Central when in HK.

vuittonsofstyle

Agree that The Upper House is a disappointment - MUCH better options in HK, like Four Seasons HK, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, The Peninsula Hong Kong, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental. Not The Ritz-Carlton, though!

Baghoarder

Agree that the RC is not an appealing option. The location is inconvenient unless you have a business reason to be over that way. There's a large glitz factor too - not my cup of tea.

I like the UH. I think the decor is a question of personal taste but my experience of the service there (in 2012, I think) was very good. But again, it's in Pacific Place so just a little less centrally located than the FS or the two MOs. I just got back yesterday from four nights at the MOHK, which continues to be my favourite.

Ozchinois

The UH grew on me, very young trendy staff and the room/decor of some areas are more like a resort's. Initially I was wondering what the fuss is all about. I think too that though more casual, service is warmer and more genuine than the MO Central and the Pen.

TRAVELSIG

+1
The Upper House grew on me over time.

The PEN I think is just too busy with the tourist bucket list crowd.

The FS and the MO are still both very very good hotels and the locations are quite similar.

The MO still feels like THE Hong Kong Hotel to me although I do give a slight edge up on service to the Four Seasons. I also much prefer the Blue Bar at the Four Seasons to the MO option as the MO option is frequently absolutely packed with "blaggers" talking about just how much money they have which I am not interested in.

missemus

Hi guys, Thank you so much for all your comments, think I will go for FS and upper House.. trying to compare them, have a week there so will be fun to try out both:-)

quitecontrary

Sounds like a great trip - have fun. Are you booking through a Virtuoso agent to get the extra benefits?

When it comes to bars Café Grey on the 49th floor of UH is great. I wasn't that impressed by The Blue Bar at the FS but I do like the Caprice Bar on the 6th floor. My favourites in HK though are Felix and Salon de Ning at the Peninsula and also the the Aqua Bar at One Peking. Go to either Felix or Aqua at 8 pm for the light show at 8pm if you haven't been to HK before.

I look forward to your thoughts when you come back.

Pausanias

I have just returned from my first visit to the FSHK. I found the hotel pretty flawless, certainly one of the best hotel experiences in recent years. However, I would say that both Caprice and Lung Keen Heen restaurants were operating way below their current rating of *** Michelin apiece. Caprice was offering the 2013 menu devised by their former chef who left months ago while the new chef's menu has yet to appear. Maybe that was why my two meals there were so disappointing on a gastronomic level - the room and the service were top notch, of course. And apart from one crispy crab claw stuffed with foie gras, the Chinese food was fairly ordinary in my view.

ABG

the 1200sq foot harbour suites are stay 2 pay 1 until end of Feb with the Virtuoso Perks. For this size/quality of accommodations it is a tough rate to beat

sfolawyer

We just stayed at Upper House for five nights, and I don't understand the mixed reviews. It was one of the finest hotel experiences we have had. The physical plant is unique and elegant, and the restaurant is terrific--not at all a hotel restaurant but an excellent place in its own right. Most important here is the service, which is very personalized and attentive without ever being intrusive.

You really can't go wrong here with the large and nicely finished rooms, the great views and the fine service. You won't want to leave!

(I will note that one of the other hotels we considered, the Intercontinental, is very dated, and I am very glad we did not stay there based on a visit to have dinner one night. The other contender, the Four Seasons, looked very nice based on a walk through but is a large hotel that would be a very different experience from the unique Upper House.)

chinmoylad

Agree on the whole there. Upper House is a great choice - especially with the extra space you get (730 sq ft the smallest room; two upgrades gives you 1,300 sq ft). Their furnishings really are top-notch...absolutely splendid interior design as well.

Also love their complimentary mini-bar. Views are stunning.


A couple of things about the InterCon HK:
- some of the finest dining in the city (SPOON, Yan Toh Heen, The Steak House)
- Unbeatable views
- Very nice executive/club lounge

hiranandani

upper house is great!! why not go for the new ritz at kowloon??

berkdude

As someone who has stayed in HK many times for business and pleasure, I'd have to say the Upper House is a cut above the other fine hotels in HK.

I stayed for 6 days and here are a few examples of the service we received:

- I'm not a fan of Heineken and felt the complimentary minibar was a bit of a waste for me, so I mentioned this to Guest Experience. They asked what I liked and I suggested Japanese beers. I came back and they had stocked the fridge with Asahi and a boutique Japanese beer which they kept re-stocking throughout my stay
- We forgot to bring a bag of toys for our little one. We came back one evening and they had placed stuffed toys, a book, building blocks, pictures of Thomas the Tank Engine, origami, etc. throughout the room
- They sent up complimentary chicken congee to our room each night for our little one to eat. One evening we had gone upstairs to the restaurant/bar to catch up with friends and hadn't mentioned it to them. They tracked us down, found us a table with a view in a fully booked restaurant, and kindly gave us 45 minutes so the congee could be eaten. We also caught up with our friends there
- We had too many things when we checked out so left them in shopping bags downstairs to pick up at the end of the day and went out to buy some additional bags (we hadn't mentioned this to them). When we got back, they had given us complimentary Upper House tote bags to pack everything into

I'm partial to the Mandarin Oriental in Central myself, and the service there is excellent, but the Upper House is really incomparable - it's on another level.