chinmoylad

Disclaimer: I was hosted by Upper House to review (you can read the review here: http://travelsquire.com/the-upper-house-hong-kong/), and of course accepted the chance for a little staycation. However, I am under no obligation to write a review on Flyer Talk, and thus, this review is independent. I was in an Upper Suite.

Prior to this trip, I had never actually been to the Upper House.

Positives:

- Location: I've heard some point out that the location is not ideal. Maybe it's because I'm from Hong Kong, but I find it relatively convenient (you could walk to Central if the weather is conducive, the MTR is just below and there are always plenty of taxis in that area as there are 3 other hotels).

- View: One of the nicest views from the Island side, certainly. Unfortunately, the couple of days I was there, the weather was terrible.

- Check-in: Easy and efficient. You're checked-in at the room/suite, and it's 'paperless'...on the iPad. Bonus points for environmentally friendly.

- Room, size: Upper House has some of the largest rooms in HK. The lead-in room category, Studio 70, is 730 sq ft. My Upper Suite was 1,230.

- Bathroom: Arguably my favourite bathroom so far (Peninsula BKK's a close 2nd). Free standing tub with TV and the largest shower + rain shower I've seen, with good pressure. I was concerned that the shower is 'open' (there are no doors) and was afraid the water was going to overflow, but the shower is so huge that it's not even a concern.

- Room + hotel, design: Beautifully designed and furnished. Very elegant, yet modern. It definitely has the feel and look of a home, if you like that (they used to be serviced apartments; hence the size of the rooms). My only complaint is the unnecessary 'step' in the bathroom on the way to the bath/shower. It's a bit of a hazard in an otherwise very flat room.

- Dining: Cafe Gray Deluxe and Cafe Gray Bar are both excellent, with a stunning view to match. Food is very good (for lunch/dinner anyway). I also ordered in-room dining once...just a club sandwich (see pic). But those are some of the best fries I've ever had. The sandwich was rather good too...or maybe I was extremely hungry?

- Common spaces - 6/F, The Lawn, Sky Lounge: Great places to host company.

- Resort rather than hotel: I've never felt so relaxed at a Hong Kong hotel before. The whole hotel definitely has a very calming feel to it, which is very different from other hotels in HK. Whether it's because of how spacious most places are, the very few people that go in and out (unlike say MO or Pen), or because of the design and colour tones used, it's definitely a relaxing space.

- Service: Warm and friendly, but see more below.


Other points to note:

- Dining: With just the one restaurant, it's rather limited. There are a ton of options in the vicinity - Pacific Place just below, three hotels just adjacent, Central nearby - but if you're the kind who hates to leave a hotel to grab a bite, this could be a problem. I also did not like the breakfast at Cafe Gray.

- Spa/pool/fitness facilities: This is the biggest drawback for the hotel. There is no pool or spa, there is a small gym.

- Service: As mentioned, service is warm, friendly, unintrusive. However, if you've become used to places like MO and Pen (or Aman/Taj/Oberoi etc), then I feel that you may be somewhat disappointed. While there are no real faults in service, it's also not exceptionally brilliant, maybe just that one rung or notch below those mentioned.

- Privacy in the bathroom: Be sure to draw the blinds when you turn the lights on in the evening/at night, as those outside can see in. They really should have found a solution for this.

Some photos:







I may have missed something, so feel free to ask if you have any questions/concerns.

chinmoylad

Er, I suppose this thread should be called Short Staycation Report rather than trip. Mind you, I live in a very distant part of Hong Kong so it's a bit of a trip getting there...?

chinmoylad

Old review, but fresh video.

This is a video of an Upper Suite

pricesquire

Great video buddy. You're getting better with time ^

Love this hotel. For some reason, it's not the easiest sale either...most inquiries I get are people asking for the 'usual suspects'...Peninsula mainly, but also Ritz-Carlton, Mandarin (one of them), even the IC.

chinmoylad

Yea same here - they keep citing location, but the location's just fine to be honest! I think perhaps for first time Hong Kong visitors it may be an issue, but once they've been to HK a few times and realise how easy it is to get around, they realise they can stay at the UH just fine.

pricesquire

I love this hotel a bit more with time. Chrissy and Marcel are good people.

FlyerEC

+1

Very sad to have to miss my stay later this week ..
And chinmoylad , miss Chrissie & Marcel meet up , etcetera ; till another visit in winter or before year ' s out .

Pray all ok from the typhoon

chinmoylad

All okay with the typhoon. Sure - let me know when you'll be in HK next. I'll say hi on your behalf when I meet them again soon!

bhrubin

We also loved TUH on our first and only visit thus far to Hong Kong. I'm not surprised that it's a tough sell for most, though...since most people who can afford it are going to be "sheep" and go for the usual suspects like you named. It takes the "slightly more adventurous" or "willing to be different" luxury-aspiring types to try TUH.

I also agree that its location was great even if not obvious as great, even as first time visitors. The RC was far more annoying in location. I also know far too many who simply assume the FS is always the best and most reliable (along with Pen)...even though we really didn't like the FS HKG. So in Central, many will instead opt for the FS or MOs.

I also disagree on the service. We found the service to be tremendous...and the service recovery in particular. (We had an air con issue our first night...and they truly took care of it and really went overboard trying to make up for that.)

TUH is the most Aman-like hotel I've stayed at that wasn't an Aman.

dodgeflyer

Glad people still haven't discovered it. Going back again in February a couple times however it is starting to look abut worn. That said, the service is still immaculate which is what keeps us going back.