Platinum Ambassador, 4 nights (3 paid, 1 certificate)
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked 1 King Bed Premier Full Harbour View, no upgrade. I was told at checkin that I had been upgraded to a "large corner room" that was "very nice". Walking past other rooms being serviced on the 9th floor, I failed to see any difference, so I raised this with reception while passing through the lobby, and I was told I had been upgraded, so I asked what category it was: lo, the very room class I booked. Unimpressed, but not worth arguing over.
How are the rooms?
Comfortable, modern, not particularly large. In fact if a regular room is much smaller, I wouldn't be impressed with that. I didn't even have a proper work desk - it was a round dining table for two, with two armchairs. Shower was large and worked well, but no bath. Reception later told me you can have either a bath, or a standalone shower ...not that you are asked at any point.
How is the exec. lounge?
I paid extra for access to the lounge. Great elevated views, excellent choice of food and drinks at breakfast and evening, and plenty of waiter service. Probably the best part of my stay. Maybe it was the extra large Jack and Cokes they made for me?
What was good and what was bad?
Good - 4 pieces of fruit, a chocolate, a gift of a bottle opener, note from GM, and water were in the room when I arrived. Water refreshed daily. Like other IHG hotels, the complimentary cell phone was very useful, i tethered my mobile to it and had free wireless data all day. View of HK Island was pretty good , but it looks at Causeway Bay not the main city.
Average - It's a 15 minute walk to nearest MTR Station and the waterfront promenade is a building site at the moment. I was there midweek and the main bar was pretty dead, reflecting the non-central location of the hotel, with the obligatory pop band making a lot of noise to cover for the emptiness
. Having to work at a smallish round table over a few nights, instead of the usual proper desk with an office chair, powerpoints and a desk lamp, was a little annoying. Most other rooms I sneaked a peak in had a regular desk. So now we are in downgrade territory, not upgrade ....
Bad - I had a water leak through my bathroom ceiling overnight. Quite a bit of my toiletries got wet and I didnt know if it was clean or dirty water. It was attended to quickly, but as I was planning to prep in my room for a customer meeting that afternoon , it was annoying to have to leave and find somewhere to work without distraction. I was never proactively told anything about the issue, I had to find out for myself if it was fixed, was the water toxic, etc. Not even so much as an apology note slipped under the door. Unimpressed. Oh, and there is a freeway passing right under the rooms facing the harbour. You are going to hear trucks going by at night if you are a light sleeper - maybe earplugs are useful.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Speaking in terms of someone who travels to London, Sydney, HK and Singapore, it was good value for money and perfectly clean, but recognizing the location is a bit out of the centre it really depends on where you want to go during your stay and how much time you want to spend getting there. But the way the upgrade and leak were handled left a poor impression. I raised my concerns with the manager - his written english isnt up to scratch , his reply was that he was glad to hear my room issues were sorted out and that the apology note under the door was received. Not sure how he reached that conclusion....