Originally Posted by Zephyrous

To make a long story short...booked the MOHK for two stays within a 3 week period (both Virtuoso). Once for our layover to Pulo from Aman SP and then for our return home from Pulo to London (over new year's where the intention was to ring in the new year from our room). Always wanted to experience New Year's in Hong Kong and while at first I thought about staying in the Pen for the second leg of the stay (for better views), my agent said that it would be easier if we stayed in the same hotel given that we would have excess luggage that we wouldn't be taking to Pulo with us and which could be dropped at the hotel. Just to note here that my other half wanted to stay island side and on the harbour, hence why the only real options were the MO or FS (otherwise the Upper House would have been a contender).

Upon booking, the first check-in and check-out I made it clear that I wanted a harbour view suite on floors 10+. Upon our original check out I was explicitly assured that this would not be a problem. Roll on to the second check in where we were given a suite on the fifth floor that would be more aptly described as the "parking lot view suite" or the "no view suite" as opposed to "harbour view suite". Any short of imaginable view was blocked - which essentially ruined my plans for ringing in the new year from our suite. Having lived in Britain a number of years I usually suffer in silence but this time I expressed both my disappointment as to the hotel completely misrepresenting the suite but also breaching their assurances to me. I asked to speak to a more senior member of management (i.e. the GM) which wasn't afforded to me (in fact when I later requested the GM's details so I can write to him, I had to pass a mini-interview in relation to why I wanted to get in touch with him).

They offered us 2-3 alternative options; a city view suite on the 8th floor and a couple of harbour view rooms on low level floors. Two hotel employees admitted that the harbour view room on the 6th floor would be the better option for us - which we took albeit the triple room downgrade (after trying to see whether the FS, UP or the Pen would have any rooms available that would be acceptable - they didn't) . Of course, this particular room was miles away from the suite that I had paid for and was promised (including "commanding picture-postcard views of Victoria Harbour" as per their website). External/street level noise was also an issue as I suspect the hotel is not soundproof (in fact we woke up on new year's day by a demonstration on the harbour).

Our comp was a bottle of champagne.

In retrospect, it is perhaps a bit petty of me to describe this whole ordeal as horrible but the reality is that I only book rooms that are fit for a particular purpose of a trip - sometimes these are entry level rooms, other times specific view suites and other times the top suite offered (I have refused upgrades for that matter before). So the whole experience was far removed from what I had imagined and further exacerbated by the attitude of the hotel staff/lack of service recovery and the whole stress of finding other rooms/waiting to see them/seeing independently if there is something else available in town.