Holiday Inn Macau

What is your Priority Club status?
Diamond


Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Not really


Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
“Queen” was the lowest room category showing.

As “King Superior” was the same price I booked that instead.

I was upgraded to “King Superior Lounge Access” (as the room was called in the IHG app).

No mention was made of any lounge access and the room is exactly the same as ones without lounge access, just on the top two floors of the hotel (27th & 28th) – however the so-called lounge was labelled as being on the 1st floor.

There was not much of a view so being on the top floor just made it take longer to get to the lobby.


How are the rooms?
Outdated, dusty and unloved rooms reminiscent of the older style of Holiday Inns in the UK.

According to the website and an apologetic note in the room, building works are supposedly taking place at the moment (October 2024). Unfortunately it seemed that the renovation plans do not extend to the rooms but only certain facilities.

Wall paint was peeling, furniture was chipped, dented and scuffed. The floor carpet was uneven and unvaccumed, bathroom surfaces were full of stains, bathtub and shower were grimy.

There was a sign saying the minibar is chargeable, but the fridge was empty. On opening the fridge door, the light turned on, but the interior was not cold.

Room had a slight damp smell throughout the stay, especially after using shower. I didn't identify any mould, fortunately.

On the plus side the King bed was comfortable and the air conditioning was powerful.

The window between the bathroom and bed has a manual rolling blind. The view from the window is occupied by the Wynn Macau building. If you strain your neck downwards you can make out some streets.

There is a large desk with several multi-country sockets.


How is the exec. lounge?
Not sure if it exists.


What was good and what was bad?
Good -

Very luxurious toilet paper

Brand new kettle (plastic) although the complimentary teabags/instant coffee was low quality.



Neutral -

I used the hotel’s indoor pool. The main pool was freezing and had a weird U shape; one jacuzzi was unusable as the water was too hot and the other was fine.

The entire staff seem to be Filipinos who speak Mandarin competently, but not Cantonese, and some had difficulty with English. There was a weird vibe because some staff had permanently surly expressions, even though they always acted professionally. The lobby bar looked extremely sad and was not well-patronised.

Diamond breakfast was served in a temporary space on the 7th floor, whilst the 4th floor restaurant is being renovated. (The website and signs in the building mention that the 7th floor hosts a non-affiliated restaurant, which was closed and not involved with the breakfast.) Room numbers were checked by a slightly older Filipino man, the only staff member who smiled during my stay. This man spoke English but not Mandarin, and therefore had difficulty communicating with some of the other guests... The food comprised a limited selection of western and Cantonese items and the obligatory Portuguese tarts; quality was very average.



Bad -

The location of the hotel is poor, it is in the middle of a kind of “urban island” containing pharmacies catering to mainland Chinese visitors, interspersed with dodgy-looking restaurants with uninterested staff. You need to cross some major roads (some only by bridge) to get anywhere else.

Local (paid) buses do run past the hotel entrance, but these are only of use to visit residential areas of Macau, unless you plan the journey properly (Google Maps seems to do OK). All buses have a flat fare of $6, no change given, no child/elderly discount. ($3 on Macau Pass smartcard which costs a non-refundable $30.) Free casino shuttles are available from Wynn and Lisboa which are about 10 minutes walk away. The commercial centre is 20 minutes walk away


Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?

I had a 5000 bonus points rate at MOP$1290 - so approximately USD 135 without the points. Was asked to pay the entire amount upon check in (charged in MOP). I used a credit card offer and cashback portal that reduced the cost to me by around 15%.

I wouldn’t stay again. I did read recent reviews and knew that this property wasn’t great before I booked it. There were several reasons I chose this hotel that won’t apply in future.