RCTP

Hmm. From my earlier posts, I stayed there in early November.

Got 2 standard rooms with points and a peak view room with cash.

During check in got 2 Harbour view rooms and a peak view room. FD told me they usually only provide lounge access for one of the room but will extend it to one more room. I told her it would be weird that only one room have no lounge access and asked for the price for lounge access for one room.

Stood there and contemplated for a while and she said she'll check with her manager. Came back and informed that they've decided to make an exception and grant lounge access for all three rooms.

Booked and stayed as a Gold. Therefore I am very impressed with their services and treatment.

teemuflyer

If it's not busy, just check in at the reception downstairs upon arrival. It's generally fast and efficient.

I've been checked in at the EL as well, and it is fine as well, unless there is a line since they can only handle one check in at a time. However, that said, if you're arriving in the evening, they will likely offer you a glass of bubbly as a welcome drink, even if it is after HH.

evergrn

They shouldn't give you something, then take it back. Did you tell them that you'd been preassigned the Harbour suite?


Agree on the evening spread. Mini burgers, egg rolls, chicken skewers, chips and salsa, things like that. No salad bar, no gourmet appetizers. To be honest, I've seen more extensive evening spread at Hilton EL's elsewhere in Asia.

Also didn't think much of the afternoon tea. Those egg tarts are mediocre. They do have little sandwiches also. The espresso machine also not that great.

Really the thing I enjoyed the most at the lounge was the truffles and cookies they had outside of the food hours. They take them away during breakfast, tea and dinner.

That said, really like the service at the EL. It can get crowded during evening spread time, but we were always able to get seats.

AnthonyGT

We will be staying at this hotel over NYE. First time there and I had two questions:

What times is the EL open for breakfast, happy hour and dinner?

We are Diamonds, so if we wanted to go to the restaurant (Garden Cafe?) for our free breakfast, do we need to ask for that ahead of time? Or just roll in and ask what the options are for Diamond members?

Sorry if these are pretty basic questions, just trying to knowledgable before arriving. Thank you!

teemuflyer

I don't recall exactly when the EL opens for breakfast, since we always eat it downstairs at the Garden Café (and as a HHD, all you have to do is show up and provide your room number). It opens at 6:30 AM.

HH at EL runs from 5:30 to 7:30. This is also when the bulk of the food is out. Afterwards just very small snacks are available. Some do eat enough during HH to call it dinner, but the food choices are somewhat limited, and not to everyone's liking (lots of mayo laden finger sandwiches and the like).

We were there for this past NYE. Recommendation from the EL staff was NOT to head over to the Kowloon side, as getting back after the fireworks could take hours. We ended up grabbing a bottle of bubbly from a nearby store and heading towards the waterfront in between the Pier terminals and the convention center. Great views of the fireworks, and then if you choose, bar hopping options are nearby for afterwards.

AnthonyGT

Thank you for the EL info. We are looking at the dinner options mainly as a pre-dinner for our teen boys. They seem to eat 6 meals a day.

We had read similar advice about viewing the fireworks from whichever side your hotel was on. What time did you get to the waterfront? Was it a total mob scene?

teemuflyer

For pre-dining the EL is fine.. And I remember those days from when our son was a teen

We got there around 11:30, and it wasn't too bad, all things considered. The area is much larger than the Kowloon waterfront, and I'm assuming, not as popular for fireworks viewing.

AnthonyGT

That sounds ideal for us. Thank you!

anc-ord772

My wife and I will be staying here Dec 25-28. I am a HHD and booked into a King Bed Harbour View Room.

I hope we are not on the lower floors looking into the office building, but the holidays are a busy time so who knows. I emailed reservations to mention it was our anniversary (didn't ask for anything, just so they were aware) and they mentioned having a bottle of champagne waiting for us, which I thought was a nice gesture.

Hopefully we end up on a high floor, or perhaps in a suite, but either way it should be better than what we are in currently at the IC ANA Tokyo as an IHG plat.

TravelLawyer

I'm staying at the Conrad right now as a HH Diamond. I have to say that they really upped their game (at least for Diamonds - was lowly Gold last time around) - booked a harbourview and received an upgrade upon arrival. Will do a full report in a couple days, but the customer service feels much better than the last two times I've been here. Easily my favorite property in HKG now.

arlflyer

To what?

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

Apologies for the delay in posting.


I had booked a Harbour view room at the Conrad for 2 nights 24-26th november after spending 4 nights at the JW Marriott executive level.

I arrived around 2pm and it took a minute at check in and was told I had been upgraded to the executive floor ( 5805)

I went up to my room and the first thought upon entering was WOW! - A full on harbour view on a beautiful afternoon with the bed at the side of the room so you could look out over the harbour from your bed. The suitcase was brought up a few minutes later and I went up to the executive lounge on floor 59 for afternoon coffee and scones ( very good) and upon returning to my room ,a pot of tea had been delivered.

A comparison with the JW Marriott Executive level follows;

Room: Adv Conrad : the room felt a lot larger at the Conrad compared to the JW.
Electronic Controls: Adv JW. The Marriott had buttons by the bedside to close/open the curtains and drapes compared to manually operated curtains at the Conrad
Bathroom: Adv Conrad: The conrad bathroom was larger with both the bath and the separate shower larger than the JW but the JW did have bathrobes
In room coffee: Adv conrad: The conrad had a nespresso machine whilst the JW had a filter coffee machine and a kettle but the JW put the milk in the minibar.
Fluffy bathrobes: Adv Conrad: The conrad had very nice fluffy bathrobes whereas the JW had a more standard bathrobe.
View from the room: Not really comparable as the JW was a peak view and the Conrad was harbour but I found the windows at the Conrad were better for photo taking ( less reflections)
Lounge Service: Tie: The Conrad lounge staff did offer to bring drinks to the table when you entered with the JW marriott being more self service but all the staff were great.
View from the lounge: Adv Conrad: A full harbour view from the lounge at the conrad compared to some restricted views from JW.
Afternoon tea: Adv Conrad: The scones ( help yourself from the oven) , clotted cream and jam beat the Marriott ( no scones)
Soft Drinks: The Conrad had coke products ( but ran out of diet coke one afternoon) and the JW had Pepsi ( if this is important )
Breakfast and Evening snacks: Adv JW ( by some distance). IMHO This is where the conrad falls down slightly whilst breakfast was good with a reasonable selection of hot foods , the evening snacks were more of a sandwich/finger food. The JW Marriott had a huge range of western/asian food which you could make a meal quite easily. The JW marriott also had cookies, hershey kisses and gummy sweets during the day.
Pool: Adv JW marriott ( both are reasonable pools with the JW being slightly larger IMHO)
Fitness cetntre: Adv JW Marriott ( Both are good but the JW is a little larger)
Access to the MTR: Adv JW Marriott. The hotel lift takes you to the lower level of the Pacific Place Mall and straight into the passage way to Admiralty station. The Conrad lift takes you to the third floor and you need to take another lift or escalators to the mtr entrance level.
Check out : I asked for a 2pm check out at the Marriott and got it with no problem. at the Conrad I asked for a 4pm check out (given my mindnight flight back to London but was given 2pm ( the lounge receptionist was apologetic and said the hotel was full so if it was quieter I might have been given a later check out) but was able to come back to the lounge after sightseeing and before heading to the airport
Cost: Adv JW Marriott ( by around HK$600 per night)

Overall: The Conrad is a better hotel ( especially a high floor harbour view room) but you could be paying more for it. The JW Marriott executive lounge food offerings beats the Conrad by a considerable margin especially for breakfast and evening snacks.

Hope the comparison is of some use.

Regards

TBS

serfty

Thanks for the review.

One part is a little confusing:(I suspect the word 'conrad' is used more than was intended... )

ESFLYER95

Ah was there at the same time.25-27th. Was also told and thing about late checkout. Only till 2pm.

ESFLYER95

Ah was there at the same time.25-27th. Was also told and thing about late checkout. Only till 2pm.

Glad you enjoyed your stay.