Comparing the Shangri-Las and the Conrad
 

I recently spent four nights each at the Conrad and Island Shangri-La, plus a night at the Kowloon Shangri-La, and have some selective observations and opinions on these joints. Readers would do well to know that I was traveling strictly for pleasure and not business, and that those things that are important (or unimportant) to me might not be for you.

For those unfamiliar with the hotels’ locations, the Island Shangri-La and the Conrad are next to each other and part of the Pacific Place complex in Admiralty. The Kowloon Shangri-La is in Tsim Sha Tsui East, overlooking the harbour at the other end of the Promenade from the InterContinental (ex-Regent).

Conrad

I’d read the praises of the Conrad on FT, but it wasn’t clear to me whether the hotel was being measured against other hotels in the Hilton chain or against other first-rate hotels in Hong Kong. In all respects, the Conrad exceeded my expectations.

I was paying a relatively low corporate rate, and was offered a non-harbour view room on an Exec floor. The room was extremely comfortable and spacious, with contemporary furnishings, a large bathroom with both a huge tub and a separate shower, a Bose radio, regularly-replenished fruit and chocolates, and twice-daily maid service. Breakfast in the lounge was excellent: it included fruits, juices, breads, and 6-8 hot dishes that included American (scrambled eggs, bacon, ham), Japanese (miso salmon and cod), and Chinese (fried rice, dim sum) fare. The service in the Exec lounge, which also included afternoon tea and evening cocktails/canapés, was consistently excellent, with the personnel always seeming to remember my name and preferences.

Room service was first-rate on the occasions that I used it, with the food prepared well and delivered when promised. The Chinese set dinner was especially nice for a single diner, as it offered a selection of smaller portions of several main courses.

I was particularly surprised one evening when the butler knocked and offered me a small cake and card for my birthday -- apparently, the reception staff had noticed (from my passport) that my birthday would occur during my stay. A nice touch.

The Conrad is connected directly to the Pacific Place shopping center, which in turn is connected to the Admiralty MTR station. The shopping center isn’t all that different from a typical upscale mall in the States; however, it does offer several excellent choices for eating, especially for the solo traveler.

Island Shangri-La

The Island Shangri-La is also part of Pacific Place, and it has an identical shape and exterior appearance as the Conrad. Inside, however, the look and feel of the hotels are very different, indeed.

I had a harbour-view room at the Shangri-La. The difference between a harbour-view room on the Kowloon side and a harbour-view room on the HK Island side is, to me, the difference between watching a Broadway show from the 8th row of the Orchestra and watching the same show from backstage.

Room furnishings and interior design in the Island Shangri-La are more traditional than in the Conrad. In the center of the hotel, the Shangri-La has a gorgeous atrium running from the 41st to the 56th floor, with an Eastern indoor garden at its base. The Conrad, by contrast, uses the same space to provide additional elevators and slightly larger rooms. As a result, the Shangri-La is better-looking inside, but the wait for elevators can be aggravatingly long. On top of that, the primary access to Pacific Place is through another set of inadequate elevators.

The Shangri-La uses a great deal more wood in its rooms, which provides a warmer feeling. Room design and decor are more refined and subtle at the Shangri-La: plates and utensils for fruit and coffee/tea service are concealed from view, while the Conrad simply puts them on a countertop.

The bathrooms at the Shangri-La included both a bath and separate shower, but the tub was not nearly as large and comfortable as the one in the Conrad. The Shangri-La did, however, include a bidet, which the Conrad did not, and the Aigner bath products were clearly superior to those offered by the Conrad. The Shangri-La offered a VCR (or maybe it was a DVD) and a selection of complimentary movies. Breakfast, which was included in my room rate, was an incredible buffet at the Café Too -- this is easily the most extensive breakfast buffet I’ve ever seen, with dozens and dozens of hot and cold dishes (American, Chinese, Japanese).

Service at the Shangri-La is impeccable. The staff is uniformly attentive and helpful, maid/butler service is prompt, and no request appears to be a problem.

Kowloon Shangri-La

This was a mostly disappointing stay at a property that I’d come to like a great deal over the years. I love the hotel because of its harbour-view rooms and its high standard of service, all in a location just a few steps from the bustle of TST. Unfortunately, the hotel is undergoing a (much-needed) major renovation, and it was not a pleasant place in which to stay. During the day, there was constant noise from the ongoing renovations in my room, both in the original room I’d been assigned and in a second room after I’d asked about finding a quieter one. Both rooms were showing serious signs of age and need for renovation: carpets, furniture, and bathroom fixtures were all weary. The regular hotel club lounge has been closed and replaced by a temporary lounge, which is neither relaxing nor roomy.

Though clearly outside the control of the hotel management, another issue is the construction in the neighborhood. Construction cranes obstruct the view of the harbour, barriers are in place on the Promenade, and it’s a generally unpleasant walk from the hotel to just about anywhere.

Where the Kowloon Shangri-La does continue to shine is in its service. The guest relations manager (Louisa) called me after I’d changed rooms to ask if the new room was better. When I told her that I’d decided to stay only one night instead of four (because of the renovation disruption), Louisa took the trouble to find alternative accommodations -- she offered a room at the Island Shangri-La, and provided a limo to get me there.

Summary

• Both the Conrad and the Island Shangri-La are excellent hotels, and it is no burden to stay at either of them. Both hotels provide excellent service and extremely comfortable rooms.
• The Shangri-La has a more refined feel than the Conrad. The room furnishings and decor are nicer, the interior is more interesting, and the bathrooms have superior amenities.
• The Conrad has some convenience advantages over the Shangri-La, with better elevator service and easier access to Pacific Place. Also, the Conrad has an exec lounge, which the Island Shangri-La lacks.
  
• I would avoid staying at the Kowloon Shangri-La until their renovations are complete (apparently scheduled for mid-2003). Even after the hotel renovations are finished, expect some disruptions from the road construction, which will continue through 2004.
  
• The J.W. Marriott hotel is also part of the Pacific Place complex, though it is not an architectural sibling to the Conrad and Shangri-La. I didn’t stay at the Marriott, but a visit to its lobby and public areas suggested that it was not in the same class as the Conrad and Shangri-La.
  
• As good as the Conrad and Shangri-La might be, the top-tier hotels in HK are reputed to be the Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula, and InterContinental (Regent).
  

Excellent hotel review. Thanks.

I heard that the rooms at the Mandarin Oriental are in need of renovation. Though when I dined there earlier this year, the service was simply outstanding.

The large mural in the Island Shangri-La is breathtaking.

It seems that what Louisa did exemplifies truly outstanding service.

That was a wonderful review which has helped me a great deal. I will be staying at The Conrad for a couple of nights in February.
Following your comments about the harbour view from TST and the fact that I will personally be paying for my rooms, has anyone stayed in a harbour view room at the Nikko hotel? I know it's not one of the Top hotels, but it seems to be well positioned and good value.

Within the past year I've stayed at both of the HKG Shangri-La properties, and generally echo what wideman reported in his posting.

The room I had had a combo CD/VCD player, not a DVD player, which is a rather odd combination from a North American point of view. VCD's are practially unheard of in North America, but are common on Asia. (VCD's are CD media with video encoded in MPEG1 format - you can burn these with any CD-R drive). What a perfect opportunity to play all those pirate movies you picked up while shopping.

I was there apparently before the hotel renovations started, and I though the property definately had a dated, tired feel to it, especially in the rooms. There is a night-and-day difference between this property and the Island Shangri-La. One would hope that they do a good job at updating the property.

The construction is for the new KCR station in TST. If you plan to take the train to mainland China (Shenzhen or points beyond), this will be a major convenience once the extension and new station are open.

Yes, the Mandarin Oriental at 5 Connaught Road Central (the original and flagship Mandarin Oriental property) will go through the much needed renovations starting this December. It will be closed to the public during December to mid-April 2006, then it will be partially opened (with full inventory opening for July, 2006), then re-closing the hotel to the public on late Nov. or early Dec. 2006 until April 2007 (again a partial opening until July 2007, which then the renovation program is complete).

Thanks for this detailed review. We are trying to decide between the Conrad, the Grand Hyatt and the Intercontinental. This has enabled us to rule out the Shangri-La for now!

Did you realize this thread is from 3 years ago? Renovations definitely have been finished. Unless you still don't like the location of the Kowloon Shangri-La...

Oops!

Now there's the Landmark - from Mandarin Oriental
 

While the much revered Mandarin Oriental in Connaught Road undergoes renovation you could always try the latest addition to the chain: the Landmark - practically over the road in Central. Haven't tried it yet , just received their mailing to advertise its opening.

island shangrila recently finished renovations, the conrad is currently being renovated

What's the extent of the renovations? Rooms? Common areas? I'll be there in October.

Island Shagri-la
 

Just wanted to add my relatively recent experience. i stayed at Island Shagri-la about this time last year and it was just outstanding (became my favorite hotel!!!), the fitness facilities and the pool, in particular, wins out Shangri-la Kowloon anyday!

Be sure to get the harbor view room.