Apologies if I wasn’t clear. We had booked a harbour view suite. And therein lies the problem for me...Ignoring any client requests for a harbour view suite on a higher floor, there are suites that are sold and marketed by MO as “harbour view” (with the corresponding rate) but which actually have no view whatsoever.

In that case, it’s appalling that you were not allocated the category you booked. You should escalate this with MO and through your TA if it is not resolved to your satisfaction.

I hope they didn't charge you the original rate either! What a disgrace.

I think this is where the power of brand kicks in. From all their "fans", to seeing them in Departures, to Conde Nast, to Tatler, and so on and so on. They are so prevalent that you start to believe they must be good. Just like someone recently commented that Four Seasons is rarely the answer, I feel exactly the same about Mandarin Oriental. They are both always the safe options, but the smaller, boutique properties often exceed them.

I've stayed in Bangkok and fail to see the hype this forum gives it, especially compared to The Siam; had an ok stay in Hong Kong at the Landmark, but nothing compared to The Upper House; there isn't even any point in discussing London compared to what else is available; Marrakech is good, but Amanjena is better; I liked the look of Prague, but after giving FS another go I'm happy to stick with them; in Miami the Setai (although different location) is far superior. I would have given them Tokyo as the service was so good, but after an absolutely brilliant stay in Aman I see no reason to return there either. I visited Milan and Paris and found them both soulless, plus you have an abundance of better choices in both cities.

In my experience, Mandarin Oriental is a good choice, it's just not the best.

They used to be a solid choice. Had many enjoyable stays at Bangkok, Tokyo, KL, HK but something changed. It must be beancounters or a corporate mindset that they can do no wrong. Success breeds contempt and I think that's what I see in a lot of negative stay posts on MO.

How has the MO Tokyo held up over the years? It was always our favorite property but we haven't stayed there in a few years and I have seen a few comments in reviews about it
being "tired." We plan to go back in a few months and I want to set my expectations accordingly.

I think the 2006 era thick bezel Sharp tvs need to go. Rooms do seem a bit dated. After 11 years, it's to be expected. F&B quality is still excellent. One of the top in the city and I never get sick of the jacuzzi lounger in the sauna area.

I agree with the above comments.

Personally, I tend to place less emphasis on having the most up to date rooms and suites, and I almost never switch on the television when in Tokyo, so the type of television offered matters little to me. I care very much about comfort, F&B, service, and spa quality - all areas in which MO Tokyo stands out as one of the best hotels in the city.

I never turn the tv on either but still have to look at it!

I laughed when I read your post Aventine. One of the things that struck me when I was there on both occasions were the other guests which I can break down in four categories:

• Asian hypebeasts of all ages (I had never seen a middle aged hypebeast before) - I slightly felt relieved for having taken my rarely used Goyard Boeing hold all on this trip as it meant I would somehow have a connection to the rest of the guests but this place had more Balenciaga sock trainers than the stock room at Selfridge's;
• the HK Tatler crowd;
• aging Brits from the home counties whose interests include anything "empire" (I wonder what their reaction would be if they discovered that HK has more French expats than Brits). Posh but no Eton or Harrow accents were heard;
• a small minority of normal tourists.

Our service recovery was indeed a bottle of the base level Ruinart :D and a late check out. I think the staff missed the fact that I was holding a bottle of Belle Epoque upon check in.

Our original rate was the following:

Highlighted the bit above that I wasn't offered. We ended up paying half of the rate above (around 7k HKD) as we were changed to a Harbour View Room. Just to note, something that again is not clear from their website, not all Harbour view rooms have a veranda (despite what the website shows as a floor plan). Then again not all harbour view suites have a view.

Other observations from my stay:
On the positive side, loved the attitude and the wit of the barbers in the barbershop. Some of the staff seemed willing to go above and beyond (others were indifferent).
On the negative side, they seemed to seriously struggle over NYE with service failings in every corner. Some of the concierge staff were great, others not so much (I've never had a concierge tell me to use Opentable myself for a booking).

David Cameron and George Osborne couldn't make it this New Year's. :D
I've never heard of hypebeasts haha. Just laughed as well.
Are you going to escalate or just write it off as one and done?

Anyone signed up to the Fans of MO? Is that a replacement for the MO loyalty program?

It has its staunch defenders on here (would have used the term "fans", but ugh); however, my pre-arrival experience with the MO Tokyo concierge was so appalling that I canceled my reservation (and I had booked an Oriental Suite, no less). I registered a specific complaint to management via e-mail and didn't even get a response, so it's not a property I would ever consider staying at.