Happy

All cases from US are brought in from the mainland China visitors or people contracted from the mainland Chinese.

Besides US has a much much bigger space per person - there is no comparison for the population density which is a big factor in infectious disease control, or the comparison about US also have a few cases is very meaningless.

Back in last June or July, I mentioned to avoid travel to Hong Kong, people claimed I was over-reacting, that US has peope died from all sorts of causes everyday, the disruption / inconvenience caused by the protests were nothing to be concerned about... And of course the rest is history as the cliche says.

I would emphasize - if no absolute necessity, people should avoid Hong Kong and Asia as a whole to avoid risk. If one must go, one has to be fully prepared and employ vigorous protection. The life is yours and you only have one life to live. Even if you are cured your lungs may have suffered irreversible damages that would affect the rest of your life... Good Luck.

htb

I still think you were over-reacting. Except for the few days where public transportation got disrupted, Hong Kong was a safe place to travel to as long as you didn't wear black and joined the protests. The police could be quite dangerous indeed.

HTB.

Happy

There were a lot more than "a few days" and the disruption on the MTR and buses were not insignificant.

I am saying this as a former HKGer, not as a visitor regardless how frequently you go there. Vistors dont have the direct contacts / knowledge from the locals. Besides, why go to a place when unpredictable disruptions are frequent and main tourist places are no longer safe places to go because of the unpredictability?

Same concept applies with the infectious disease - why go to a place so close to the massive pandemic is an ongoing thing? That one has to be extremely careful to make sure one would not be accidentially infected, if one has NO Absolute Need to go there?

lsquare

That is true for HK as well. The coronavirus did not originate in HK so your reason doesn't make much sense.

That is true for the most part except for maybe Manhattan in NYC. It's quite possibly the most densely populated city in the United States.

But it's true that there are protests in the US everyday. It's not like the protests were violent for tourists. Think of it as an anti-government demonstration. They're not terrorists. They're not going out of their way to hurt you or me.

Seriously, this is an overreaction. You want to exclude Tokyo and Seoul as well? Comeon man...

clublounger

It's not a pandemic. You've stated that it's a pandemic a few times. Stop, please.

yorkboy24

Agreed. It’s poor value redeeming points for any HK hotel at the moment. Regarding the other posts above, I wouldn’t advise coming here anyway unless it’s essential - it’s worse than the protests because those could be avoided by keeping up with the current situation regarding where / when they were happening and there wasn’t much of a personal risk to tourists but now, residents are being advised to stay at home and travelling around IS a personal risk as transmission can occur through coughing and even having a meeting.

So if you must come, pay cash and bring masks / hand gel.

lsquare

What about W, St. Regis, and Ritz? You don't think it's good value for award redemption at the moment? Cash is still pretty high, but obviously not as high as pre-protest.

yorkboy24

My golden rule is to only redeem if there’s a minimum value of 12USD (930hkd approx)/ 10000 points.

Actually, looking at the rates (taxes included) at the hotels in HK by picking a random date (Fri 21st Feb), CY Sha Tin is actually the best value if you get it for 5 nights under the current rates.

1 night (21st Feb) is 836hkd for 10k points

5 nights if same price (with 1 free on points)): 4180hkd / 40k points

= 1045 HKD per 10k points.

So I’ll correct myself - it seems CY Sha Tin is the only good value redemption in HK if you book 5 nights for 40k points (off peak) before it moves up to Category 3.

However, I still prefer to pay cash for cheaper hotels and save redemptions for luxury hotels. You might also want to consider the double points promo rate here.

If you look at all the other HK options, it’s poor value for redemptions right now.

So if you decide to go with CY Sha Tin, jump in quick!

lsquare

What? In not aware of it. I don't see it on Marriott's website? Applies to all HK properties?

yorkboy24

I just checked and it's gone. It was there for all HK properties over the last few weeks (except the Design Hotels). Now it's only the 1000 airline miles per stay, which is at least worth 3k Marriott points. You could keep jumping between the other Courtyard and Le Meridien!

A quick thanks for doing the points redemption wouldn't have hurt.

EdofFX

But this calculation is based on a Cat 2, after March 1, this property will become a Cat 3 plus peak period adjustment up or down. For those who is willing to or must go in February, there are many good cash deals. But for people with tons of Bonvoy points and status, this may work out very well. Don't forget to bring face masks and hand sanitizer.

yorkboy24

Yes so if the trip is later in the year, redeem now under Category 2 rates or as you suggested, consider using cash if it’s a stay in the next month or so.

I have quite a few Marriott points at the moment but it seems redemptions are usually not worth it so I’ll go for miles or maybe a travel package.

Isochronous

Anyone tried this hotel for a staycation lately?

littlevoices

My last stay was about two months ago in June and I've stayed there four times in the last year, it remains a bargain / good value when you have elite status. I particularly like it when going hiking nearby or in Sai Kung and then return here to avoid the "trek" to Hong Kong island. You can see more details and experiences on this thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/32291797-post707.html

Depending on whether the eating restrictions lift, there is a nearby dai pai dong that adds to the local experience (book ahead/get your seating number if you can via their app, Chinese language only): https://www.openrice.com/en/hongkong...ngdong-r608240

Feel free to message if you have specific questions (or ask here).

hhoope01

We've deleted the last few posts in this thread as they have nothing to do with this Hong Kong CY. Let's keep the topic of this thread on Marriott and this hotel specifically.

If you have any need to discuss non-Hong Kong CY Marriott Bonvoy issues, there are other threads on those topics (or if not you can start one). If you want to discuss Covid and travel in general, there is a forum dedicated to that as well: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/coronavirus-travel-773/

Thank you.

Marriott Bonvoy Moderator Team