jpdx

Nottafatslob

Thanks Chihster and jpdx for the clarification. Sound truly delightful like one would expect being Plat Elite at a high cost former SPG now Marriott brand. LOL

Sounds like one of those cheesy cocktail receptions some odd brand condo place or resort in Florida would have.

Marno

Just completed another stay here. In the past, breakfast was a standard Plat benefit. Now it is a choice at check-in, instead of points. You also now need to bring a coupon to the buffet to prove you are entitled to breakfast.

Despite being relatively empty, the buffet seemed to run out and then was not readily replenished. It was fine by global standards; not great by Asian standards.

We were upgraded to a high floor ocean view room, which was fine. The rooms and the hallways are starting to show their age. I am fairly certain they have not been renovated since our first stay here in 2006 or 2007. Clean and reasonably maintained, though.

Plats do still get the cocktail benefit at Podium from 5:30-8pm. We enjoyed it more than a standard lounge. Very few people there, nice ambience, nice music, and attentive service. There was a cold buffet as mentioned, and 3 different dim sum options which you could order as you go on the menu. We didn't have any as we had dinners booked. Beer, wine, spirits, and two types of martinis. It was good enough for me, and quite relaxing.

The rate was half any other comparable properties while we were there, and for the same rate, I would stay again. I used to work in Cyberport so know my way around on public transit to/from there - so the location wasn't an issue for me. It may be for others, though. The hotel has a shuttle but it's a bit infrequent. Taxis aren't that expensive to Central or Kennedy Town MTR and are easy to get in Cyberport.

Bummer about the breakfast, but for the price, I was happy with my choice.

khabah

Closing April 20th for major renovations that will transform the entire hotel, including rooms, public spaces and restaurants. Attaching renderings of the new lobby, rooms and restaurant below. This will be the first renovation to the hotel since it opened in 2004.

Reopening is planned for November 2021.

khabah

ftrichard

Good. I've stayed here a couple of times over the years (once when visiting HK and once last summer for a staycation) and the lobby and rooms have always reminded me of an Aloft not a Le Meridien. It's completely unrepresentative of other Le Meridiens around Asia (Bangkok, KL, Saigon etc.) and I always felt it was branded Le Meridien because they felt they could charge more than if they branded it Aloft. It would be nice if they put in a proper lounge and upped the Platinum offering in the evening now that the Marriott Ocean Park has gone to the dogs. Last summer I was very underwhelmed by the wine they served in the restaurant as the Platinum happy hour. Filthy stuff it was that made me yearn for the Courtyard HK's lounge.

khabah

This hotel was signed, designed and built at that awkward time in Le Méridien's history in the early 2000s when the brand was being passed between different financial services groups and went through several different leaders with different visions for the brand [gone was longtime veteran Bernard Lambert, replaced by Juergen Bartels and Robert Riley]. Le Méridien went from being a near-luxury group with well-designed hotels with elements of France integrated into their designs [i.e. La Brasserie being a staple restaurant, a subtle but present emphasis on breads, cheeses and wines] since its inception, to one that started losing its way under Forte in the early 90s when they tried making the hotels grey and somber to be "contemporary" and "chic", to one that tried pioneering "modern" luxury with their white elephant Art+Tech project in the early 2000s. The basic tenets of Art+Tech were, as the name implies, to marry art and technology in rooms that were predominantly paneled in light wood, featured backlit art, plasma screen TVs, etched glass headboards and frosted glass bathrooms, and the first hotels that were supposed to roll out this new theme were what was to be Le Méridien Marble Arch [The Cumberland London, which was eventually fully renovated in that style but has now made way for the Hard Rock Hotel], Le Méridien Vienna [which still features the basic designs of the project in the rooms, even after the soft renovation it recently underwent], the former Le Royal Méridien Hamburg [now Le Méridien Hamburg], the former Le Méridien Minneapolis [now Loews Minneapolis; this was the first full Art+Tech hotel in the world], the former Le Méridien Tower Kuwait [now Le Royal Tower Kuwait; this was the first Art+Tech Le Méridien in the Middle East and was supposed to be joined by Le Méridien Mubarakiya which never opened] and Le Méridien Cyberport. The Cyberport hotel design was slightly toned down and it opened in 2004 as a regular Le Méridien as Art+Tech was aborted, and Le Méridien then went to Starwood the following year.

The design still incorporated some bits of Art+Tech through the minimalist aesthetic, etched headboards, flat-screen TVs and the glass bathrooms, but I will agree that it didn't age very well and firmly looks "early 2000s tech chic" that is more inline with the current Aloft design rather than the now-established mid-century modern theme synonymous with the Le Méridien of today. I wish they took the rooms design a little bit further [i.e. a more imaginative drafting chair, a headboard design that isn't just another map of the world] but this is a good step to modernize the hotel. The restaurant looks really good, and I do hope they incorporate a dedicated club lounge or, at the very least, offer a good lounge alternative. Who knows, however, between Marriott and COVID, if they'll kill it off entirely.

We'll see soon enough. Bring on the renovation!

khabah

Happy

Anyone has stayed in this property in recent months now it is fully renovated?

Isochronous

Would also be interested to know what the renovated version is like. Some disturbing reviews out there about guests being limited to two pieces of bacon etc - sounds bizarre.

yorkboy24

I just received confirmation from the hotel that they don’t offer the happy hour to elites any more. I decided to cancel my stay and go elsewhere.

yorkboy24

As I said above, it has gone completely in the other direction. Now you can pay for happy hour free flow at $280+ per person from 4:30 - 7:30 pm with cold cuts. This is basically what they used to offer elites (2 guests per room) before the renovation.

ftrichard

That's a bit of a disgrace. Is there any precedent to this? I mean, have they - like the Marriott OP - designated themselves a resort or something spurious? There are two Courtyards - Courtyards - in HK offering an evening lounge experience for elites. It would seem that this LeM isn't following the spirit of the loyalty scheme even if this evening happy hour isn't in an actual club lounge. What's the point of being a Bonvoy hotel on the Bonvoy reservation system if you do your utmost to repel the very Bonvoy members who would primarily book you because you're a Bonvoy hotel.