I read this board pretty regularly, more than my number of posts would suggest. I have great appreciation for the knowledge I have gained here. However, there are two types of things to be had here and there is a difference. There is the knowledge to be gained about rules and tricks for maximizing frequent traveler benefits. For that, this site is an invaluable resource that has allowed me to travel in premium cabins and stay in great properties on my adventures.

Then there is the opinions regarding "What is the best hotel in XXX," or other similar questions.

While it may upset many, for these opinion related issues, I read this site with the same healthy dose of skepticism that I read other sites with, including TA.

The bottom line is that it is all opinion, and some people have different preferences regarding what style of service or hotel they prefer. On any site, or in any newsletter, the vast, vast majority of what one will gain is other's opinion.

Again, still valuable, but only when taken with some salt.

to clarify, unless i say flyertalk i am referring to luxury hotels forum.

I think Trip Advisor, despite its flaws, remains a useful tool that shouldn't be ignored. If one searches five star hotels in Hong Kong, currently, the three hotels mentioned here come out top. My annoyance with Trip Advisor is the overwhelming number of Professional marketing photos that come up under Traveller Photos.

A large House project, buying a new car, spending a lot of money on a vacation - isnt it a sensible idea to compare a number of sources to get the best builder, car, hotel for your needs?

Gallivanter's Guide is a useful guide and the reviews well written. It is clear that the author has a preference for certain brands and a dislike for others, but it's a subscription service and if you dont like it don't buy it. The name dropping and photos of General Managers are not to my taste.

As for this forum, I'm aware that there are several travel agents who post here, some are open about that, others less so. Whilst im interested in what they have to say I never forget that they may have a financial interest in me going to property B when I'm interested in property A. There also seems to be a myth that some of these travel agent collectives are the only way to secure free breakfasts, room upgrades, room credit etc which is generally not the case.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...l#post17122792 (sticky at top of forum) >

can always PM me if im missing any.

I have absolutely no problem with the agents who post on here as long as they are open about but someone like GG (and I suspect there are others) who post without acknowledging it must be against FTs terms and conditions. After all they must be biased as they endorse hotels they review for the guide they also on here thereby gaining more subscribers for the guide and more privileges when they stay at said hotels. I'd have absolutely no problem if they publicly acknowledged their connection as is the case on all the company representatives on other boards. At least then you know how to treat their advice.

It's interesting that this thread has evolved into this particular discussion as these 3 hotels in HK seem to sit on the fault line of taste: unique/boutique/design-led hotels vs large/know-what-to-expect/dependable hotels. In asking people's opinions on the 3, it was obvious that some would naturally lean towards one over the other as a matter of taste.

An interesting aside is that those who prefer FS can sometimes be really quite aggressive about Upper House, whereas those who prefer Upper House don't feel so strongly negative about FS. I guess that's not unusual with the UH targeting a certain type of traveler while the FS casts a wider net.

Anyway, my hope in starting this thread was to get people to talk about the specific details they love about their preferred hotel. That offers genuine insight into the best aspects of these hotels and of course that's more useful than a simple "My vote goes for XXX" without any further information. Unless everyone knows you're a fashionista in your 20s from London or a 55 year-old businessman from Jakarta, it can be difficult to know what to do with those opinions...

asking specific questions about hard/soft product can help, or discussing expectations/requirements re same. or getting into specific detail comparisons like exact views, from which hotels/rooms, for example. you could say why you excluded LMO, as well as 'other side' - IC/pen/RC. there are additional hotels which are more similar to upper house, and i think there are some threads here focused on them. there is also discussion on upper house and comparing it. i cant recall if there are threads that are specifically MO vs FS.

unfortunate not more concierge discussion in replies. definitely recall at least some HK concierge discussion.

re breakfast could include specifics such as room service as well as inclusions via travel agent etc programs.

FS also has some special amenities for shoppers. seem to recall some kind of lane crawford VIP salon.

either budget or specific room categories can be compared. things like bathrooms can vary dramatically between categories. upgrades can re related. some might consider potential upgrades a factor. and for example amex centurion receive confirmed upgrades at MO/LMO. at FS another factor is club, including for breakfast and possibly concierge.

MO always has 3rd nt free on suites. also seems to have a 25% off on rooms. while FS offers seem to be mostly summer at the moment. FS city escape mentions 3pm checkout, if one will use spa credit and its not overpriced. i wonder if hotel package confirmed checkin/checkout can be even more guaranteed than via travel agent etc program.

FYI re your earlier comparison, FS also has an apartment building, with its own rooftop pool/etc >
46K/$5931 per month, starting
600/$77 per month internet
10K/$1289 per month for two people to access hotel pool, gym, spa vitality lounge
(or half that for one person, or 500/$64 per person per day)
6200/$799 per month parking
presumably depends on unit, but there was discussion of FS apartments having better views than hotel

number_6 on certain suites at langham place (not island location) incl michelin star room service >

I'd actually looked very closely at Langham Place as a possibility and I do like the idea of staying in Mong Kok but in the end decided on the island. Tsim Sha Tsui doesn't appeal so much. And on the island it seemed there were 3 hotels vying for the accolade of being the best. LMO is undoubtedly a great hotel but I don't see anyone saying it's THE best.

I am more or less settled on staying in a suite at the MO. If anyone has any info to compare the deluxe suite with the oriental suite, and indeed the deluxe oriental suite, then I'd love to hear it. It's very difficult to see what distinguishes them: is the main difference one of style? or is it the bathrooms? Is the deluxe oriental the same as an oriental but on a higher floor? or with a better view?

Thanks again for all your help.

LMO got several mentions for best city hotel in the world. i dont remember exactly which threads those were, and which other HK hotels were mentioned in them. LMO is somewhat similar to FS marunouchi, which was extremely consistent until recently.

suite at MO is definitely very solid choice. most of the MO regulars have probably stayed in all the suites you just asked about. if youre booking via program that includes possible upgrade, higher level means higher possible upgrade. at least with FHR you can ask agent what the highest possible upgrade is.

Nice change of mind from room to suites

Trying to recall but they have subtle style differences ( perhaps can take a look in 2 weeks & let you know - if you still need to know by then )
Seems like all bedrooms were windowless unlike the bathrooms with a view but
Do note the window cleaning notices !

Deluxe suite - think it was partial harbour views from Statue Square side

These are larger , located at the corners and configured differently from deluxe suites
Oriental Suites - city view
Deluxe oriental suite - harbour views

Also, suites have a third night free offer on the MO website.

You make very valid points. In particular comments like "I love/detest Hotel X" with no further substantiation are worse than useless - they just raise questions rather than answer them. There was a fabulous post a while ago where someone described why at her precise stage of life (husband in super high-stress job, young kids) the Aman experience was so perfect - but that she could see how it wouldn't have the same value for others. That gave me more information than the hundreds of cryptic "Aman is perfection" posts (unwritten subtext: "and of course we all agree because we all have the same needs/tastes/etc") that litter this forum.



Back on topic: Unfortunately of the hotels under discussion I have only stayed at the MO and the Landmark MO. Despite the gorgeous, airy, modern rooms at LMO I prefer the MO just because it feels more like I'm in Hong Kong.

I don't think the MO is perfect or even as good as it should be. I have mentioned that the ceilings are a bit low and can add that breakfast in the Clipper Lounge can be a bun fight of note with harried servers struggling to turn tables over at peak times. Room service food was wonderful - but they got one part of the order wrong. Despite the minor shortcomings I still have a soft spot for it. Quite possibly this is influenced by the fact that it was the first hotel I ever stayed in in Hong Kong. But even that says something: this is the sort of hotel that you do feel sentimental about.

Thanks again for the input.

Cheetah_SA - your words are music to my ears; I grew up in HK and haven't been back in years so it's a sentimental trip and the MO's central place in HK life is a big factor for me.

FlyerEC - if you do have the chance to enquire about the different suites then that would be really fantastic - I'm not traveling until December. Sounds like deluxe vs oriental is a toss up between better view or more room?

I thought I'd follow up on this thread after my stay at the MO. Having asked for your input, I thought I should offer my own thoughts.

I was on holiday, with a 3 year old in tow, and was looking to soak up all the great things about Hong Kong. Simply put, the MO was really superb for this.

We ended up in an Oriental Suite, with views over the harbour and statue square. It's not a bad feeling to walk into that room after a 21 hour flight. You really feel you're in Hong Kong. The style of the hotel and the view from the room give a really impressive sense of place.

And I can't imagine being better looked after: I was addressed by name wherever I went and indeed every staff member was unfailingly smiling and polite; we were let into our room at 8am and they'd already set up a second bed for our son; he came down with a worryingly high temperature on a Sunday and within half an hour the hotel had a doctor in the room and the boy was dosed up with the necessary antibiotics etc. I'd point out that I was not a returning customer - this was my first time at any Mandarin Oriental.

Just a few things that stood out:
- the bathroom is spectacular with its immense tub and walk-in double-headed shower and separate vanities (smelly stuff is Acqua di Palma);
- the breakfasts can't be faulted, I don't think - just for an example, the homemade yoghurt is genuinely excellent and it's a nice touch for them to provide Beatrix Potter crockery for children. The buffet at the clipper lounge might get a bit hectic when it's full but I was always there at a rather serene 7am;
- the pastry shop is a great thing to have in the building - thoroughly enjoyed loading up on scones and donuts for tea.
- I can't imagine a better location, especially for transport. No doubt most guests are going to be jumping in a taxi whenever they leave the hotel but I actually wanted to use the MTR, the trams and the buses as well and all 3 are right there, literally across the street. The star ferry is a v short walk too.
- complimentary bottles of water were always appreciated, placed in convenient spots all over the room and bathroom, and replenished twice daily;
- little additions like plates of fruit, chocolates, bath salts, anti-jetlag balms, soothing eye-patches don't interest me much but they we're put in our room each day.
- barber is just great. Nice bit of luxury for a man.
- the whole hotel feels nicely integrated into the city itself - they've struck the right balance between letting in the outside world while maintaining the sense that the hotel is a luxurious retreat. I guess that's what a good city hotel needs to get right.

The two things that I didn't take to were the overly complicated lighting system in the room and the slightly cloying smell of the place - it's not that offensive and I didn't mind it in the lobby but I really noticed it in the corridors. Curiously, the actual bedroom has no windows but I ended up rather liking that - the room felt secluded, and of course extremely dark with the lights off, and I slept as well as I ever have.

Cheetah_SA is certainly not the only to have made such comments about MO HK.

great to hear! terrific details, including some not posted before.