kmcbrid2

Just completed a stay

I think you get this regardless of the room. I beleive the free drinks are in the lounge which was nice. PLT guest also get two suits pressed for free.

Rides are unlimited. It departs and arrives about every hour and I think the scheulde may be on the website. However, it skips 10am and you will need to be able to put your lugagage on the seats of the bus. There is no where to store the luggage in the bus.

forumpersona999

Used to have pretty good success with Suites here. Last 4-5 stays as Plat with Amb, only got a better view in one of the ocean rooms (around 380 sq ft) but no suites anymore (800 sq ft).

Microwave

My partner and I are planning a 4 night trip to Hong Kong in February, and I've got a couple of options. One is to wipe out my Hilton points and stay at the Conrad; what we're getting for the points is pretty clear in that case. The other option I'm toying with is the Le Méridien Cyberport. What draws me to this hotel is that it's off the beaten path, seems to be in a relatively quiet part of town, and looks nice in a boutiquey sort of way. We both love urban vacations but we also like to "get away" to places that aren't the same as what everyone else is doing; this place has piqued my interest as a potential option to do both. Still outstanding in my head:

1) I see references to a shuttle bus which would take us to/from transit. Is that bus free? Is it realistic to rely on that if we're going to be away from the hotel most of the day?
2) I see references to local buses which run near to the hotel. Are these a better bet for regular travel to/from other Hong Kong destinations during the day? Do they run frequently? Are they easy for someone who speaks only European languages to navigate? We live in London, and are very comfortable relying on all modes of transit to get around (train, bus, tram, etc.).
3) What's the best way to get to/from the airport with a couple of bags each? The stay would be in the middle of a 3 week trip so there's likely to be a non-trivial amount of baggage.
4) I realise that value is very much personal preference, however I'd take opinions. We'd be "wasting" a night if we wiped out my Hilton points as redeeming for 4 nights for Hilton is now the same as 5, so I'd be burning 320,000 HHonors points for 4 nights at the Conrad, versus 20,000 Starpoints + US$300 if we stayed here. Is the extra travel/transit effort worth the savings? Has anyone stayed at both hotels and might be willing to share a value comparison? Other thoughts? Opinions? Clever haikus?

GB

I'd do the Conrad in a heartbeat over the Cyberport.

Microwave

Even for 320k HHonors vs 20,000 SPG + US$300?

jpdx

I actually think the LM can be great value for a Platinum -- upgrade, breakfast, happy hour -- but despite their marketing, the location is poor, and the views aren't "iconic" or "sweeping" or any such thing. Yes, it can be stunning to look out at one of the busiest shipping routes in the world and see giant ships come by literally every few minutes, but most rooms have an obstructed view. Expect nothing of the immediate neighborhood -- a supermarket, an (almost) abandoned mall, a few restaurants. Public transportation is extremely poor (by HK standards, not by, say, Oklahoma City standards); there are a couple minibuses and bus lines with odd hours. You'd really have to be a fan of public transport to put up with it. That said, the hotel's minibus is quick and reliable, and taxis are very cheap (£5 will get you to Central). As for airport transportation, with two people and a lot of luggage, your best option is likely a cab, which shouldn't be much more than £25-30. Otherwise, you could take the airport express train to Central, and hotel bus from there (for ~£10 savings over a cab). Finally (since you ask for random musings), under normal circumstances, this property isn't a great place to use points; there are often BRG opportunities in the HKD1200 range. In closing, another musing; I genuinely dislike the Conrad HK, and even given the general poor value of HH points after the devaluation, it is horribly overpriced.

Braindrain

Yes, definitely off the beaten path in a quieter part of town. There is a supermarket right beside you and a mall (of sorts) in front of the hotel so you're never that far from civilization. Personally, I like the location as it's a great location if you're not in a rush.

No, not free. (But maybe free for Plats now.) I can't remember the exact price but it's not bad. Problem is, it only runs once an hour. I used to it to leave the hotel but never on return. On return, I'd usually make my way to Times Square and take a taxi from there. It always ran about $100 HKD.

Yes, a much better bet. The hotel is right beside a bus terminal. I always took the minibus $8.50 HKD to Causeway Bay because it's the fastest to connect up to the MTR.

Airport to hotel, I took the HK Express to HK Station then taxi to the hotel. (Unless my timing lined up with the once/hr (on the half hour) hotel bus.)

Hotel to airport, I took the hotel bus to HK Station and then HK Express. I don't know if it's still offered, but you can get a better deal if you buy both HK Express tickets at the same time.

I just booked the hotel bus from the concierge, although it's never full.

I've never stayed at the Conrad, as I've heard HH Golds are treated like dirt. This is really subjective as everyone values their points differently and has different strategies but for myself, yeah, I'd say the LM is a better value.

Land-of-Miles

The Conrad is a bit odd and I don't like it that much. My last stay at the Conrad saw me move on to the Meridien for a few days at the end of my stay (this was planned not reactive I hasten to add ) but it is really an apples to oranges comparison. I really like the Meridien as a Plat but it is a bit quirky and well off the beaten track. It will get tedious schlepping back and forth on the bus which IIRC was something like 450 HKD but I can't remember if that was return.

The pool area at the Meridien is lovely except at weekends when they sell a sort of beach club membership to locals and it is heavily overcrowded.

gojko88

That would be slightly overpriced, don't you think?

The tickets were 45 HKD one-way in 2013.

LuisHK

Personally, I like the hotel but not the location. Though it's on probably the less polluted area of HK, it's not the most convenient place to stay.

a: Travelling to airport is best taking Airport express+taxi. There're accurate info from previous post so I'll not elaborate.

b: Shuttle buses are available. Took a few times and I wasn't asked to pay at all. If you really need to travel to the nearest train station (Sheung Wan or Central), probably that should cost you around HKD$100 (not incl surcharges - can't remember how much they charge for each luggage at the boot, if my memory didn't fail it's HK$5 a piece)

c: Local mini-buses are reliable as they operate very frequently. However the drivers might not speak much English. Based on experience, passengers are mostly English speaking in that area and they can help when required.

d: Forget about the local buses, not time-efficient.

I've my reservations about Conrad as well. Like Intercontinental HK, they don't really treat loyal members very well.

SNA_Flyer

Spot on. I agree 100% about all of your points... Including the comments about the Conrad.

dmilsi

I had a 36-hour pit stop in Hong Kong last weekend while flying CX from Dubai to LAX. I'd stayed at the Sheraton before, but since Le Meridien was much cheaper and offered better platinum benefits, I thought I'd try it for my short stay. I arrived at HKG around 5am, and, then proceeded by train to HK MRT station, from which I caught the hotel shuttle (which seems to be free for all, not just platinums). It took about 15 minutes in the morning rush and there was no problem accommodating my 3 largish bags as well as those of several other guests. I was warmly greeted at reception and permitted to check in around 8am after being apprised of my generous platinum benefits (500 points+ free buffet breakfast + 4-11pm happy hour +pressing and shoe shining). I got a corner room with 3 large windows with unobstructed views of the myriad container vessels plying Telegraph Bay. The room was rather small (evidently there are only 2 suites, which were occupied) but had a comfortable bed and large bathroom. The pool was a good size, but the gym a bit cramped and lacking in machine variety. The Cyberport Mall can be accessed directly from the hotel and has quite a few restaurants, a good supermarket and a cinema. I took the shuttle again to Central for a meeting and some sightseeing (never more than a 15-20-minute ride) and returned later in the day in time for the happy hour in the Podium bar. Platinums can order, to their hearts' content, from a set menu which includes wine, beer, spirits and about 7 food items ( very small portions, but I was told, you can order an unlimited number of times). The breakfast was a typical full buffet, which included dim sum offerings. All in all, a great stay for just over HK$ 1300 (inc tax).

LuisHK

This hotel generally treat all customers well. Other than the location, this is a very comfortable property.

Isochronous

Any tips on getting this for a BRG/best possible rate?

Isochronous

Still available for a certain package but targeted at kids only apparently.

I'd love that included for me!