stargold

All true. The whole point of the Towers rate is that you get access to the Towers section of the hotel including the Towers lounge access, even with no status. Equally, there is no other way of getting Towers except for paying a Towers rate.

Towers booking (incl. using 14.5k points per night instead of 12k) includes:
- Breakfast at the Oyster bar on the top floor (I can't remember being offered the ground floor cafe, and also can't remember whether the lounge has breakfast);
- Towers lounge privileges including afternoon tea and evening cocktails; and
- Assignment on the top two floors (the Towers floors) of the hotel.
Correct. Towers lounge is only for those booked on a Towers rate.

Flyiboy

Does anyone know what floor the Tower Lounge is ? Once booked, can you check in there ? I stayed here about 3 years ago and have completely forgot.

Thanks

Happy

The 14.5K award cannot be booked online, must call SPG to book, correct?

How can we know those benefits are including in the booking if not showing online? Would the booking confirmation would show such?

How was the evening offering at the Tower lounge?

kamchatsky

Hi Happy, this is what you are looking for:

http://www.sheratonhongkonghotel.com/en/rooms/towers

So if you book in Towers Room, you get all of the feature listed.

I stayed here in April last year. Here is my review ....

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/26478843-post1228.html

Yes, you can book Towers Room using SPG points by calling SPG hotline. It cannot be done online.

This time, I have decided to book JW Marriott over Sheraton for 5 nights, given that I have never tried it before, even though for me TST is better location than Admiralty.

I have to say though, booking Sheraton HK Towers Room using points is a great deal, compare to their standard room offering.

Happy

Thank you very much for additional information.

We prefer Hong Kong Island side but this coming Sept for a 6 nights stay we have 2 IHG free night certs as well as 1 Hyatt free night cert to use. Since they, and the Sheraton, are practically in a cluster at TST, we may book 1 extra point night at Hyatt TST, and then 2 point nights at Sheraton Tower.

The rooms at Marriott are quite a bit larger - King bed room is 33 sqm, and double-bedded room is 37 sqm and a real corner room. Sheraton's is 25 to 35 sqm - even the largest one is only 1 sqm larger than JWM's King bed room which we already feel it is a bit tight but still has a sitting area. The regular Tower room at Sheraton, assuming that is what point booking would get - is very small based on the pictures without sitting area. It feels even smaller than the HR TST regular room. So that is a big compromise should we go for Sheraton Tower room because JWM's lounge is quite good in its F&B offerings. The double-bedded room is much more spacious at 37 sqm. The double bed at JWM is a true double bed, not a twin bed as shown in Sheraton's picture. There are 2 double beds in the corner room, with 2 chairs with the coffee table in between, right by the corner of the glass walls. Then there is a desk and a long dresser with the TV on top. The closet is a small walk in closet. The only draw back is the bathroom door which opens inward, and block the access to the commode. You need to first enter the bathroom, swing the door back before you can access the commode. They have enough space in the foyer which is too large as a wasted space to me, to modify the door to open outward instead.

During our stay in late Jan (the 2nd day of CNY thru the 6th day) we got a full harbour view room without any prior request from us nor any additional cash upgrade. We were able to watch the CNY firework from our room, it was almost the same view as from the lounge.
Harbour view is not important to us as we used to live in Hong Kong and our flat had at North Point Mid Level used to have a sweeping harbour view from the old Kai Tek airport runway all the way to the central and beyond. We do care about the room size. During our last stay we stayed in our room to watch Australia Open Finals. lol. Ideally Conrad has the largest room size but Conrad's lounge offering is mediocre.
Need to think this thru if we use Sheraton or return to JWM.

Agree the additional 2500 pts for Tower room over the regular room when including breakfast and lounge access, is a better deal than the 12K regular room. The extra is well above the value of 2500 pts.

kamchatsky

Yep thank you for the info on JWM.

If you decide to stay at SHK Towers, I suggest that at check-in at Level 16 (not at level 2), ask if there is cash upgrade available if they don't offer you directly. They offered to me when I checked-in earlier, and showed me the rooms that are on offer before. So I saw Towers Harbour View, Towers Deluxe Harbour View Room, and Towers Suites without view. I took the Towers Suites as soon as I saw it. The value of the extra space was worth it, especially with 2 small kids.

Also SHK also offers 5th night free, even on Towers Room, if you decide to book SHK on longer days.

It would be very interesting that once the SPG and MR programs are merged, the new categories of all the SPG and Marriott hotels at HK, and how they lined up against each other. At the moment, due to the transfer rate of the points, SHK Towers Room is almost the same points as JWM standard room. Given I am also a Marriott Elite, the benefits I get between both are similar.

However, if I am not a Marriott Gold/Plat Elite, I would have stayed at SHK Towers this time instead, and would not have considered JWM.

timol

On the 16th floor. Yes, you can definitely check in there. Take the quick elevators from the ground floor, at the back on the Nathan Road side, that most visibly say "Morton's, The Steakhouse".

stargold

Comparing property to property, I do think JWM is a step above the Sheraton in most respects as you have observed (except harbour views from the higher floors of the Sheraton). The paid rates probably reflect the relative difference in quality.

In terms of points redemptions, it is heavily skewed by the 3:1 ratio. In certain notoriously expensive locations such as London, NY and HK, Marriott Category 9 is an absolute steal at 15k Starpoints per night. It beggared belief that the Marriott Park Lane, for example, was less expensive on points (45k=15k) than the Great Northern Hotel (20k) (notwithstanding it being a great little hotel) - the two just aren't comparable.

Given that the JWM points rate is more or less identical to the Towers points rate at SHK, I think the JWM is more or less a no-brainer for a Marriott Plat/Gold. I certainly wouldn't be choosing SHK over JWM in these circumstances.

(Unless being on Kowloon side was the overriding factor of course)

Flyiboy

Thanks timol... Hopefully I can get the same Rio I had before.. I think it was about 4 rooms down from the lounge..

PTahCha

JW Marriott pluses: Great lounge for breakfast and evening appetizers with plentiful seats and mini waffles made to order for breakfast. Discount for F&B (10 or 20%?) for Platinum guests. Easy access to MTR via the mall. Next door to the Upper House for even better restaurant scene. Daily fruit basket. Cab drivers recognize the name "JW" right away.

JW Marriott minuses: Smaller King bed rooms, even for Platinum guests.

Sheraton HK pluses: Great location for Kowloon. Generous breakfast buffet for Platinum at the restaurant, with cook to order eggs and noodle soup. Harbourview or larger suites available for Platinum guests. Complimentary phone for mobile wi-fi and local calls (Not sure whether JWM offers that as well). Oyster Bar for excellent view of the evening light show. Next door to the Peninsula for even better restaurant scene.

Sheraton minuses: Limited evening service in the Platinum lounge, although beer and wine are complimentary. Close, but not as easy access to MTR.

abk

I think it is much faster to reach the MTR from the Sheraton then the JW.
Walk out the Nathan road door, cross the street to the Pen and then turn right and go down the stairs. Very fast

Happy

But you have to go outside, wait for the traffic light etc - it is not pleasant when it is hot weather or worse, raining.

It is all indoor to MTR from either JWM, Conrad or Shangrila. No stairs to deal with either.

I would take indoor walk even longer, anytime over having to walk outside in a city like Hong Kong. This is from a longtime HKGer speaking.

Happy

I totally agree with you on this assessment. It is not even the same class of hotel and the cash rates do reflect that. I would say the SPG to Marriott ratio has created some high value arbitration opportunities such as in Hong Kong as well as in London. In fact in South Africa too.

kamchatsky

To skip the traffic light, use the Middle Road exit of the hotel and use the TST East entry (L1 or K). You skip all the traffic light.

http://www.mtr.com.hk/archive/ch/services/maps/tst.pdf

http://www.mtr.com.hk/archive/ch/ser...ayouts/tst.pdf

abk

Having spent like literally a year of my life in that hotel, I find that if you use the TST East entry it actually takes longer as you have to walk farther underground. I only do that when it is really raining hard.