eeebee

We just completed a 7-night stay there with a similar situation... myself, my wife, and our 11 year-old son (who is a fairly big kid for his age). We booked a Spectacular room, and were "upgraded" to a Fabulous room. I believe the Wonderful, Spectacular, and Fabulous rooms are all the same... the only difference being the view (city vs. ocean) and floor (lower vs. higher). Our room was perfectly fine and comfortable for the three of us. Our son slept in the King bed with us, but there is also a quite comfortable chaise lounge in the room that is big enough for just about any kid to sleep on.

NJFlyer_HOHO

So glad to hear that the bed itself is big enough for the three of us. The chaise lounger could be another option too if she kicks us too many times during the night.

GoSh4rks

The one and only time I've stayed here was on a Thursday night and I got upgraded from the base room to a corner room. Also had a short meet and greet with the GM. This was in January.

LDNConsultant

I always stay here on the weekend (Thursday - Sunday) for the past several months since I have been working in India and want a weekend get away. The room upgrade it self is non-existent and if you want a "suite", you will most likely have to use your SNA. Additionally, the YOUR 24 request (my flight normally arrives around 7/8 am into HKG) but its always been denied - but the Front Office has always been excellent in giving me a room on the day of the arrival.

I'm actually a huge fan of the Elements/Kowloon Area since its much quieter than Hong Kong island but I guess the down side is trying to get a cab from the island back to Kowloon late at night.

Dave510

Unless you're a huge fan of the W design concept, is there really any point in choosing this hotel if they rarely even provide the suite upgrades? Seems like the Ritz Carlton next door has better everything at a similar price point (especially with the 3rd night free offer they often have with Virtuoso).

lost_in_translation

Lack of SPG stay credit . But yes, once the programmes are fully merged I have a feeling it's going to hit the W's pricing power quite a bit.

helvetic

The pool and the party scene at the W is great. The breakfast is solid. I've had good luck with upgrades (got a suite without SNAs once, and always a harbor view in 3 other stays)

Ritz has no benefits for elites, so I think the W still wins. But with fully merged programs, I'd give it a shot.

porkie

Every time I stayed there I have been upgraded to a full corner suite with amazing views, in terms of the hard product it's also simply so much better than those at W. You always get late checkout and they were also able to accommodate early checkin if needed.

Book through virtuoso for free breakfast. Granted, no club lounge access but the W doesn't have one either If you contact them they will offer you discounted rate to upgrade to Club (they were able to reduce it to 1200 for 2 pax instead of usual 1800). It's really worth to upgrade, the staff there is amazing and they go out and beyond for every request you might have during your stay.

Zacnlinc

I've been visiting this HKG on a near monthly basis and the W HKG has become my favorite since it's one stop away from the HKG office as well as perfectly located for arriving from the airport and not having to take cab.

I've been treated very well there on each stay and accommodated as best as possible for my early AM arrivals (9 AM-ish). Often, by the time I finish with a shower and a stay in the sauna and pool, my room tends to be ready before I dress and head into the office for 11 AM meetings. Will be returning there next week for a week this time and am looking forward to all the smiling faces and friendly people that know me by name lately. For the past 5 months, I've been handing out my Thank You cards to the W HKG staff!! Well deserved indeed!!

yurtripper

Which properties would you recommend for a first time visitor?

I have the option of 2 nights at the W followed by 3 at the CY (HK Island) or a 5-night JW reservation on points (also on the island).

I'll arrive on April 29 so have a few left days to decide what to do.

bgriff

The JW is very centrally located. The CY is more central than the W in some ways, but not in the heart of things. And the W does have the advantage of extremely easy airport access by train.

I think it depends in part your appetite for the full Hong Kong experience -- though Hong Kong is not Bangkok or Mumbai, it can be a crowded, busy place, like Manhattan on steroids, and the JW puts you right in the middle of that. The W gives you a bit of a retreat in the sense that it's a fairly easy subway trip to the center of things, but the W itself is in a sterile upscale shopping mall. So if you really want to immerse yourself in HK, the JW is a good way to go (and of course, your room itself would still be something of a "retreat" at the JW, not to mention that the JW is also attached to a shopping mall, though not quite as isolated of one). The W is a good choice if you want to have the option to kind of "take a break" from the hecticness of HK for a bit.

Also, not clear if you have any more flexibility around the two plans you put forward, but if you were going to do W/CY, I would think doing the CY first and then the W would make more sense, as the W is definitely a lot nicer so it would be quite a step down to move from W to CY. The retreat of the W might also be more appreciated after a few days of exploring HK from the CY.

yurtripper

Thanks, that's very helpful. What you say about the booking order being the wrong way round makes perfect sense. I originally put the W first because it was the last two days for the 2x stays/nights Select Promo I currently have, but that was letting the tail wag the dog. As it's just a few days before I reach HK the cash rates for the weekend are now punitive, so I've added in two points bookings - one for Conrad for the first night and then 2 nights at the JW which is right next to it (so hopping from one to the other is no issue). I can then spend the final 2 nights at the W and chill out, with a super convenient airport express option to catch my AM flight back to ARN.

Personally, I enjoy hotel hopping as I travel light (just a 30L day pack) and appreciate the variety and ability to compare different hotels across the brands. I can do it this time as I'm travelling solo; when my partner accompanies me there's no way I can attempt anything of the sort!

Dave510

Just be prepared for huge crowds at Admiralty station during rush hour, as it's now the transfer station for 3 subways lines.

yurtripper

Good to know. Might seem a stupid question, but when (roughly) is PM rush hour in HK? I know it can vary significantly in different cities of the world. WAW seems to have their afternoon rush hour about 2 hours earlier than LDN, for instance.

Dave510

Any time around 5-7pm. Admiralty is the absolute worst station when it comes to crowding, especially if you're trying to go East on the Island Line. I've reached Causeway Bay faster during rush hour by taking the Island line 1 station West to Central, then back towards Causeway Bay, rather than waiting at Admiralty.

And if it happens to be a Friday night, I wish you the best of luck.