A Tale of Three Conrads
 

When Hilton announced the points devaluation last year I booked a trip to Tokyo, Macau and Hong Kong using the Conrad hotel in each city. I had been at the Conrad in Tokyo before and knew the brand so I figured that the new Macau property and the highly-regarded Hong Kong property would be as good if not better. I've put together a three-part trip report with some impressions of all three hotels and their cities starting with Tokyo.

Getting to the Conrad Tokyo from Narita airport is not really difficult or expensive. Well, as long as you don't consider a cab, which can cost a fortune. The easiest, most straightforward way to get there — as has been mentioned in FT posts many times — is the Friendly Airport Limousine. In spite of the name, this limousine is really a bus. It's part of a network of buses that travel from the airport to various hotels in various parts of Tokyo.

When you pick up your bags and walk through Customs into the arrivals hall of the terminal at Narita look for the counter marked Airport Limousine. It should be right in front of you if you arrive at Terminal 1 South. There you can purchase your ticket in yen (about ¥3000) or pay using a credit card. The buses — and there are a number of them all going to different destinations — pull up right outside the terminal at numbered bus stops each with a video display that gives information about the next arrival and its destinations. Ask the clerk when you buy your ticket for the right stop for the Conrad and use the display outside to confirm it. Then, just wait.There is a schedule on line that you can use.

The bus operation is really quite efficient. Well, you are in Japan. Each stop has a bus boy (okay, some are women, so let's call them attendants) who meets each bus and loads the baggage along with help from the driver and attendants from nearby stops. For peace of mind make sure you see your bags loaded, then get on the bus and buckle up (yes, they make you put on your seatbelt). What you probably won't see is that the attendant will bow to the driver as the bus departs. Nice touch..

In spite of being called a limousine, you'll probably find the bus seats a bit cramped. If you do, it's your fault for not being the right size. I'm in the same boat (or bus as it were), being over 6 foot tall. Other than that, the buses are comfortable and clean..

Narita Airport is a long way from Tipperary. And a long way from downtown Tokyo too! The bus will take about 90 minutes to get into the city and make two or three stops before it gets to the Conrad. The stops will be announced, but there should be no doubt when you get to your destination..

Coming from Haneda airport? Take a cab. It's only about 12 km and costs about ¥6,000..

I had booked eight nights at the Conrad Tokyo (two 4-night AXON awards). Initially I got a city view with Executive Lounge privileges since I'm currently Diamond. But after four nights they called and offered me an upgrade to a harbor view room on the same floor (35). I think it was because I asked for an upgrade when they sent an e-mail three days before arrival. The e-mail that offers various upgrade options at added cost — except, as a Diamond there was no cost (something I did not know). Both rooms were identical except for the view. Both were huge relative to similar hotels (e.g. the Conrad Miami and Conrad Hong Kong). The highlight was the bathroom (!) with its glass partition separating it from the living/bedroom, the lighted mirror and the shower and Japanese toilet (each in its own separate 'room'). How many hotels are there where the highlight is the bathroom? The king size bed was perfect for me (quite firm as were the pillows) but the window seat was not as comfortable as the desk chair. If the window seat is meant to take the place of a comfortable side chair or couch it didn't work for me.

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On my second night there was a 7.3 magnitude earthquake off the coast but felt still in Tokyo, and I can attest to that. It jolted me awake at 2:10 AM. Nothing severe, but a gentle rocking (and a sloshing that lingered for a while somewhere in the plumbing system) that was enough to get my attention. I was still a bit jet-lagged and there was no way for me to get back to sleep. So, I tried out the in-room coffee pot. It's a French press and took a while to figure out since there were no directions (luckily, I like challenges like that when I travel). I would later find out that there is fresh brewed coffee down in the lobby early in the morning. The free in-room Wi-Fi worked fine on my iPhone and iPad. I opened my web browser and signed up for the high speed service. There was no charge for Diamonds. I'm not one of those people who run performance tests on Wi-Fi speeds in hotels as all I need are basic connections for e-mail and internet access.

The Executive Lounge on the 37th floor is on the Shiodome side of the building. The view is nothing great unless you like looking at office buildings and wondering what all those workers are doing. The service in the lounge was great however. I was greeted each morning, shown to a table and provided with coffee. I got my own juice from the selection of at least four varieties in the refrigerator. The omelet chef made a bespoke omelet and it was delivered to my table. I could get sausages, potatoes, cold cuts, cheeses at the front of the buffet or miso soup, fish and other Japanese dishes at the back. An assortment of bread and rolls was located in the center of the room. The selection of dishes didn't seem to change over the eight days I was there — but that's not a complaint. There was a special omelet each week though. The lounge was never packed and except for the normal dancing around any buffet table, was not crowded; I managed to get a window seat every morning I was there.

In the evening the situation was similar. I was greeted and seated and provided with a beverage of my choice. Selections on the buffet changed each night with most nights being a selection from one of the hotel's restaurants. I'll admit that I liked the French selection (from the Collage restaurant) the best. On some nights there was a general selection of hors d'oeuvres including hummus and pita, olives and crudité. Evening attendance was usually good and many times the room was close to full and a window table wasn't always available.

In addition to the earthquake, my stay also coincided with a number of typhoons. Not direct hits on Japan, but close calls close enough that I had three rainy days to contend with. Therefore, eating in the hotel was an option I took advantage of more than I might normally do. On my first night I ate at the Kazahana Japanese restaurant in the hotel. I'd wanted to try Japanese beef and they have a tepanyaki room in addition to a sushi room and a room with regular tables. The tepanyaki room overlooks Tokyo harbor and has a great view. The meal was varied and very interesting but the beef was the outstanding part. Unfortunately, you don't get an awful lot. I would have gladly traded one or two of the other courses (there were at least five) for a larger piece of the flavorful beef. On another rainy occasion I ate in the Cerise restaurant which is their all-day restaurant. If you want a $35 cheeseburger, Cerise is the place for you!

The Conrad Tokyo is located in the Shiodome office district. There are four or five large office towers at least and three hotels. It takes about ten minutes to walk to Shimbashi station (for the JR Yamanote line) or the Ginza Line Metro station. The Toei Oedo Line Metro station is maybe only a five minute walk from the Conrad and provides good access to Roppongi and Shinjuku. Having said that, if you happen to leave the hotel at say 8:30 AM you will be faced with a solid phalanx of commuters all rushing from Shimbashi station to get to their desks on time. A lone tourist swimming against the tide doesn't stand a chance! It was one of the most memorable images of my whole trip — and I have to admit, a bit frustrating at times.

The Conrad is also well placed for anyone who wants to go to the Tsujiki fish market for the tuna auction. It's about a 20 minute walk — if you know where you're going. Finding the Fish Information Center where you line up to get in to see the auction can be difficult, especially at zero dark four-thirty when you'll have to start out. Get a good map, ask the attendant on the ground floor of the Conrad for directions and follow along with maps on your phone if you can. I did the auction thing on my last visit and this time it was raining on my first two mornings when jet lag had me awake in time. So instead I picked another morning and walked over after 9:00 AM when the market building opened and I wandered around taking in the stalls and fish preparation areas. Be warned though: this place can be extremely dangerous. It's a working market and there are turret truck, forklifts, motorbikes and men with large knives all over the place. The small trucks especially zip around everywhere and you need eyes in back of your head to keep track of the traffic. After ten minutes you will swear that they are actually trying to hit you ;-)

Just on the other side of the elevated highway that skirts the hotel property on the southeast is Hamarikyu Gardens. This 60 acre plot goes all the way back to the 17th century when it was laid out as a local garden for the Tokugawa Shogun. It's a pleasant place to stroll and provides an interesting foreground for pictures of the Conrad. No matter what your ability as a photographer, you'll get a picture here of your hotel that will impress everyone back home. In the center of the garden is a lake with a tea house. Drop in for a cup of green tea (¥500) and tranquility..

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The gardens sit right on Tokyo harbor at the mouth of the Sumida River and there is a pier where you can board an excursion boat going upriver to Asakusa..

The Yurikamome line runs overhead right next to the hotel. It's a small, automated train system that connects Shimbashi station with Odaiba Island. The ride is interesting and quite scenic as it travels across the Rainbow Bridge and through the modern developments on Odaiba Island. If you can get the front seat there's a great view and a nice opportunity for pictures along the way. Odaiba Island is interesting if you like modern shopping malls, American style restaurants and cutting edge architecture. In other word, if you really miss America! A good choice for a rainy day perhaps, and seeing that I had plenty of those, I made the trip.

My upgrade to a harbor view room was the highlight of my stay. I kept the curtains open all night and just watched the fabulous view until I fell asleep. The only thing missing was the duck. There was a Conrad duck in the bath on my last visit and this time he was gone. Since I still had that original duck I didn't ask if they are still available. I did get a Conrad bear keychain in each room though.

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Three Conrads - Part Two
 

This is the second of my three part trip report from Tokyo, Macao and Hong Kong.

The Conrad Macao (alternate spelling for Macau) is located in the Sands Cotai Complex in the new Cotai Strip area. Five years ago it was a marsh. A little compacted sand, a lot of concrete, and rebar made in China (by the lowest bidder) and you have three 40-story hotel towers, two casinos, a number of restaurants and a few hundred upscale boutiques.

Macao is not Las Vegas and in my opinion that's a good thing because Macao has a lot more history. Macao was the Hong Kong I always wanted to visit since it still had ties to a colonial heritage that goes back to the 16th century.

Getting to Macao most likely will involve a boat, but it's far from the slow boat to China in that old song. Jet-foil hovercraft ferries make the crossing from Hong Kong central, Kowloon and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) to one of two ferry terminals in Macao. The trip takes about an hour depending on your departure and arrival points. The most convenient arrival point for the Conrad is the Taipa ferry terminal since it's on the same island as the Sands Cotai Complex. However, I arrived at HKG and my only option at the time of arrival was a ferry to the main ferry terminal on Macau. That place is a zoo. Baggage handling is downright medieval and the shuttle bus arrangement looks like something from a third world country — except that the buses are newer. There were no signs directing you to hotel buses (certainly none that I could see) and it took me maybe ten minutes to locate the right bus to the Conrad. Hint: take the pedestrian underpass under the street immediately as you exit the ferry terminal and look there. And while the bus has a sign on the front saying CONRAD, it deposits you at the entrance to the Holiday Inn (which, with a Sheraton, shares the Sands Cotai Complex) where at least someone will escort you over (past the casino, past the lounge, past the place where Kung Fu Panda lives) to the Conrad's check in area. But once you're there everything changes and the service level goes up ten fold.

I was checked in, told I had been upgraded to a king city-view suite, and personally escorted to my suite by the guest services manager who then pointed out all the features of the suite. She was the same guest services manager who had emailed me a few days beforehand and provided information about arrival in Macao. The suite upgrade seems to be a standard Diamond upgrade perk but again I'd reserved an upgrade on line and that might be what actually triggered it.

Now as I was traveling my myself I needed a suite about as much as I needed another earthquake or typhoon. But, boy was it nice! And from what I've seen on line, it wasn't even a big suite. The worst thing though was trying to find where I'd stashed everything when I packed up to leave! There was a main room with a big TV and a big couch and a view of the City of Dreams complex next door. The bedroom had a king size bed that like Tokyo I found to be firm and perfect for me. The bathroom was huge with a separate toilet and shower room and there was even a guest toilet right off the entryway to the suite.

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There is no Executive Lounge at the Conrad Macao. I understand that there used to be one when they first opened, but it's now a private club called Apex on the 39th floor. I was told that they are working on a lounge and it will be open in 2014, but no specific date was mentioned. Breakfast is in the Grand Orbit buffet restaurant in the complex. I referred to it as the Grand Pig-Out since, well, there were just too many choices and I enjoyed a fabulous breakfast each morning I was there. You could easily assume a different nationality each day. One day American with bacon, ham, scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast and coffee. The next day Chinese with fried noodles, dim sum, tea eggs, stir fry pork, congee and Portuguese egg tarts. Then another day it could be Indian. Or, you could make it a grand international pig-out and have plenty to tie you over till much later in the day.

The Grand Orbit restaurant turns into an international buffet in the evenings. I was never that hungry however. I did eat at the Pink Thai restaurant one night however. The food was alright, nothing special. But the decor — in spite of the name — was predominantly grey and I didn't find it appetizing at all. I would not recommend the place. On my last night it was raining (again) and I ate at the Portofino Italian restaurant in the Four Seasons area of the Venetian complex. It was hard to find and a long walk from the Conrad, but in the end it was worth every cent (or whatever they call their smallest coin over there). Since both the Venetian and the Sands complex are under the same management, you can charge your meals to your room at any restaurant in either complex. Keep those HHonors points coming!

The circular lounge at the Conrad is located right off the check-in area and is like the center of the universe as everyone circles it on their way from shopping or to the casino. Diamond members get to choose free drinks from a special menu, but you have to ask for the special menu. The service was always very personable and I was welcomed by name each time I used the lounge. I actually started to think that the staff were all psychic since everywhere I went they seemed to know my name. I was starting to feel like Norm in the TV series "Cheers" until I noticed that they all had earpieces and had access to my registration information.

Wi-Fi in the room worked just fine. However, I had to enter my name and room number every time I wanted to get access.

The Sands Cotai Complex is located across The Cotai Strip from the massive Venetian complex with the Venetian hotel/casino and the Four Seasons hotel. A covered walkway connects the two properties and has moving sidewalks to make getting back and forth easier. However, it's still a good walk once you get to the Venetian side if you want to get to the Grand Canal shops or the casino. The Grand Canal in Macao is nothing like the one at the Venetian in Las Vegas. It's a lot bigger and has a lot more Chinese restaurants for some reason ;-) One place you have to check out is Lord Stowe's bake shop for a traditional Macanese egg tart.

On the same side of The Strip as the Conrad is the City of Dreams (good name for a casino) complex with a Crown and Hard Rock hotel and casinos. Overall, I didn't find it nearly as impressive as the Venetian or the Sands complexes. But it was a short walk and worth checking out nevertheless.

Gambling is a big deal in Macao. They have surpassed Las Vegas in gaming revenue for the past five years or so. I'm not a serious gambler but if there's a casino nearby I usually find a way to lose some money. The big game in Macao is Baccarat; it's like BlackJack in the States. I just stayed with the slots however since the locals looked rather serious about gambling and they spoke Cantonese a lot better than I did. Slot machines, by the way, are called Hungry Tigers in Macao and it seems that all the ones I picked hadn't eaten in quite a while ;-) Most of the machines are in Chinese but it's not hard to figure out how they operate. There is an English/Chinese switch on most of them that at least allows the displays to change. Gambling with Hong Kong dollars (which are accepted everywhere in Macao) helped to keep my loses to a minimum since I always seemed to be confused by the exchange rate. The rate is 8:1 and really not all that difficult if you think about it. A couple of things I found interesting in the casinos was the smoking which was pretty obvious everywhere (there are very few non-smoking areas) and that only water, tea and soft drinks are provided to patrons.

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Getting into town (Macau proper) from the Cotai Strip is easy. While there is city bus service, I always took a taxi from the Conrad. The cost was about HK$60 going in town and HK$50 coming back. The hotel provides a card with all the major sites listed and Chinese translations included. Simply highlight your destination and show the card to the driver (actually, the bellman usually told the driver the destination to start). For a return trip the card has the Conrad's address in Chinese on the back. Taxis are invariably Toyota Corollas and while the rear doors open automatically I found getting in and out always a problem (long legs and big feet).

A good place to start sightseeing is Senado Square, the center of old Macau. From the square in one direction are the ruins of St. Paul's, the Macau Museum and old fortress. In the other direction are old colonial era churches, other historic buildings and the A-Ma Temple. Macau has twenty five UNESCO World Heritage sites just in the compact old town so there's no excuse to spend the whole day in the casinos. I found two good walking tours on the frommer.com web site and followed them.

A taxi to nearby Taipa village was only HK$25 or so from the Conrad. As an alternate you could get the free shuttle from the rear of the Sands Cotai complex to the Galaxy hotel complex in back of the Venetian. Checkout that property and then walk across the street to old Taipa Village. Old Taipa is noted for its historic Taipa Houses Museum (free on Sunday), some interesting Chinese temples and a number of good Portuguese/Macanese restaurants. It's a great place to wander at night after a good meal. A new elevated light rail line is being built and in a few years will make getting around much easier.

Taipa is a good place for a traditional meal. I ate at Antonio's in old Taipa and highly recommend the place. They recently relocated to a new location around the corner from where they used to be and it seems that the taxi drivers aren't up to speed yet, so make sure if you go that you know where you're going.

I got the famous Lucky Conrad Duck (a transparent duck that swallowed two dice) but he did me no good in the casinos. Did I have to take him with me to the casino I wondered? There were also two bears that appeared on consecutive nights in the bedroom.

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Three Conrads - Part Three
 

This is the third of my three part trip report from Tokyo, Macau and Hong Kong.

I'm glad I did Hong Kong last. For one thing, having Macau between Tokyo and Hong Kong provided just a little bit of relief from the hectic lifestyles in the bigger cities.

The Conrad Hong Kong is located in the massive Pacific Place center in Central on Hong Kong Island. I came in by ferry from Macau and a cab cost about HK$45 from the ferry terminal. There's a free hotel shuttle if you arrive at the Hong Kong station of the Airport Express or a cab from there is about HK$45. The entrance of the Conrad is around the back of Pacific Place and faces the Peak side and the British legation (or whatever they call it now that the Brits don't run the place anymore). It's less hectic than the front of the center on Queensway. But inside it was as hectic as I'd come to expect in this most hectic of cities. I was escorted from the counter on the ground floor to the Executive Lounge for check in. As the hotel was full with a convention going on, I got a peak view room with Executive Lounge privileges. I found the view of green hills rather comforting. I also got a late (4 PM) checkout with no trouble.

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The room was actually small. Well, compared to the Conrads in Tokyo and Macao. But of course it's not Motel Six or anything like that. And they had all the features you'd expect including an assortment of power receptacles that took U.S., British and European plugs. One unusual point was the bed faces the window and the TV is on the right. It must be feng shui! Since I wasn't there to watch the Simpsons in Cantonese, it was of no matter to me where they put the TV. There's also a small TV in the bathroom and the shower is in its own room like the Tokyo and Macau Conrads.

The Executive Lounge is located on the 59th floor and takes up a good deal of space. I knew that they'd recently renovated the lounge and read the comments on FT that perhaps it was too crowded after the re-do. I also met and spoke with regulars who waxed nostalgic about the way it used to be. All I can say is that I never had a problem getting a table and the closeness of the tables didn't bother me. If you aren't comfortable being less than three feet from another human being with a dozen others buzzing around you, then perhaps you shouldn't be in Hong Kong to start with ;-)

Breakfast in the lounge was great as was the selection every morning. However it took me a few days to find out that there are actually two buffets. On the right is the hot buffet with bacon, sausages, potatoes, pre-made omelets, congee, Chinese fried noodles and cheeses; while on the left is all the healthy stuff like fruit, yoghurt and muesli. Now they tell me! I had the meat lovers breakfast on the right every day I was there anyway, so it was no big deal.

Evening drinks and snacks in the Executive Lounge are served from 5-7PM; that's earlier than either Tokyo or Macau. Like at breakfast, the selection was extensive, but unlike breakfast it changed every day. There always seemed to be a sausage of one type or another, a dim sum selection, cheeses, and various hors d'oeuvres. But the view is the real star as the lights come on below in Central and across the harbor in Kowloon (well, they do at that time in November). Service was always very attentive. I was served beer or wine at my table and never looked into the choices of hard liquor, although I know that it was available from hearing others ordering various mixed drinks.

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The Conrad's location in Pacific Place in Central is pretty convenient. Of course, what do I know — this was my first time in Hong Kong. Anyway, the Admiralty MTR station is right across Queensway. It's bit of a hike, but not too bad. From the Conrad go down to level L2, take the bridge to the LAB shopping center across the street, then down to street level and then down to the subway. There's also a secret passageway under the road from Admiralty station to Pacific Place. But if I told you where it was I'd be giving away the secret. Truth is I could find my way from Admiralty station to Pac Place that way, but never the return path. It has to do with a parking garage and too many escalators. Your mileage may vary — I hope.

Pick up an Octopus Card at the Customer Service booth at Admiralty station if you didn't already get one at the airport. And don't forget to get a refund on your way out of town. I was pleased and surprised to find that they refunded my HK$50 deposit as well as the money left on the card and only charged a HK$9 service fee.

But wait, theres more! There's the tram. It goes up and down Queensway and there's a station that's accessible from the bridge I mentioned above. I found the rickety old double-decker trams to be a hoot to ride. Well, when they weren't packed to the gunwales and I wasn't bumping my head on the ceiling ribs. Those ribs by the way are 6'-00" above the floor. I'm 6'-01" and I have the bruises to prove it! Riding on the top deck in the front seat is the best way to travel the streets in Hong Kong and I'd suggest just jumping on a tram a bit off peak, getting that front seat and just going along for the ride.

Hong Kong Park is right next to the Conrad. Okay it's across from the Shangri-La hotel and the Shangri-La is right next to the Conrad. It's a nice location for a walk with some good views of the skyscrapers especially in the evening. Right on the other side of the park is the Peak Tram station. I caught a cab up to the Peak however; it was far more convenient and I didn't have to wait a hour in line for the Peak Tram. The cab fare was HK$64 while a single tram ticket is HK$63. The line at the top for a return tram was still too long so I caught the #15 bus back down and used my Octopus Card. It's a fabulous ride on a big double decker bus on a narrow winding mountain road. For my money (and it was free) the best view from the Peak is about ten minutes along Luggard Road from the fancy Peak building. Look for signs for Hong Kong Trail, then keep walking till you bump into people with cameras on tripods. The view from the Peak building (called the Sky Terrace) will cost you HK$40. There is a Bubba Gump's up there as well. And as much as I hate to admit it, I had a drink at their bar instead of paying the admission to the Sky Terrace above. The bar has a great view and I watched what I could of the Symphony of Lights show in the harbor below at 8 PM.

I ate one night at Nicholini's restaurant at the Conrad mainly because I love Italian food more than Chinese food and Nicholini's is rated the best Italian restaurant in Hong Kong. All I have to say is I won't argue with that assessment. In addition to the hotel there are a number of moderately-priced dining choices down in the mall and a high-end food shop called great (gr-eat) on LG1 that has sandwiches, meals and drinks to go.

A highpoint of the trip (pun intended) was going up to the Ozone Bar in the Ritz Carlton Hotel on top of the ICC tower in Kowloon. It's on the 118th floor and is the highest bar in the world. The hostess asked me if I wanted inside or outside! "You mean we're on the 118th floor and I can drink outside"? I asked. Sure enough!

The score at the end of my six night stay was one duck and one bear. The bear was the best of the bunch though; a classic teddy bear with a Conrad Hong Kong sweater. The maid seemed to like repositioning the bear each night and I'd find him sitting on the clock or hiding behind the lamp peeking out at me when I got back to the room. Awww!

So, was there a winner? Was there a Conrad that stood out as the best? Well, first of all, it wasn't a contest, it was a vacation. And each hotel had its own unique attributes and advantages. Tokyo had superb service and that fabulous harbor view. Macao had the fabulous suite and a great breakfast buffet. Hong Kong had a great Executive Lounge with a fabulous view. But I think if you made me pick a winner it would be… (insert pause here like they do on that show Pawn Stars)… Tokyo. In addition to the service and the view, the hotel was a calm oasis in a hectic city.

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Interesting and thoughtful write up! Well done!

Nice trip report! It was interesting to get a glimpse into what sounds like three great hotels.

Excellent, entertaining and informative report.

Thanks - I have stayed in the 3 of them also. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses.

Thank you for your very thorough and thoughtful reviews! I am going to both Tokyo and Hong Kong in the next few months and have not decided where to stay. Your reviews definitely gave me some good insight.

Sounds like you had a good time. Thanks for the interesting report - I like your style :)

Thanks for the comparison between the 3 Conrads in East Asia. I have only been to the one in Tokyo and my sentiments echoes yours, the hotel room is pretty spacious but the highlight of the room is the couch in the bay view rooms. I could just sit in the evening and watch the sunset!

Very nice TR, thanks! I have stayed in all of these Conrads (Macau only once, though), and also for me Tokyo would be the "winner". But they all are great in their own way!

Thanks for such a thorough report, interesting for those of us that know these three hotels and informative for those that don't! You've brought back fond memories and may have influenced 2014 vacation planning ;)

Thanks for the report. I'll be hitting Tokyo next month and HKG twice in February, staying at the Conrad's. I appreciate your sightseeing suggestions, they will help fill some time...

Eric

Very nice. The only Conrad I've stayed in is the Chicago one, I basically lived there for about 2 months, and it was great though as per usual the domestic ones are nothing compared to their foreign counterparts...

I finally got around to reading your report as I'm off to the Macao Conrad tomorrow and then HKG one a few days later. Loved your report and writing style. I can't wait to get to these hotels now.