Triangle Trip

When traveling abroad, I generally like to stay with US-based hotels as they are pretty consistent in terms of quality of service, providing a clean room and being in convenient locations. You also get better value for your hotel rooms at international locations as US hotel chains rarely discount their international rooms compared to domestic rooms. All the major US hotel brands are in Hong Kong (Hilton Conrad, Hyatt, Marriott and Sheraton). Here’s an evaluation of each US hotel in Hong Kong:

I highly recommend you stay at one of the following hotels for convenience in Hong Kong:

JW Marriott or Conrad – Both hotels are located inside Pacific Place in Central. The MTR (train) station is also connected to Pacific place. The main bus terminal is right across the skywalk from Pacific Place. The Hong Kong JW Marriott and Hong Kong Conrad also offer great views of the city if you are on the top floors. Both hotels have hotel lounges that server food and alcohol. The JW Marriott lounge is one of my personal favorites in the world. The JW Marriott is by far the best hotel in Hong Kong.

Sheraton – Located in Kowloon’s Tsim Sha Tsui area, the Sheraton is in an extremely convenient location. The Hong Kong Sheraton is next to the famous Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon. You can go any where in Hong Kong or Kowloon from the Sheraton. The Kowloon MTR station is two blocks away and all major buses travel through Tsim Sha Tsui. You are also minutes away from Victoria Harbor where you can catch the Star Ferry to get to Hong Kong Central or Wanchai.

Renaissance – Located in Kowloon near Victoria Harbor. If you have a room with a water view, you will get a panoramic view of Hong Kong Island which is one of the best views in the world (on a sunny day of course). Like the Sheraton, the Renaissance is close to all major attractions and transportation. The Renaissance is actually a few blocks away from the Sheraton

I would shy away from the following US hotels:

Grand Hyatt or Renaissance Harbour View – Both hotels are in Wanchai, near the Hong Kong Convention Center. Hyatt is near the harbor so it becomes very inconvenient to by car or MTR. If you were taking the MTR train (to the Wanchai stop), you will have to walk ¾ of a mile to get to the Hyatt or Marriott. To compensate for the long walk from the Wanchai train station, you will find a great view from your room at the Marriott. I would not stay at either hotel unless I am attending a convention.

The W – The W is located in the newly developed section of Kowloon and attached to the Elements Mall. Aside from the mall, there is not much to do in the evening (or day). Public transportation can also be a challenge as only one MTR line goes to this station. You can always take cabs from the W to your destinations but it can be costly.

You can also check out my earlier post on: Where to go when you are visiting Hong Kong.

I feel extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to be a frequent different steakhouses across the world. As a follow up to my post on Portland Steakhouse Review, I would like to share a little secret about Morton‘s with my readers. Morton’s has a VIP program that is invitation only.

As a Morton’s VIP member, you will receive the following benefits:

1.  No reservation required – Once you’re a Morton’s VIP member, just walk into any Morton’s with your VIP card and you will get the first available table.

2.  After dinner perks – You will receive complimentary after dinner dessert and drink. And at times you may get a small gift.

3.  Wine lock – Based on availability, Morton’s will store your wine collection in their famous cellars for you free of charge.

You should contact your local Morton’s General Manager or or Lifestyle Managers like Premium Lifestyle Group for more information.

Before July 3rd, I am going to stay at least 10 nights at a Crowne Plaza hotel.  Why you ask?  There are two highly enticing offers that have caused to me switch temporarily from Starwood to Crowne Plaza in particular, especially if you golf:

1) Stay 2 nights at a Priority Club hotel (ie. Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Intercontinental) and get a free night at Priority Club hotels (ie. Intercontinental). You’ll get a max of 4 free nights.  Here is the link to this offer.  See Captain G’s post regarding this offer.

2) Bonus of 1000 points per NIGHT when you use AMEX to pay for your stay at a Crowne Plaza hotel.  And along the way earn Callaway golf equipment.  You’ll get a sleeve of Callaway Golf Tour iX balls shipped to the address you have on file after the first night.  Each successive Callaway award according to the fine print will be fulfilled in the form of a Callaway Golf Gift Card.  Ten nights will give me the equivalent of a sleeve of Callaway Golf Tour iX balls, another dozen Callaway Golf Tour iX balls, and a Callaway X-Forged Wedge. The rest of the details of the offer are here.