Marcopolo Hohum

They claim an unforgettable welcome, but the greetings were rather bland at best. The Marco Polo Hongkong is right smack above the Ocean Terminal mall which is great for shopping fiends. And there's a great romantic view of Hongkong island--IF you walk down to the harbor. On the plus side: breakfast buffets were excellent--well-aged cheeses a definite yes; easy access to the shopping mall; concierge ready and welcome to you leaving your luggage in their bin for you to replenish with last minute finds right before you get picked up for the airport. A few pitfalls: a rather long walk to the nearest subway station, decor of a 'certain age' in the rooms (re 80's tastefully bland and inoffensive), noisy bathroom fixtures (the type you hear coming from the other room--sigh). The saddest part--they wouldn't give us a non-smoking room, despite the fact that we had a pregnant woman in our party who was struck sick by the stale smokey smell. Tsk tsk.

Buyer Beware, Check out what you are getting

I was looking forward to staying at this hotel after reading the positive reviews but was disappointed. I consistently felt that the staff to be feeling hassled when I approached with a request or question, especially the concierge! I expect that staying in a hotel of this calibre, I should not be feeling that things are too much trouble. Perhaps this may be in part be because not many were confident with their English laguage skills. Of course, the location is a good one, but the rooms are looking a bit jaded, especially the bathrooms, so if one is wanting a bit more luxury for your money, try elsewhere.

Top quality

Stayed here based on other reviews, and they were right on the money! The room was exceptionally large, and beautifully decorated. The quality of the hotel and rooms is very important to us, as we are not "standard" people. This was truly value and met all our expectations vs. other rooms we have spent time in here. Hotel connects in inclement weather to one of the largest shopping malls in the world, including the Ocean Terminal for ships in port.

It's close to the Star Ferry, but not very close to the subway(MTR).

Loved this hotel

This was my 2nd trip to Hong Kong and this trip I brought my son, age 15. The hotel was great, wonderful service, awesome location, the trip desk in the lobby helped me book some trips to mainland China, and to some of the outer islands, and all trips were well worth the money and time. We had a private 'restuarant' on our floor and received a wonderful free breakfast each morning, and free hot snacks and drinks (including alcohol) each night. There was a private room with a computer and internet access which was reasonably priced. The room was beautiful, clean, large, and we loved it. The staff, especially the front desk and excusrion desk, were superb. Last time I was in HK I stayed at the Excelsior on the HK side, so this trip I wanted something in Kowloon. I would stay here again, although my son did not really HK!!

What they lack in style, they make up with sincerity

I travel a fair bit to the Greater China region for work, and also do my occasional shopping trips in HK. This is one hotel I feel very much at home.

First, its location next to the ferry terminal makes it unbeatable. Taking the Star Ferry is a must for me each time I am in HK, even if the MTR takes you to your destination a little wee bit faster. But going to HK without taking the Star Ferry is like visiting Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. The hotel itself is also near the Tsimshatsui MTR station, a short 5 minutes walk. But in summer, the hot sun, or even worse, the tropical cyclones, can make this 5-minute stroll into a marathonical chore.

Second, the service... ahh... what more can I say? The staff is just so fabulous, especially after knowing that I'm a return guest several times over. I am not a fussy person, and having grand lobbies, art pieces along the corridors and a plush spa aren't my priorities. But I do relish the feeling of being pampered. Maybe it's an ego thing, but the obliging nature of the hotel staff simply makes me want to return more. Their upgrade of me to a Harbour View room with a nominal fee, their throwing in of complimentary buffet breakfast, their running to me with an umbrella to shelter me when I wac caught in a typhoon... all these form nice memories of my many stays with the Marco Polo HK Hotel.

Third, the design and feel of the hotel is also comforting. I really recommend the Harbour View room (Note: some of the other rooms face a horrid old building and it really spoils one's mood). Although the windows look into the western part of the harbour instead of the whole harbour, the view is still fantastic! These Harbour View rooms are also big, with a walk-in closet! The decor has that certain period feel, with old but well-maintained furniture reminiscent of colonial-day HK or 1970s HK, before all that 1997 handover complications came about... Such a feel extends to the lobby and other parts of the hotel too.

But -- yes, there are lots of buts -- the downsides remain: the hotel is worn and tired, and in need of a refurbishment. It was undergoing some renovations the last time I was there in late 2004. But dunno if this is done now and how much different the hotel has become. Also, the grandeur of the Marco Polo HK has been eclipsed by more outlandish outfits such as the Ritz Carlton, Island Shangri-La and the soon-to-be-opened Four Seasons, all on HK island. Even in TST, the Marco Polo HK's peers like the Peninsula, Sheraton, the Shangri-La and Hyatt Regency have revamped their looks, with the Peninsula now in a class of its own. Regrettably, the Marco Polo HK seems trapped in 1970s style, and lagging far behind...

For me, the downsides don't quite matter, as I'm a sucker for old HK stuff, a la the days of Suzie Wong, Chan Poh Chee, Siu Fong Fong and Fung Po Po. As long as the Marco Polo HK satisfies my needs of a proper business centre with broadband access, a Harbour View room, a comfortable king-sized bed, sincere service because I'm a returning guest and the perfect location, I will keep coming back to stay each time I am in HK.

Excellant

We were very impressed with this hotel.

The staff were always very pleasant and allowed us to check in when we arrived at 8am, some 6 hours before we were supposed to.

The room was very spacious with beautifull decor - the amenities were first class. We had a fantastic harbour view.

The location is fantastic - as a tourist its better to stay on Kowloon and have the great view accross to Hong Kong Island to look at each night whilst going out for a walk and a meal. 1 minute away from the Star Ferry Terminal.

Didnt eat at the hotel - however there seemed to be a good choice of restuarants available according to your relative budget.

Good location- but a few problems ?

i have recently spent 8 nights at the marco polo hong kong which is in a good location in regards to the shopping and access to the star ferry...but....it did have a few problems. Firsly i would not recommend travelling dueing the chinese new year as a lot of wealthy chinese come and stay at the marco polo and we did not on arrival get the harbourview room that we had been promised instead we looked out at an ugly building site and had to complain and did not get to move till 3 days later. Also during chinese new year for up to 3 days most of the shops are closed. The alcoholic drinks and tea and coffee are also very expensive and we could not eat in the hotel restaurants on may nights due to the locals booking out the restaurants which was a bit disappointing. We had spent a lot of time walking and several times on arrival back at the hotel all we wanted was a nice meal and we had to go out again and buy mcdonalds which was pretty bad. i have never not been able to eat at the hotel restaurants in any other hotels that i have stayed in which was a bit sad. We have travelled extensively through asia and think this hotel did not have a lot of character but on a plus it did have rather large comfortable rooms....i'm don't think if we go back to hong kong we will stay at the marco polo again

Best in HK (Kowloon)

My favourite hotel in HK, and the one I try to stay at on every visit. Location, harbour views, service and rooms are all top class. Concierge desk was always willing to go that extra mile to help. Easy walking access to Star Ferry, MRT and Nathan Road shops.

The room decor is classy and they are tastefully appointed, and large.

I would (and do) recommend it to anyone visiting HK.

I have also stayed in the Marco Polo Gateway (just up Canton Road), which is older and a little more tired looking, but very well run and a great place to stay if your budget doesn't extend to the Marco Polo Hong Kong

Great Hotel! Wonderful Location

This is a great hotel. I've stayed here twice with my most recent trip being May 2004. I am a sticker for a great location and this has it. It's right alongside the Harbor City Shopping mall and a very short walk to the Star Ferry. You can easily reach them through the lobby and out the side door. The room we got was very large and had a huge bathroom. Maid service was excellent and the concierge desk in the lobby was always extremely helpful. (If you want an excellent view of the nightly laser light show on Hong Kong side, go to the 6th floor car park.) They also have a fabulous restaurant in the lobby where you can have afternoon tea or a 3 course lunch for a reasonable price. The street exiting the main door is Canton road and it is very safe to go walking out at night. There are alot of restaurants you can choose from. I think this will be my one and only hotel choice whenever I visit Hong Kong. They are the best!

Great location, great hotel

We stayed in the Marco Polo Hongkong in December, 2003 for a week (with an overnight stay in Macau.) We were thoroughly pleased with the hotel.

The hotel is located at the tip of Kowloon peninsula right. By jumping on the Star Ferry next to the hotel, we could be in Hong Kong in minutes. Two blocks north was the China Ferry Terminal for our trip to Macau. Three blocks away was the subway so we could wander up into the suburbs or transfer to a train to see the New Territories and the great museum up there. We could wander to the Peninsula Hotel for tea, or go to the Intercontinental for cocktails as we pretended we were jet-setters. If we weren't up to braving the streets, we could always wander through the mall below the hotel and people-watch or poke around in its supermarket to see what the locals bought. I couldn't imagine a better place to stay.

The hotel's a pretty standard business-class hotel, just with a great location. The staff was great; they gave us a room soon after we arrived on an early-morning flight from the States. When we took an overnight trip to Macau, they kept one of our bags and did our laundry, and returned both to us promptly when we returned. Both our rooms (a standard room and an upgrade to a suite) were modern and clean, but both looked out on other buildings -- this is Hong Kong, after all!

Hotel food: we ate at the (included) breakfast buffet each morning; it was fine, with a nice mix of Western and Asian breakfast items, and as much variety as we'd find at any other hotel catering to the business crowd. For other meals, we didn't eat much in the hotel. We mostly ate out in Kowloon or (maybe I shouldn't admit this) in the food court at the mall under the hotel; the food court wasn't bad. We did eat at the Eastern Palace Chiu Chow restaurant in the hotel; it was fine, but I suspect we didn't fully appreciate our meal. It also reminded us a lot of chinese restaurants we might find in California (although not with the Chiu Chow specialization.) "The Chinese Restaurant" at the Hyatt was a better choice as tourists, as their prix fixe banquet menu ensured we'd get a special meal with all the items we might not normally order.

Great place, I'd stay there again and will recommend it to friends. We used a Cathay Pacific package (hotel-only, as we were using frequent flier tickets) to get a decent $125/night rate for the room.

If you visit Hong Kong, take the time to wander out to the New Territories and see the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. It's a nice museum, and the trip out to the suburbs gave us a great idea what Hong Kong might really be like as a resident. The Hong Kong Railway Museum's few displays might also be worth a visit, but wandering between apartment blocks and along the streets of Tai Po was also memorable! The Hollywood Plaza mall at the Diamond Hill MTR stop (also near the Chi Lin Nunnery) gave us a movie fix on our vacation. The mall is also worth a visit because although it looks just like any mall in Kansas City or Atlanta, you'll never find a food court where almost *every sign* is in Chinese, with no roman characters. If you get desperate, the Japanese restaurant had some english signs. :-)