Having been to Hong Kong many times over the past 20 years, I already knew that the Sheraton Hotel and Towers would be a decent option for my most recent visit. It looks great on the outside (and the location is excellent), so how bad could it really be?
A full review of my 2 night stay at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Hong Kong
Once I saw that this property was available during the days that I would be in Hong Kong, it was a no-brainer to book it. This hotel just happens to be right on the water overlooking that beautiful skyline and all the mesmerizing activity happening in Victoria Harbour. Hotel locations don’t get much better than this!
Location, location, location!Welcome to the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Hong Kong – right in the middle of everything!
I didn’t think for a minute that this hotel would be a bad choice, mostly because I’m very familiar with the area and I knew it was in a prime spot right in the middle of everything. The room that I booked was advertised as having a “harbor view”, so it wasn’t hard for me to imagine that I would have one hell of a view. That was the hope anyway…
Checking in
My first impressions weren’t all that great quite honestly. The main lobby was kind of dark and dated looking (but still much nicer than the JFK Airport Sheraton I recently stayed at), which wasn’t what I was expecting at all – especially for a major hotel located right on the water such as this. It was clean and nice though, and I was happy as hell to finally be in Hong Kong after a long flight, so I didn’t dwell on the negatives.
There were plenty of positives to focus on instead, most importantly being very friendly staff who checked me in quickly without skipping a beat.
This wide angle view of the lobby deceiving – it may look huge, but it felt a lot smaller in person.Is it me or does the structure above the check in desk look like a giant smoke detector?Considering how interesting the lobby is, I thought for sure that my room was going to be impressive – at least as impressive as the room I had at the Grand Sheraton in Dubai. Keep reading to find out how disappointed I was…
Room overview
Is there not a better feeling than being just a few feet away from the door of your hotel room after such a long journey from home?Cracking open the door with the excitement of an awesome city view right outside my window building inside me…Well, they weren’t lying about the “harbor view”. Seriously?To be honest I was expecting the view to be the highlight of this stay, but as you just saw, it wasn’t meant to be. *sigh* Let’s pull back a bit and check out the rest of the room since there’s nothing to see outside…I was feeling rather dejected by this point. The view from my window was terrible, and so far everything else was not living up to my expectations. Those expectations, by the way, were more in line with the suite I had at the Four Points by Sheraton in Zurich (Sihlcity) recently.The only bright spot in the room was this awesome chair, which I eventually dubbed the “Ass Master”.The rest of the room was very basic and nowhere near as nice as what I experienced in the Hyatt Regency here in Hong Kong last time.The room was so small that I think that they probably should’ve eliminated of one of these beds and replaced it with another one of those Ass Masters.Here’s a wide angle view showing how everything comes together. I should’ve booked a room at the Hyatt again.Most people probably don’t care about the desks in a hotel room, but the travel blogger in me can always appreciate a nice place to work with a comfy chair. This was decent.The mini bar, with enough room left over for a badly-needed refrigerator. I don’t know about you, but I think that little refrigerators should be mandatory in all hotel rooms.Anyone care for a $10 can of soda? The entrepreneur in me can’t help but to be intrigued by this kind of stuff…I kept looking at that door feeling tempted to make a run for the Hyatt.Thankfully the Ass Master was there, otherwise I would’ve been completely disappointed in these accommodations.
Unfortunately, this was one of my more disappointing hotel stays in recent times. The room was small and dark (much like the room I had at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel at YYZ recently), and worst of all there was no view to be had. The view was highly forgettable – and it’s a good thing I took pictures because I think it’s already been erased from my memory.
The bathroom
Where the magic happens.Either I’ve had a string of bad luck lately, or this half-door shower thing is the hot new trend in hotel bathrooms. I hate it, mostly because I tend to splash like a toddler and water goes everywhere.There’s nothing worse than sitting down on a wet toilet. Bring back the full shower doors!The vanity was really nice, though all that glass made me nervous. I can be clumsy at times, and I’d hate to have to call down to the front desk to let them know that they need to send up a crew to sweep up the mess.
Room service
I was feeling excessively lazy on this trip, which caused me to spend an obscene amount of money on room service. You have no idea how ashamed I feel for posting this pic. The food was good though!
Final thoughts
I don’t think I would be very quick to recommend the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel and Towers.
On one hand, the location just simply can’t be beat. This hotel is located right smack dab in the middle of everything, and is just a hop, skip, and away from the Star Ferry Terminal.
On the other hand, the interior of this place leaves a lot to be desired. It is a bit dated, and my room was very cheap feeling – most certainly not worth the price I paid.
This is a slightly more expensive hotel compared to others immediately nearby, but I don’t think I would ever stay here again voluntarily. And that’s OK – because there are so many other great hotels in Hong Kong that won’t make me miss this place.
