For three nights, I moved across the harbor and stayed at the JW Marriott on Hong Kong Island. It’s located at the Admiralty MTR stop and there’s even a shopping mall connected to it. The staff was incredible and the location was fantastic. The only complaint is it’s a little difficult to find from the mall entrance.
Check In
Check in was a breeze and due to my platinum status, I was upgraded to a harbor view room on the 18th floor. Now the view wasn’t as impressive as the view from the Intercontinental but it was still nice to see the lights of the city and the ferries crisscrossing the harbor at night.
The staff was quick to point out the amenities and apologized profusely for the lack of a gym (that was being remodeled but I had no intention of visiting anyway) and asked if I needed any help with my luggage. Since I only had 1 bag, I declined and was escorted to the elevator.
Executive Lounge
Breakfast was served in the executive lounge on the 5th floor. Now this wasn’t the type of breakfast I’ve had in other lounges which is typically a smaller/limited version of a breakfast buffet that’s served in the restaurant. The spread was amazing. Basically everything you could want in a breakfast buffet was there.
You can go throughout the day for drinks and snacks but they also have cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at night. Hors d’oeuvres doesn’t do justice to what they have to offer at night. They have so much food that you can easily have dinner and drinks there and not spend a dime. Also, the food changes nightly with both cold and hot options. I feel like the lounges in Asian countries are better than what you’d find in the states and it’s pretty impressive.
The lounge was very busy during the mornings and ESPECIALLY during happy hour but during the day, if you wanted a place to spread out and get some work down outside of your room, this was certainly a comfortable place to do it. They always had snacks of some sort available and drinks located throughout the lounge.
Room
The room was ample enough for what it is. I did feel like it was a little on the smaller side but I imagine the hotel was designed to put more rooms facing the harbor to maximize the view. It came with all the usual amenities and even a laundry service but I didn’t take advantage of it.
My One Complaint
Everything about this hotel was fantastic except for it’s signage from the MTR and the mall. Getting from the MTR station to the mall is easy enough but the JW is located right next to the Conrad and Shangri La hotels. From the bottom floor of the mall, I ended up going up to different floors to eventually find the check in counter. If arriving by taxi, it won’t be a problem.
If you’re arriving via the MTR, just look for the Thai Basil restaurant on level 1. There is also the Tien Yi restaurant and one floor above is the Shake Shack. Behind the Thai Basil restaurant is the entrance to the JW but it’s hidden behind the escalator and a giant pillar. It almost looks like an emergency exit. However, once you see the door, you’ll see a doorman there will be able to get you to the correct level to check in (since you’ll need a key card to activate the elevator.
High Marks
As a side note, I was in Hong Kong for my birthday as a small mini vacation for myself. I didn’t notify the hotel or any staff prior to my arrival even though the hotel clearly knew from my membership info. I still wasn’t expecting anything but the hotel was kind enough to send up a cake. I thought it was a lovely gesture and it completely caught me off guard.
If you’d like to stay here on your next trip to Hong Kong, please check out my referral page here.
