As part of my United status run this year, I decided to try the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui one last time after I hadn’t loved my previous two experiences. The third time was the charm!
Trip Report
This is part of a multi-post trip report from my status run. Other posts in the series can be found here:
- Mileage Running May Be Dead, Status Running Still Alive
- United’s Polaris Lounge San Francisco
- Polaris Business Class Service San Francisco to Hong Kong
- Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui – Suite
Location
Located a ten-minute walk or five-minute bus ride from the Kowloon express station from the airport, the hotel is in the heart of everything. The property is connected to the K11 Art Mall and close to the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR stop.
Address: K11, 18 Hanoi Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Phone: +852 2311 1234
Finally, A Suite
This is my third stay at the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui (TST henceforth), each of which was for one night. On this occasion, I didn’t have availability at Sha Tin for my whole stay and wanted to give the property one last try before I wrote it off completely. The last two stays were in tiny rooms with poor views and limited service. I also was not as familiar with the area as I am now.
Thus, one last go at TST and it paid off. My experience was a 180 from previous stays. Before I arrived I was upgraded to a suite (a real advantage of the new World of Hyatt program which ultimately is a factor in why I am hypocritically returning to the brand in full force). While space is limited in Hong Kong as it is in New York City and other major metros, the suites seem to be a substantial upgrade over their single room counterparts.
Impressive Room
Suite 1607 was at the end of the hallway with neighboring rooms to the right and left that did not appear to be suites. There may only be one at each end of the floor, limiting overall availability at the property. The suite was shaped in a half moon design, the walkway extending into the middle of the room with the living room to the right and the bathroom to the left. The best views are in the bedroom with wrap-around glass windows. For the market and the price point, I was truly impressed by this room and it changed my previous opinion of the property.
Entry/Living Room
Walking into the suite, a slot to the left keeps electricity active with the placement of a key. This was done for me in advance of my arrival. Artwork is at the end of this short walkway and full-length mirrors flanked both walls, the only such mirrors in the room.
The bathroom is to the left in the below image and features a sliding door for privacy when hosting guests in the living room opposite.
The living room featured a large, HD TV though I didn’t use it much during my short stay. A reasonably sized couch arched to the bend fo the room and a connecting door could be seen at one end if booking the two rooms together. A luggage rack was waiting for me along with a Nespresso coffee machine and tea set with full compliments. The cabinet under the TV held the safe and mini fridge (which did have room for complimentary waters).
Bedroom
My suite featured a king size bed and full view of the north-facing Kowloon urbanscape. The TV opposite the bed was a little far away. The desk was sufficient to work during my short stay though they included just one international adapter in the room. I could have called down for more or (heaven forbid) just pulled one out of my backpack. I guess it was just a little shock that the plugs weren’t all equipped with multi-national outlets that accept most major types of plug. It’s either a sign that I am spoiled, that the hotel is slightly dated – or both.
Hyatt Regency TST began offering these smartphones with free international calls and 4G data to their customers a couple of years ago. I hadn’t an opportunity to use it the last time I was in residence, however, this time I made it a point to do so. It was simple to use and enhanced my stay allowing me all the features of home without paying for extra data on my plan or suffering through T-Mobile 2G.
I know the below image is hard to see, but during the day it was mostly fog covered gray buildings given the rainy season so it seemed more appropriate to post this instead.
Bathroom
The bathroom was off the bedroom as the suite connected around in a loop. A soaking tub was separate from a closed-room water closet and adjacent large glass shower. When we travel as a family, we love that someone else can be using the bathroom, showering or bathing while another can use the restroom in privacy. If only we had that at home.
The hotel had some odd toiletry options. They mix Grand and Regency Hyatt mainstays. The good news is, there was no KenetMD, the bad news is that June Jacobs filled the space with Portico (I am happy with Portico generally though it’s not outstanding).
Breakfast/Lounge
Breakfast is in the lounge each morning, cocktails and canapes in the afternoon. I inquired about breakfast in the restaurant because on three stays at the hotel, I had never tried it. Hyatt Regency TST offered a discount (net cost about $23 when I visited). I went downstairs to check it out, but the options were not overly more impressive than the lounge, the addition of Pho made to order and waffles/french toast/pancakes were the only substantial additions. Some hotels let you eat where you prefer, I understand why not all hotels do this and I would have been perfectly happy downstairs but chose to save the money.
I sampled a little from the buffet and while I have included photos in other reviews, I didn’t feel it was worthy to update here. Congee, fried noodles, fresh fruit and a number of pastries were the highlights along with charcuterie and cheeses. I grabbed some noodles to try something from the buffet but also ordered from the menu to get a sample of both.
The lounge is just stunning on a clear day. I was there during monsoon season so views out the windows were less than stellar. However, the lounge itself is beautiful. I walked up to the second level (limited seating and a meeting room) to get shots of the very tall space.
Closer to More Than I Knew Before
We usually stay at the Conrad Hong Kong or the Hyatt Regency Sha Tin – both of which are complete opposites of this hotel. We like Kowloon and spend a lot of time there in the various markets (Temple St., Jordan, Mong Kok) but not a lot of time by this hotel, or so I thought.
After walking around the area a little on the night of my arrival I learned that Kowloon is much closer together than I had previously thought. Behind the hotel is the famous Intercontinental Hotel and The Peninsula Hotel along the Harbourfront and Star Walk. Connected to the hotel was the very interesting K11 shopping center, in walkable distances (depending on how much you like to walk) is the aforementioned areas.
Below is a simple photo I grabbed of a busy restaurant and true Hong Kong background. Not everyone will see the beauty in the photo below, but for me, this is quintessential Hong Kong and everything I love about the city.
Cost
On this stay, cash rates ranged from $220-250/nt depending on when I looked, or 15,000 points. If using points + cash, $125 + 7,500 points would be required – a bad use of points in my book. This hotel qualifies for free night certificates for categories 1-4 and is a good use of the coupon. When comparing to other hotels, TST is a tough one because the suite is undervalued if you can get an upgrade, but the regular rooms are overpriced if you don’t. I’ll be back in the future, but for the right cost only.
Have you stayed in the Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui? Do you have another preferred hotel in Hong Kong?
I get what you mean by quintessential Hong Kong, but I still prefer Grand Hyatt on Kowloon side. I can always take the ferry right across for quintessential experiences 🙂
SS, I suspect you mean the Grand Hyatt on the island side, by the convention center.
We love the Hyatt Regency TST. Some other advantages: There is a large supermarket in the K11 shopping mall, so it is immediately adjacent to the hotel, there is MTR (subway) access just outside any of several doors to the hotel which can get you all over Hong Kong, and the MTR system has a wonderful underground walkway area (that we call the dungeon) allowing you to walk efficiently, safely, and quickly from place to place without having to deal with traffic, traffic lights, and weather. Hong Kong is a huge city (7.5 million), yet we typically feel much safer walking in it than we do in any large United States city. All of Hong Kong is a walker’s paradise, but no area more so than the tip of Kowloon, and for our experience the Hyatt is a great hotel right in the center of the area.
+1
Although I’m mostly a Hyatt guy, HK is one of the places where I just don’t like the locations of any of the Hyatt’s. I’ve done both the GH and the TST one. I find TST slightly more convenient. Sha Tin seems way out of the way. Lately I’ve been doing mostly Ritz or the W, especially with the Ritz now at a lower points rate. Being at Kowloon station is so much easier if you have a short stay in HK.
I’m not sure how you calculated a 10 min was from Kowloon express station
I like it and infinitely prefer the location over GH ( possibly reflected in my fondness for the original Hyatt Regency, now demolished, just a short distance away).