Hennessy Hotel

The location is central, which is great, but at this price everything else is just acceptable. There’s a lot of noise coming through the windows, so bring earplugs if you want to sleep.

I ended up extending my planned one-night visit to four because the location and cleanliness suited me, and the manager gave me a discount for the extra nights. The room was small but had enough space for a double bed and to stretch out in the shower. Staff were friendly, and the experience was better than I expected, even though there wasn’t much else on offer. Location is excellent: about 10 minutes on foot to MTR Wan Chai and 15-20 minutes to Causeway Bay. Buses and tram pass the hotel, and there are 7-11 and local restaurants open 24 hours nearby. I did a lot of walking. The entrance was under renovation when I arrived in late February, so the hotel was hard to spot at first. I’m not sure whether an event near the HK convention center caused prices around Wan Chai to jump that week. My room was beside the fire exit, and I could smell cigarettes near the elevator hall. They seemed to use a strong air freshener in the room, which smelled nice and kept the cigarette smell from being too bad once inside.

The room is small but cosy, and the hotel is reasonably clean with okay service. It’s a decent location close to CBW. The place is very basic, with no gym or restaurant, no bottled water in the room, and no telephone either, which I’ve never come across before. Every room faces the main road, where buses pass day and night from time to time. The booming noise is noticeable, especially below the 15th floor, though even higher up it isn’t great. Bring earplugs. For around HK$500, the room is okay. Above $600, I don’t think it’s worth it.

The price was too high, though the staff were kind. They should at least provide a bottle of water, especially for stays longer than two days.