M1 Hotel North Point

The room seemed small but okay at first, then the problems piled up. In January, cold air came through the poorly sealed windows and the room got really cold overnight. Insects were crawling around, water leaked in the bathroom, and the walls were taped. Given the leak and the dark corners, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was mold too. Room service never brought me fresh coffee cups during my 9 night stay. There was no soap or shower amenities either, though you could buy them for 10HKD per day. The welcome hall smelled horrible, apparently because of the butcher next door at the wet market. Staff there were unfriendly and took far too long over even the simplest tasks. The booking site photos are misleading. The whole hotel is very dark, as if to hide the dirt and obvious need for renovation. Booking.com has already disabled reviews for this hotel, and I trust there’s a reason. It may be budget friendly, but don’t choose it. There was nothing positive about my stay.

The place is dated and not very nice to stay in. The shower windows were mouldy and the wallpaper was peeling. Considering the state of it, it costs a lot. Hong Kong rooms are bigger than usual here, I guess, but paying a little more for a much nicer chain hotel would make more sense.

The beds were uncomfortable, the fridge didn’t cool, the safe was broken, and the Wi-Fi kept failing. When we raised these problems, the staff were no help. We also worried about security since anyone could enter the building without being stopped. We didn’t get enough towels, and the ones we did have were full of holes. Housekeeping took towels without replacing them. There was barely any hot water, so we had several cold showers, and my family got sick. The room and bathroom smelled like a public toilet, there was no hand soap, and cockroaches were outside the room. One even got into my toiletries bag. I wouldn’t recommend staying here.

Room 201 was spotless and well organized, and the price felt right. This slick, no-fuss boutique hotel is tucked into the traditional market neighborhood of North point, so you get a real feel for local life. There’s food around the corner, and nearby you can find just about anything, from a power bank for hk$30 or McDonalds to a million $$ gold necklace and even a pound of live shrimp, lol. The front desk was courteous and polite when we arrived, though the experience at departure was a bit different. Yes, I recommend it.