The Park Lane Hong Kong, Autograph Collection

The property looks dated and the rooms are worn, but the staff, food, and lounge more than made up for it. As a Bonvoy Titanium Elite, we were upgraded to the highest possible floor and got a great view. The staff even sent up a birthday cake for me, thoughtful top shelf service. The lounge was phenomenal, with no skimping like I’ve seen at other Marriott properties that are cutting back. Food was fine and drinks flowed freely. It may be the best Marriott Executive Lounge we’ve tried so far. We had breakfast both in the lounge and at the property restaurant Playt, and both were fantastic. The location is excellent. Wan Chai Ferry Pier is within walking distance for getting to Kowloon, and Causeway Bay MTR station serves other Hong Kong Island areas. In good traffic, nearly any hot island attraction is just minutes away.

I’ve spent the last 30 days traveling around Asia and staying in hotels in several cities, and this was one of the few places that left me wondering how it earned a five-star rating. There are too many exceptional hotels in the world for me to spend another night here. The view from the window felt less like luxury hospitality and more like being put in a prison cell. The bathtub was the feature I’d most looked forward to, but the water barely got hot enough for a comfortable bath. Even taking a shower meant figuring out how to switch from the tub faucet to the showerhead. The light switches were confusing and poorly labeled too. At these prices, basic things should be intuitive, not a guessing game. I can accept dated decor, but visible mold in the bathtub is unacceptable. Cleanliness is the bare minimum for a hotel charging five-star prices. The hotel markets itself as five-star, yet from the moment I stepped into the bathroom, the experience felt closer to a two-star property.

We’ve been coming to Hong Kong for years, and The Park Lane has always been our favorite. The rooms are reliably clean, spacious, and comfortable, so we already can’t wait for our next stay. The hotel feels like a home away from home because the staff are attentive, friendly, and genuinely thoughtful. We get the warmest welcome from doorman Sony and the rest of the team whenever we arrive. Alan was also very accommodating at check-in and made everything smooth and pleasant.

The air conditioning in the room was finicky and not very effective, but otherwise our stay was fantastic and trouble-free. The location is impeccable, close to anything important you might want to see in Hong Kong. The concierge went way beyond what I’d expect from a usual team. They helped with several things, including an undelivered TaoBao order, and even contacted the package runner, port, and seller to try to sort it out. They also booked a taxi to the airport that saved us nearly $30 compared with an Uber. It felt like we had personal assistants helping us through the trip. Roy, Jacky, Jason, Ernest, and several others whose names I can’t recall helped so much during our stay on June 11 and 12.