The Pier Hotel

The green minivan gets you downtown in about 10 minutes. If you want a late-night meal, Keeta has three options, so make sure to stock up by 2100. The place is clean and roomy, and the air conditioning works really well. You have to ask for an electric stove.

We’d been looking forward to staying at The Pier Hotel, but the experience left us very disappointed. On July 19, 2025, the Hong Kong Observatory issued a T3 signal. There were four of us in two rooms, and the signal was already at No. 3 when we checked in. By late that night on the 20th it had risen to No. 8, then reached No. 10 by the morning of the 20th. That morning, water had leaked throughout our room. The amount was so bad that we nearly slipped. With the No. 10 signal in effect, we couldn’t get a vehicle to leave, so we asked for a late check-out. Other guests were asking the front desk about it too, but the hotel didn’t help or agree to extend our stay, saying incoming guests meant they couldn’t offer late check-out. Who would be checking in during a No. 10 typhoon? The only suggestion was that guests concerned about typhoon safety could extend their stay at The Pier. That felt very insensitive. We ended up moving to WM Hotel because we would not spend another night at The Pier during the storm. The hotel is outside Sai Kung centre, in an area we didn’t find appealing, with no nearby restaurants, convenience stores or supermarkets. We can’t recommend it after this stay, and hope others think carefully before choosing it.

At check-out, the lobby was chaotic and there was no transport available. The hotel is a bit far from the city, with no taxis or public transit, so we asked reception where we could wait safely, perhaps in a restaurant or lounge. The blunt answer was that we could only stay in the lobby, or maybe hitch a ride if a coworker took a taxi to work. There was no food and not even hot water for instant noodles. We were a group of four and had checked in knowing a typhoon was coming. I’d called ahead because the booking was non-refundable, and was told we could reschedule only if Signal No. 8 was issued before check-in. It was Signal No. 3 when we arrived, but we woke to Signal No. 10. At breakfast we politely asked to check out late, at least until the storm dropped to Signal No. 8 and transport resumed. Staff said we had to pay for another night or leave on time because other guests were due to check in. Who would arrive during a Signal No. 10 typhoon? If we’d been allowed to cancel, we wouldn’t have come. There was no flexibility or room to discuss it, and we felt treated like an inconvenience when we couldn’t leave even if we wanted to. Never again. This hotel showed no empathy, contingency planning or basic customer care.

The included breakfast is served in a restaurant attached to the building. It isn’t a buffet, but there are four options, and I really enjoyed the full English breakfast. In the room, they provide handwash, shower gel, shampoo, robes and slippers. The rooms are bright, the beds are very comfortable, and we loved the sea view. Don’t miss the rooftop for a full 360 sea view.