Intercontinental Grand Stanford, Hongkong
There are two Intercontinental Hotels in Hong Kong, the one is the former Regent and the other one it the Grand Stanford Intercontinental at Mody Road in Tsim Tsa Tsui.
The Mody Road is not a Harbour Front Road which is Salisbury Road. The hotel is built between these two streets. The view of the harbour is not as nice as from the other more centrally located harbour front hotels. If you get an upgrade, that’s fine, but I would not pay for a harbour front room in this hotel.
You can reach the hotel from the airport with the airport express train to Kowloon Station and then take the free shuttle bus service (it’s the bus with the number K 4) to the hotel. The journey takes app. 20 minutes to Kowloon Station and another 20 to 30 minutes with the shuttle bus, depending on the traffic. The shuttle also passes other hotels on its way. A taxi would be the faster option if you are not travelling in peak time and costs roughly 350 to 400 HKD from the airport (depending on your effort to
make a deal). A taxi from Kowloon Station to the hotel will be around 100 HKD.
The exterior of the hotel is not really nice. It is an 18 floor massive cubicle building and not very representative. The majority of the rooms offer at least partly harbour front due to the facade of the building with diagonal windows at the side of the building. The windows are blue shaded.
The entry of the hotel is at Mody Road. There is a covered driveway and after entering you are in the big two floor high lobby. On the right hand side is the check-in area and the concierge desk. Opposite are some chairs and a staircase to the mezzanine level.
The hotels offers several dining options, you find an Australian, Italian and Korean restaurant as well as a coffee shop called Café Rendezvous. There is also a bar and the lobby lounge as places for drinks in the evening.
The business centre is in the ground floor and has everything one needs.
The gym with adjacent roof top pool is on the 18th floor. It is medium sized and offers modern but not brand-new equipment. Treadmills, steppers, cardio meters are available and some multi-functional machines for body training. Locker rooms and showers are provided. Staff in the gym is friendly and very attentive. I decided to take a few laps in the pool but as it was raining I did not want to take my towels with me. Staff watched me and as I approached the entrance to the gym from the pool a member of staff
was there with a towel. They also informed that my friend has left the gym for the room.
The Executive Lounge was located also on the 18th floor, but it is now replaced on the first floor. This was from my point of view necessary because the lounge was really small and packed with people in the evening. During the day, it was okay with a very personal service and some nice beverage offerings, a good selection of tea and coffee and also a huge selection of German newspapers and magazines.
visited on Pazifikhopping 2006 - Hongkong + Singapore 2009
stays: May 24, 2006 - November 11, 2009 - November 16, 2009
direct link to hotel:
InterContinental GRAND STANFORD HONG KONG
Arrival Date: 24 May 2006
Departure Date: 25 May 2006
Room type booked: Standard (and paid for Upgrade for Club Floor), got partly harbour view
Rate Plan: Award
Room Number: 1732
Room Rate: Award (+400 HKG for Club Floor)
Status of Guest Program: Platinum / Ambassador
I have booked an award at this hotel for 30000 pts. Prior to this stay I have send an e-mail to the hotel and asking about the fee for an upgrade to Club Floor. They offered me the upgrade for additional 400 HKG excl. taxes for the two of us and this was well worth the money, esp. as this included breakfast, which was worth 200 HKG / person excl. taxes.
After entering the hotel we were greeted by staff. We checked in prior to the official check in time at 13.00. The name of the additional guest was not yet in the reservation, also I had mentioned her name in my e-mail. Check-In took some time, especially as they have pre-reserved a room with a king but we had asked for two single beds. Our pre-assigned room was ready, but they had to look for another room with two single beds, which took some time. As they located a room, this one was not yet ready. At this
point, they decided to bring us to the club lounge and continue with check in there. On our way to the Lounge the features of the hotel were explained.
In the club lounge we were offered something to drink and waited until our room was ready, which took app. 20 minutes.
The rooms are along an open courtyard with the most room at the outside, facing either the street or the harbour or both – from what I remember they are only a few rooms with views to the courtyard.
The rooms itself are classical styled.
After you enter the room you found yourself in the small hall, where the central switch for the lights in the rooms is located; you have to put your keycard in it. In the hall is also the wardrobe with regular hangers, bathrobe and slippers. Stored in the wardrobe is also an umbrella for the use by the guests. This area is a bit dark.
The bathroom has a bath, sunk, toilet and heated bathroom mirror. Water pressure and water temperature were okay and shower head and curtain were in a good condition. Bathroom amenities were available, but nothing special, just the usual Intercontinental products. The hairdryer was placed in a drawer at the sunk.
The room was of average seize, but a bit packed by the two single beds, a huge sideboard where the fax machine the TV and DVD player and the minibar was placed and also the tea and coffee facilities. At the window one found a lounge chair with a lamp and a small table.
The bed was comfortable and a bedside table was placed aside each of the beds. At the left bedside table was the central control panel for the lights, the alarm clock and the do-not-disturb sign. Unfortunately the switched were not illuminated, they only had a small red mark, but I did not learn where every single switch was located what caused some trouble in the night.
The furniture was the typical hotel furniture, in good condition, but no local touch and not in a modern design, just average contemporary furniture you find in the most upscale hotel rooms around the globe.
The ambassador gift was a CD played by the piano player of the hotel bar with some evergreens.
The hors d’oeuvres in the evening were very tasty and a selection of different white and red wine and other alcoholic beverages as well as soft drinks was served. Happy Hour is between 18.00 and 20.30, but this might have changed since our stay as they relocated the lounge to the lower floors. Opening hours for the lounge are 7.00 to 22.00.
We have had breakfast in Café Rendezvous in the mezzanine level. As guest of the club floor you have the choice between breakfast in your room, in the club lounge and in the restaurant. We opted for the restaurant, where a huge buffet awaited us. As my friend told me it is not the selection you found in the Four Season, but quite good with cereals, marmalade, jam, cheese, pastries, a number of different sorts of bread and rolls. Warm dishes (dim sum, Japanese, American) were also available. Service was
a bit
slow and it took some time and a friendly reminder to bring me another pot of tea.
Check out was fast, but also I asked for the fee for club floor. I was told there was nothing to pay. As we waited for the shuttle, the agent approached me again and told me he forgot to charge me the fee for the paid upgrade to club floor.
The shuttle was late – due to the traffic we were told – and therefore we have to take a cab to Kowloon Station. Therefore plan with additional time for reaching either Kowloon station or the airport in peak time.
My overall impression was that the location a bit away from the buzzing beginning of Nathan Road must not mean a bad location. Staff is friendly, but sometimes a bit slow. Rooms are okay and the roof top pool is a high light of this hotel. I would stay there again, especially, since the rates are lower than at the other Intercontinental and sometimes even lower than at the Holiday-Inn Golden Mile.
Arrival Date: 11 November 2009
Departure Date: 13 November 2009
Room type booked: Deluxe (got upgrade to Junior Suite)
Rate Plan: Free Internet and Breakfast
Room Number: 0716
Room Rate: 1600.00 HKD (excl. taxes)
Status of Guest Program: Platinum / Royal Ambassador
We arrived in the hotel around noon and approached check in, where three or four agents were on duty. I was addressed by name. After the agent verified my status, another agent was called and continued checking me in.
I was told, we had been further upgraded to a suite, but it seems, that it was the same type of suite, which were already showing into the overview with all reservations in my priority club account. I was informed about breakfast and the use of internet being included in the room rate and where and when breakfast was served. However, I was not informed, that due to the upgrade, I did not get a room with the requested two twin but with a large king size beds. This happens very often and I really would like, if
the hotel would inform me in advance if this would be okay. My colleague in this case agreed and therefore I accepted the room and did not push it further, but there could have been a better solution.
Two keys were prepared and I got also two vouchers for a complimentary beverage in one of the many restaurants of the hotel.
I was offered help for rolling our luggage to our room, but told, we were able to help ourselves.
The suite was facing Mody Road and consists of a separate living and bed room. After entering the room through the living room and were right in a small hallway with the guest bathroom on the rights side. This bathroom had a sink and a toilet, but no shower or bath. The living room had a sofa and a lounge chair on the right side along with two tables with reading lamps. Unfortunately there was no table in front of the sofa. Opposite the sofa was the sideboard with the minibar, the TV set (no Flat TV). Beside
the sideboard, a bit placed in a corner of the room was a table with three chairs.
A switchboard for the lights in the room as well as the radio and a clock was above one of the sidetables. There was also placed the phone.
The bedroom had a large king size bed alog with two nighttables with reading lamps. On the right bedside table was the phone placed along with a control panel for the lights, the radio and the alarm clock. On the other side was also such a panel, but without the unit for alarm clock and radio. In front of the window was a lounge chair and opposite the bed was the working desk with another phone, the LAN connection and the sideboard. The sideboard was featuring another TV, a DVD Player, tea and coffee facilities
but no second minibar. A closet with a place to store one piece of luggage was also placed in the room. In the closet could be found the safe, an iron and ironing board and an umbrella. A trouser press was also available.
The bathroom was facing the space between hotel corridor and room. It was huge and consists of a toilet, bidet, bath and sink. The bath was more of the narrower side, especially since it was dark if the shower curtain was closed. The bath had a hand-held shower and a wall mounted shower head, the first with rainforest function and both with massage shower function. Shower curtain and -head were in really good condition, however the water pressure could have been a bit better, but it was not really bad. Towels
were available for four (!) persons and there was also slippers and bathrobes for two of us.
The interior was typical hotel room interior, which you find all over the world, nothing with a local touch and also nothing very modern.
Towels were replaced daily at least once, but usually also during turn down service. During turn down service the bottles of water were restocked as well as the minibar and the bathroom amenities by Elemis.
The air condition was controlled electronically and worked nearly without any draught, however our impression that the air condition throughout the hotel was turned really low and therefore making it a bit chilly in the hotel, esp. with only 15 °C outside.
The bed was for my taste okay and again I ask myself why a guest needs three pillows?
LAN / W-LAN were available for a fee (9.95 USD until noon the same day / 12.95 USD for 24 hours / 19.95 EUR for the entire stay).
The breakfast was okay and the selection like written above, the service of average attentiveness.
The pool was opened and heated, which was nice. Staff working there was attentive and helpful opening doors. They also had a look if one was swimming alone in the pool and nobody around on the sunchairs.
Check out was again okay. Everything was prepared, but I was not shown the invoice before it was given to me. I later noticed, that there was only the charge for the second night, but not the already prepaid first night. In this case not an issue, since I returned three days later and it was printed and given to me during this stay.
We had no problems with the shuttle buses to the Kowloon station this time, they ran frequently and in time and we had not to wait longer than ten minutes.
Again, after 2006 a nice stay in this hotel. The upgrade was nice (despite not honouring the booked bed preference anymore). I still think, it is a good hotel and did not share the sometimes negative impressions about this place. There might be funkier and more modern hotels in Hong Kong, but there are usually more expensive and the IC Grand Stanford is still offering a good value for money and not be that much off from the next MRT station.
Arrival Date: 16 November 2009
Departure Date: 18 November 2009
Room type booked: Deluxe (got upgrade to Junior Suite)
Rate Plan: Free Internet and Breakfast
Room Number: 0716
Room Rate: 1600.00 HKD (excl. taxes)
Status of Guest Program: Platinum / Royal Ambassador
We arrived in the hotel around 11:00 am and approached check in, where three or four agents were on duty but all busy checking guests in. Since the Ambassador desk was not manned I waited until the next agent came available.. I was addressed again by name and after my status was verfied, the agent on duty for the Ambassador desk was called and continued checking me in at the desk.
I was welcomed back and I was told the same suite than on my previous visit was assigned. I was informed about breakfast and the use of internet being included in the room rate and where and when breakfast was served. Two keys were prepared and I got also two voucher for a complimentary beverage in one of the many restaurants of the hotel. This time, our luggage was taken care of and was brought to our room later.
A bit to my surprise, I noticed that the suite had been a smoking room during the weekend and one could clearly smell the smoke. I would have requested a room change, but my colleague told me, it was okay and we were also a bit short of time having an appointment with friends of my colleague in Hong Kong.
Towels were again replaced daily and also during turn down service. During turn down service the bottles of water were restocked as well as the minibar and the bathroom amenities by Elemis.
The bed was for my taste okay and again I ask myself why a guest needs three pillows?
The breakfast was okay, it seems the hotel was less busy than in the previous week, though I had the impression the staff was quite busy serving guest. The service was a bit more attentive this time.
The pool was open and heated, which was nice being it colder than in the previous week. Staff working there was as attentive and helpful as the week before. They also had a look if one was swimming alone and sometimes one of them was standing at the pool.
Check out was again okay. Everything was prepared, this time the invoice was shown to me before it was handed to me.
Again, we had no problems with the shuttle buses to the Kowloon station this time, they ran frequently and in time and we had not to wait longer than five minutes.
Again, after 2006 and after our stay in the previous week a nice stay in this hotel. The upgrade was nice (despite not honouring the booked bed preference anymore). I still think, it is a good hotel and did not share the sometimes negative impressions about this place.