Background
Located at the southern side of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel had its grand opening on February 19 this year. Last December, Business Traveller Asia-Pacific conducted a First Look of the hotel during its soft opening.
After our first site visit, our impression was that it was more suitable for families with children than business travellers, primarily due to its location right next to the Ocean Park theme park. We also had some concerns about whether the hoards of families with kids cavorting around the hotel and splashing around in the central Lagoon Pool would be disturbing for guests travelling for business.
However, in mid-February, the hotel opened its Club Wing (one of three towers in the hotel) that is specifically targeted towards business travellers. Given the opportunity for a one-night stay there, I was eager to experience this facility myself to see if it really is a good place to stay for the business traveller.
What's it like?
As introduced in our First Look of the hotel, there’s a 16-metre high cylindrical aquarium in the main lobby that spans three levels. It was still under construction when we last visited. This time, some colourful corals had been added, but still no fish.
Guests can walk along the central Lagoon Pool, which is now open to guests, to reach the Club Wing entrance. No one was swimming in the pool when I arrived on Friday afternoon.
Two of the hotel’s four F&B outlets, Canton Bistro and Prohibition Grill House & Cocktail Bar, are both located on the Ground Floor of the Club Wing.
You can also find furnishings that echo the hotel’s oceanic theme, like the penguin sculptures and the water drop decorations hanging from the ceiling.
The room
Like the other two towers, Club Wing is also a six-storey building. There are five major room categories with sizes starting from 28 sqm, while the largest Presidential Suite measures around 153 sqm.
The passage is decorated with shell-shaped lights.
I was staying at a Club Premier Room with a king-sized bed on the First Floor, with a view of the central Lagoon Pool. This is significantly more pleasing to the eye than the views in some other rooms on the opposite side that only provide views of some trees and the car park…
At the entrance of the room, there is a dedicated place for you to store your luggage.
On the right-hand side is the bathroom, equipped with both a square-shaped bathtub and a shower.
A sliding door separates the bedroom and living area from the bathroom, with the side facing the washbasin being a mirror.
The overall design of the room is quite different from that in the other two buildings. The room mainly features wooden walls and furniture in a simple yet elegant style, creating a peaceful atmosphere.
Some oceanic elements can still be found in the room, like the headboard decorated with shells, the little white coral sculpture on the table and the long blue sofa in front of the window.
The mini bar in the cabinet beneath the wall-mounted TV is stocked with some chargeable non-alcoholic beverages and snacks. There are two complimentary bottles of water. Coffee and tea-making facilities are provided.
An e-newspaper card is placed on the table, allowing guests to scan the QR code to access the digital version of some English and Chinese newspapers.
In addition, there was a notice on the table signed by the General Manager informing guests that some maintenance work was taking place. Meanwhile, I also had concerns about whether the sound of guests playing in the central pool would be disturbing, especially as I was staying at a lower floor this time.
Thankfully, I did have a sound sleep and wasn’t woken up by any noise from either the construction work or the pool as I’d feared. Given it’s now March and it’s still cool early in the morning, I only saw several children swimming and playing in the pool after 10am the next day. I was staying in the room then, but couldn’t quite hear them. But I still have reservations about it, as there weren’t many people using the pool during this period, and I expect more guests will use it when the weather gets warmer soon.
M Club Lounge
Registered Club Wing room guests, as well as Marriott Platinum Elite and above members, get complimentary access to the M Club lounge (open from 6am to 12am daily) on the First Floor of the Club Wing.
The lounge is not too large, but it’s rather tranquil. Newspapers and books are available. Complimentary snacks, fruits and beverages are provided throughout the day. Canapés and desserts are offered between 5:30pm and 7:30pm, while evening cocktails are served from 5:30pm until 9:30pm.
Self-service is encouraged in the lounge. You can make your own cocktail by yourself with all the materials provided in the open kitchen, or just help yourself to the snacks and desserts, though the food offering is a bit limited.
You can choose to have breakfast either here or at the Marina Kitchen & Marina Café located on the Ground Floor of Marina Wing. M Club offers continental breakfast between 6am and 10:30am from Monday to Friday, and from 6am to 11am on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Choices here were also limited, though.
In M Club, there are some other complimentary services that may be useful for business travellers. Guests can use a printer near the entrance for up to 15 pieces of printing and copying service for free for the duration of their stay. In addition, there’s a meeting room that can be booked for two hours at a time.
Meanwhile, express check-in and check-out services can be completed in M Club. Thanks to this service, I finished the whole check-out process in under a minute. All I needed to do was return my room key to the members of staff and confirmed with them that I didn’t consume any paid items in the room.
Verdict
During my one-night Club Wing stay, I felt that it was an independent building that maintains appropriate distance from the other two family-oriented towers. The sound of children playing emanating from the adjacent theme park and the central pool didn’t end up being the problem I expected it to be.
Club Wing ensures a rather tranquil and undisturbed environment for business travellers who plan to do some work or just want to get a good rest during their stay. I still find it difficult to give a definitive answer to the question of whether or not this will be an ideal choice for business travellers, as it’s still off-peak and there were relatively few tourists in the hotel, but I was impressed with my stay.
As mentioned in our earlier First Look, the hotel itself is only a three-minute walk from the Ocean Park MTR Station, which takes you to Hong Kong Island’s central business district in just a few minutes. So location is definitely a plus if you don’t mind a short train journey.
Quick facts
- Best for… Good location and tranquil environment in the Club Wing compared to other tourist- and family-oriented wings
- Don’t miss… Enjoying the snacks, beverages and complimentary services in the M Club lounge
- Price Internet daily rates for a Club Premier Room during mid-April start from HK$2,095 (US$266.89), taxes and service charges not included
- Contact 180 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong; +852 3555 1688; marriott.com
