Hotel Review posted by Jim M, United States in May 2006
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Traveler Rating:
 4/5
My ratings for this hotel are:
  Room
Bathroom
Room Size
Facilities
Cleanliness
Location
Service
Value
I recommend this hotel for:
 Budget Travelers
Families
 Couples/Romantics
Seniors
Business
Eco Adventure
Would I stay at this location
again: Probably not
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[Earlier in my trip I also stayed at the Harbour Plaza Metropolis, so some of these comments will be comparing the Empire to there.]
When we checked in the room they had for us was apparently not ready so they gave us a "free upgrade" to a different room. This one was on the 25th floor.
The view was very nice (to the north, overlooking Kowloon east of Nathan road) and the bed was very comfortable, but the room was quite small and it made me wonder what our original room would have been like.
The bathroom was okay. The sink was very stylish but not super convenient to use and the glass-and-marble shower was very attractive. Due to poor design or construction, however, when showering lots of water flowed out onto the bathroom floor. Also, for some reason the soap provided didn't smell very good. The bathroom at the Harbour Plaza was much better.
The breakfast buffet was okay, but definately not worth US$20, it was way over-priced for the quality of the food, and although the staff was friendly, I constantly had to refill my own coffee. Considering that a 10% gratuity was automatically added to the bill, I have to wonder who did what to deserve it?
Drinks at the bar were expensive but not necessarily out of control given that we WERE in a fancy hotel. Three drinks cost me HK$170.
The staff at the front desk and concierge desk were very friendly and I have no complaints with regards to them.
The location of the Empire is fairly convenient to Nathan road. My wife and I walked down to the Star Ferry pier several times, but only once in fancy shoes and we took a taxi back. The Harbour Plaza is nearly 1km farther away from the pier (according to my GPS) but the Empire was almost twice as expensive per night and you can take a lot of taxis for US$100.
In summary, both my wife and I preferred the Harbour Plaza for everything except location, and as I said above the difference in price easily makes up for any required taxi rides. Next time we visit Hong Kong if it's down to those two hotels, we will definately opt for the Harbour Plaza next time. It was really more hotel than the Empire for less money.
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This Empire Kowloon hotel review is the subjective opinion of an AsiaRooms customer and not of AsiaRooms.com.
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2 out of 2 AsiaRooms users found this review to be helpful.
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| Last Empire Kowloon Hotel Reviews - 82 Unbiased Traveler Review (s) |
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4/5 Posted by MR. NAGY, Dale, United States in September 2008
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| "We expected a spa and sauna but they were out of service.
I had made an error in booking the room where I needed 7 days I only booked 6. They arranged for my family to stay in the same room one more day. That worked out nice! The staff was all business they could have been a little more friendly. Over all I would book again." |
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 1/5 Posted by Miss Yap, Singapore in May 2008
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| "The room is small, bathroom is small. Not exactly very clean as the building itself isn't too new. Location is alright. About 8-10 min walk to the nearest." |
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 5/5 Posted by MR. PLATTEN, Adam, United Kingdom in March 2008
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| "great place in a good location, staff are very helpful would definately reccomend!" |
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 3/5 Posted by MR. YONG CHYE, Eng, Singapore in March 2008
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| "Checked in on the 13th of march, service was pretty fast with confirmation given in about 5 minutes. room given however was not the same as was required- douoble twin. was given one wueen bed instead. went down to the reception and was immediately given the room we wanted on the same floor as the wrong room which made moving from one room to the other very fast and easy. Room however was very small, no way you can walk around with ease but it fitted 4 people well enough. called reception for extra towels and service was very very fast. However, communication proved to be a slight problem when i called for an extra mattress, they came up with a box of matches. Overall, service was very fast and efficient and will definitely recommend it to budget travellers. " |
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4/5 Posted by MR. SPECK, David, Australia in March 2008
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| "Room as a suite, and plenty big enough. Well appointed - TV in lounge and bedroom, bar fridge, internet connection, etc. Had issues with the light switches in bed room and bathroom, took a while to get the right lights on! Wardrobe was tiny and inadequate. Location is 10-15 minutes walk from the ferry wharves. Lots of shopping near by. Reception Staff spoke reasonably good English, had problems at the bar in getting understood and actually getting the bar snacks we ordered - gave up one night and followed up on another.
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