HotelChatter

Checking In: Per the fine print of the LastMinuteTravel deal, we didn't get to see what hotel we had booked until the reservation was confirmed; we knew that it was a 5-star property in Hong Kong, and that's all we wanted. Upon arrival to L'Hotel Nina, however, we were surprised to find that downtown HK is forty minutes away by subway and the hotel itself isn't even finished being built yet. At least we weren't billed for anything, as the desk agent assured us that "room costs would be paid for" and we were all set for seven nights with a harbour view.

Room Reaction: Parting the sea of package tourists crowding the lobby, we headed up to the 30th floor and into our room sporting two queen beds and the promised stunning view. There was another more unwelcome view, however, and this was directly into the bathroom through a painfully clear pane of glass wall. It seems that peep show bathrooms aren't just all the rage at The Standard, but they've circumnavigated the globe to make us equally uncomfortable abroad; needless to say, the curtain stayed closed all week, essentially voiding the coolness of having a glass wall.

Oh yea, and this is absolutely not a 5-star hotel. It's just not. We'd like to know who awarded them this distinction, as the generic rooms paired with the guest demographic solidly lands it around 3.5 to 4 stars. Nothing about the room was plush, least of all the wood sitting chairs and the extremely hard beds (we get that hard mattresses are an Asian custom, but these were just really hard). On the other hand, the cleanliness and great attitude of our room attendant was up to 5-star standards; we could have eaten dim sum off of the bathroom floor.

Amenities: This is another area in which L'Hotel Nina fell short of expectations. Nothing on the LastMinuteTravel website warned us that the hotel is unfinished, and the lack of a completed swimming pool ripped our bathing beauty dreams to shreds. There is also an airport shuttle, but it costs more than taking a taxi, and the bus to the city center inconveniently leaves only every 2-3 hours. These are all paltry offenses compared to the internet situation in the entire hotel.

Internet Connect: While we understand that not everyone's lives revolve around internet access, even those who occasionally need to check their email will be inconvenienced. Should you want internet in your room, there is 24 hours of access or a month of access, with the month being the better deal at 300 HKD, or almost $40 USD. It really gets bad when you realize that this fee is per computer, and the room only has one DSL plug for crazy slow internet and no wifi, and the cord length won't even allow you to sit in bed. As a result, we panicked all week about uploading photos and general communication.

If email is your only concern, then the hotel does have about ten computers set up in the lobby for free internet usage. Don't expect to use them ever though, as kids playing internet video games hog them 24/7.

Location: When you typically stay in a nice hotel in Hong Kong, you'll find yourself located either on the tip of the Kowloon side, or in the strip of tall buildings along the harbour on Hong Kong Island. We were in neither, but could barely make out the skyline on clear days if we squinted. Our Tsuen Wan neighborhood was extremely pleasant; it was full of middle-class families doing tai chi in the park and dancing in an open-air pavilion every evening. Nonetheless, we still had to take the subway and transfer at least once to get anywhere of any interest.

Bottom Line: It's a good thing we got this place for free or else we would have quickly bounced to something more central and with actual wifi. L'Hotel Nina was clean with a great view and close to the subway stop, but we had major issues with the [lack of] personality of the place and its absent amenities. We will for sure be back to Hong Kong, but not to L'Hotel Nina.

For more images, including the hotel's unused Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, check out the Flickr set.