F
or my
recent 30th birthday trip, my wife and I used Marriott points to stay free at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. In short, we were blown away by our experience at the hotel. The amenities, location, spectacular views, and outstanding service make this hotel worthy of a visit. Our stay was definitely enhanced by getting complimentary access to the the Club Lounge, which offered delicious dining options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Plus, free wine and champagne, even Veuve Clicquot.To book free stays like this one, I earn Marriott points with my
- Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express – 75,000-point welcome bonus after meeting the minimum spending requirement
And when I need to top off my account for an award stay, I sometimes transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points from my
- Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card – this card is so great, I’ve actually got TWO of them
or my
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® – my overall favorite credit card. You can use the annual $300 travel credit towards a Ritz-Carlton stay.
Here’s my review of The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong.
Using Marriott Points to Stay Free at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong
The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong has the designation of being the “highest hotel in the world.” It’s located on the 102nd to 118th floors of the International Commerce Center. The lower floors are occupied by large international financial companies and investment banks.
The hotel has 5 restaurants, including 2 Michelin-starred restaurants (Tin Lung Teen and Tosca). And there’s a rooftop bar on the 118th floor called Ozone.
The hotel connects to the Elements Mall, which is a huge shopping center and home to many high-end retailers, an ice rink, and a movie theater. The mall also connects to Kowloon station, which offers direct train service to the Hong Kong airport. Also, Hong Kong is an Uber friendly city and it was really easy to request rides while staying at the hotel.
The hotel’s location is really convenient, whether you want to explore Kowloon or travel to Central Hong Kong and Hong Kong Island.
I booked a completely free 2-night stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong using Marriott points. Until March 2019, this hotel is categorized as a Category 7 hotel, which means you can book an award stay for 60,000 points per night. After March, the hotel (and several others) will move up to Category 8 and standard award night prices will increase to 85,000 points per night.
And don’t forget, you can get a 5th night free on Marriott award stays. For example, team member Joseph booked 5 nights at The St. Regis Maldives in October 2019.
When using points for an award stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, you’ll be able to book a Deluxe Room with 1 king or 2 double beds. As a comparison, nightly room rates for this room type range from $350 to $700, depending on your travel dates.
Beyond enjoying an awesome room, you can also access the infinity pool and hot tub on the 118th floor. The pool view was great, but definitely not as cool as the rooftop pool at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
There’s a hot tub on the same floor as the pool, which overlooks Victoria Harbour.
Marriott Platinum Status Got Us a Spectacular Room Upgrade at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong
Thanks to having Marriott Platinum status, we received a complimentary upgrade to a larger corner room, which had unbelievable views of the Hong Kong skyline and Victoria Harbour.
The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong opened in 2011, so it’s still a relatively new hotel. And it showed in the room with modern furniture and design.
The Ritz-Carlton touch was present throughout the room, including in the luxurious bathroom.
The views from our room were incredible at all times of day and night, but the sunsets were especially beautiful.
One of the reasons I loved this hotel so much was the incredible hospitality. My wife told the staff at check-in we were there to celebrate my birthday. And the hotel went above and beyond to recognize the occasion. On our first night, the hotel delivered a chocolate cake to the room.
And on night two when we arrived back to the room, the hotel had set up balloons and a happy birthday banner. And there was a thoughtful handwritten note left on the desk.
The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong Club Lounge
Unfortunately, having Marriott elite status doesn’t get you access to Ritz-Carlton Club Lounges. To enter a Club Lounge at any Ritz-Carlton hotel, you’ll typically have to pay $150 per person per day. That’s a steep cost, but when you consider what’s included, it could be worth it for some folks.
We got really lucky during our stay and received complimentary access to the lounge. Our room wasn’t available after arriving at the hotel at 6:00 am following our overnight flight. So the front desk staff offered us access to the hotel spa and lounge to refresh and get something to eat. For future stays at Ritz-Carlton hotels, I would likely pay for Club Lounge access because you can get a lot for your money between breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner, and drinks.
Pastry lovers can definitely get their fill with this amazing tower of options!
There’s plenty of seating throughout the lounge, including tables for two that run along the windows and have amazing views of the city.
If you enjoy champagne, the lounge serves Veuve Clicquot. Enjoying a few glasses could justify the cost of paying for lounge access. As a comparison, it cost ~$30 per glass at the Ozone bar.
The lounge has other options for cocktails, including whiskey and wine.
We enjoyed dinner one night in the lounge. I’m not usually a fan of buffet style, but all of the dishes were delicious, especially the dumplings!
If you want to take a similar trip, these are the cards I’d recommend applying for:
- Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card – the best business card, points transfer to Marriott for free Ritz-Carlton stays
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® – Take advantage of the card’s $300 travel credit to offset any incidental expenses you might incur while at the hotel, like a spa treatment!
Have you stayed at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!