Cynthia G.
Yelp
We were guests last end of April. We visited for 3 days to attend two Trade Fairs. I'll be very honest, the hotel was my second choice. Camlux Hotel was my first based on the rave reviews. If there were no booking mishaps, then we would still be there. Although, we like Marriott to the point that we keep a Rewards Membership w/ the Hotel chain. Hence, it became our second choice. I personally am very picky about a lot of things when it comes to choosing a hotel. Especially after seeing a show on how hotels do not change sheets after each guests, wash glasses, You can get paranoid after that. So, when I booked w/ Agoda, I clearly specified what I wanted. These were our experiences:
1) By the time we checked in, it was around 9am. (Yes, it maybe earlier than the usual, but I requested for an early check in time since we were arriving at 7:45am). But they informed us that our room was not ready yet. So they offered us to freshen up downstairs & to check back in at 11am.The male receptionist said there was already a King size bed available but it just needed cleaning & he will advise housecleaning to take care of it asap. Good. We then proceeded to freshen up & that helped a lot after a flight of over 20hrs. By the time I got out it was past Noon. I checked back in w/ front desk & Grace who was there told me the room was still not ready. I was really shocked. After 3 hrs, still it was not ready. I was exhausted by then. I reiterated to her how I requested an early check in, but she was a bit rude by saying how there were other guests who came before us & the normal check in time is at 2pm anyway. At that point, i couldn't comprehend things anymore. The question left here was how long does it take for housecleaning to clean one room? & second, how back up were they for them not to be able to still clean our room? Finally at a few minutes to 2pm.. we got our keys. Imagine that? So much for requesting for an early check-in... that was futile. Fail.
2) when we got to the room, first thing I noticed was the round table next to the sleigh couch, it was dirty. You can clearly see the watermark left by the glasses on the table & they weren't wiped down properly. The ledge where the lamp stood had dust that you can see w/ your own eyes. I went to the bathroom & it had 2 big stains that were very visible. You could tell they were not part of the marble floor design. Then my husband called me back in to check out the view. Indeed we had a nice view of the Bay.. so I was pretty excited. But when I got to the window, I stepped back! OMG! I seriously said to my husband, what are they doing to this poor hotel? The view is amazing but what the freak? The glass mirror was so freaking dirty, I felt like I was looking at a horror movie w/ all the cobwebs & black streaks. It totally ruined the view! It was sad! See photos.
3) Then come breakfast, I thought it was just me... I had the smoked salmon. I'm such a big fan. I can never resist smoked salmon. But, on our first breakfast meal, I had allergies. I reacted to the salmon. I started itching & my face started breaking out. We went to the hotel store to see if we could buy allergy medicine but they didn't have any. So, I made a mental note not to eat any smoked salmon. The next day, We had the lunch buffet. I didn't touch the fresh raw seafood. But I got some steamed garoupa. Wow! After eating it, it hit me again! I think their restaurant is not using fresh seafood. I have been eating fish, shellfish all my life.. a whole month in fact prior to coming to Hong Kong & I had no allergy reactions. But now this. Something is not right. Going around Hong Kong feeling uncomfortable is not the right way.
Although, there are other pleasant things we've seen as well. The driver of the shuttle is always smiling & corteous. The bellman & concierge at night & in the afternoon shifts are extremely polite & helpful. Sara from front desk is patient & tries her best to assist us. Housecleaning fixes the room everyday & I'm sure with the number of guests & the high turn around, they are trying their best. This hotel just needs to add more staff to be more efficient during peak season & if only their GM can act like one & actually be seen, that would be something too. They need to stock their shop w/ allergy medicine, esp w/ visiting tourists.. this is a must! Didn't want to bother anyone at the hotel knowing how busy it was everyday. I'm not the type to create a scene. I'd rather take it up directly to the one in charge, hence the manager.. but she was nowhere to be found. The hotel is attached..seriously attached to Expo World.. walking distance literally. So that's a convenience. But if you need to go to downtown, they might have shuttle services or cabs. It's about $270HK. No microwave in the rooms.. I don't remember a refrigerator too. So, this hotel is actually a 3.5 star rating w/ the kind of amenities they have.