REVIEW
Accommodation: Novotel Citygate Hotel Hong Kong
Location: 51 Man Tung Road, Tung Chung, Hong Kong
ROOM TYPE
Booked Standard Queen Room, Upgraded to Superior Room
LOYALTY PROGRAM or DEALS USED
Le Club Accor Hotels / Accor Plus
Research and Booking
Paul and I were looking for a 1 night stay in Hong Kong, as we had a flight with Emirates to Europe from here.
As we only had 1 night, we were looking for hotels near Hong Kong airport.
So I had a quick look on the Le Club Accor Hotels app, to shortlist a hotel to stay in. I didn’t have to do a lot of research, which was great! Because there was an Accor Hotel was near Hong Kong Airport.
And it was the Novotel Citygate Hotel. The rate for a standard room with 1 queen bed was HKD $924 (about USD $120) per night.
Plus, the great thing was I had 4,000 Le Club Accor Hotels points to burn. So the room rate in the end was HKD $224.34 (about USD $29).
And what was even better, was that because of my Accor Platinum Status… we would both get complimentary breakfast as well as free access to their Premier Lounge!
The Location
The Novotel Citygate Hotel Hong Kong, is about 5.5km from the airport.
This hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service from the airport to the hotel. And it runs every 20 minutes, so that’s how we chose to get to Novotel Citygate.
Be wary though… the times for the Novotel Citygate shuttle bus are only during certain times. So best to check beforehand with the hotel.
While the hotel is close to the airport, we hardly noticed any plane noise, which was great for a good night’s sleep.
There’s actually several other sightseeing and activities easily accessible from the hotel.
Check In
It was an efficient shuttle ride from the airport to the hotel. The Novotel Citygate shuttle bus stopped at the front of the hotel entrance.
It looked like a massive complex! So the shuttle driver helped unload our luggage, then we wheeled our luggage inside.
And one of the first things we noticed was how cold it was in the hotel lobby area… cold in terms of the temperature. This was very welcome as it was hot and humid in Hong Kong.
A couple of days before we were to arrive, we received emails from the Novotel Citygate. They had instructed us to go to the Premier Lounge level to check in, which was on the 21st floor.
So up the lifts we went to their Executive Lounge.
Once we arrived, we noticed how cool the temperature was in the lounge too. A staff member greeted us, and went through the check in process. While she was doing that she point to an area for us to sit down, and to help ourselves to a coffee, tea or water.
It was only a few minutes later and the check in process was done. She asked if we needed help with our luggage, but we declined.
It was a pleasant and efficient check in process. We were finding since landing in Hong Kong, how efficient people were in doing their jobs!
The Room
We were sent an email a couple of days before our arrival… to notify us that we’d gotten an upgrade from a standard to superior room. Nice!
So when I was opening the door to the room, the first thing I noticed was that the door was heavy… and I had to use some muscle to open the door!
Yet, once we walked in it was cold in the room, as they had turned the air conditioning on before our arrival. That’s great, and we think many hotels of this level and above should do this, especially when the weather is hot.
The bed looked big and inviting, with 2 pillows each to choose from. The bed and pillows were very comfy! And on either side of the bed were a couple of shelves and lights.
In one corner of the room was a big desk with chair. And beside that was a table, yet underneath were 2 mini bar sections. They were well hidden behind the wooden doors!
Next to that was a flat screen TV with a small storage area underneath it. And what we noticed in this was a random red wine bottle! What was a little annoying was that anyone could think that it was complimentary.
Yet, once I checked the mini bar list this bottle of red wine was not complimentary. We thought that was a little dodgy, so beware!
In the room was also a cupboard, and in here included items such as… bathrobe, ironing board, iron, and small safe.
Thanks to our elite Le Club Accor status, we received a few treats, which were polished off quickly!
Next to the bed was the bathroom. And in the photo below, you can see the bathroom through the glass. Yet, if we wanted privacy we could close the wooden sliding door.
The Bathroom
In the Novotel Citygate superior room bathroom was a deep soaking bathtub. And it was relaxing to chill out there!
There was another bathrobe in the bathroom, as well as amenities such as… soap, shampoo, soap, shower cap, toothbrush, toothpaste, and comb.
Here, there were 2 bottles of complimentary water too. Plus, there was a separate make-up mirror.
Next to all this was the toilet, and the sliding wooden door to separate the bathroom from the main room.
Overall the room and bathroom was comfortable and clean, which was great.
Novotel Citygate Hotel Premier Lounge
Paul and I had complimentary access to the Premier Lounge, which we took advantage of. It wasn’t the biggest lounge we’d been to, but it was quiet and pleasant.
There were also great views from the 21st floor where the Lounge was located.
As part of the lounge benefits, there was afternoon tea from 2:30pm and 5:00pm.
Then the evening cocktail hours were from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. We thought these were generous hours compared to other Executive Lounges we’d been to. So we made the most of checking it out!
Now, Paul has usually found many of the hotels to be on the warmish side. And throughout the Novotel Citygate, it seemed to be well air conditioned. Yet, in the Premier Lounge it was super cold!
I even had to put a jacket on as I was cold, and even Paul was a little chilly. Yet, we’d rather it be cooler than hot, because at least we can put clothes on to keep us warm. There’s nothing worse than trying to eat, drink and relax in an uncomfortable environment.
The great thing at the Premier Lounge was that took note of our dietary requirements. So when we came for afternoon tea and the evening cocktail hours… they had something special for us each time.
You can find out more of our experiences of the Novotel Citygate Premier Lounge HERE.
The Breakfast Buffet At Novotel Citygate
Paul and I had the choice of dining in the Premier Lounge or in their restaurant, Essence for breakfast.
We thought there’d be plenty more options, so we opted to go downstairs for a big buffet breakfast.
Once we walked into the restaurant we noticed how big the place was. And there were many seats to choose from.
Then as we wandered around the breakfast buffet area, we saw that there was lots of food to choose from.
There was even a kids section with lots of different treats for young ones.
There was a make your own salad bar, through to hot foods, juices, fruits, cereals, and a huge bakery section.
We did fill up so much that we didn’t need lunch.
And that worked out nicely… because we could save room for our Emirates Business Class Lounge experience. You can find out more about that HERE.
Plus, we had to save room for our Emirates Business Class flight.
Yet, while there was a huge range of food at the breakfast buffet. We were somewhat surprised with what we ate.
To find out more about our buffet breakfast experience at the Novotel Citygate Hotel… CLICK HERE.
Around The Novotel Citygate Hotel Hong Kong
First of all, within the hotel was an outdoor pool and a fitness centre. Unfortunately we couldn’t use the pool due to a thunderstorm warning.
About 5 kilometers away from this Novotel Hotel is the airport. Therefore making it great if you’re wanting hotels near Hong Kong airport.
And if you want to do some shopping there is the Citygate Outlets. Apparently the shops would offer 30% to 70% discount. Yet, we didn’t go shopping, yet there were many international brands including… Armani, Calvin Klein, Burberry, Guess and Lacoste.
There were also several restaurants and cafes within the Citygate Outlet shopping centre.
Also, the Tung Chung MTR station is within easy walking distance from the hotel. And if you have kids, then 2 stops away is the Hong Kong Disneyland for some fun and adventure.
Plus, within about 5 minutes walk is the Ngong Ping Cable Car terminal. Here, you can take cable car to the Big Buddha and Wisdom Path. And it would take about 25 minutes to get there.
We Drink Eat Travel Wifi Speed Test
The wifi speed at the Novotel Citygate Hotel wasn’t the fastest we’d had, yet it was good enough. The download speed we clocked up was 18.3 mbps, and the upload wifi speed was 18.1 mbps.
Would We Stay Again At The Novotel Citygate Hotel Hong Kong?
The Novotel Citygate Hotel is close to Hong Kong airport, about 5km. And that was convenient for our travel plans, which was a bonus.
Plus, they also offered a complimentary shuttle at specific times throughout the day. And the frequency of the shuttle to and from the airport was every 20 minutes.
Throughout the hotel the excellent and efficient service displayed by the staff was impressive.
We were looked after great in the Premier Lounge. And it provided a quiet, relaxing area to enjoy lovely views of Lantau Island and Hong Kong.
Plus, the room was clean and comfortable, and if we wanted to do work the area we had was sizeable.
And we liked how all areas of the hotel was well air conditioned. So during the hot and humid days in Hong Kong it was a relief.
Yet, the major big downside was the breakfast. And while the sheer size of the restaurant was big, and there was a good variety of foods… the quality didn’t match. So many of the foods we tried lacked seasoning.
Yet, there were other places we could eat and drink in and around the hotel if we wanted.
So yes, we would stay at the Novotel Citygate Hotel again.
Have you stayed here before? What did you think of the hotel, the surrounding area, and its offerings?
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Note: All of our reviews and comments are our opinions and no-one else’s. Even if we receive complimentary goods or services we share our opinions honestly.
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