Monday, 15 August 2016

Travelling & Living: Hotel ICON’s Staycation at Club 36 Harbour on 5/21/2016

From my Room 2616 +Hotel ICON
Image from Locky's English Playground

Valet-Parking (arrival time 12pm)

Tesla High Power Wall Connector for patrons
Image from Locky's English Playground

Valet staff were quick to open car door for passengers at the back, ask which luggage should be delivered to the hotel room, offer Tesla stamp on parking card and initiate free charging for my car. Probably the first hotel to offer both valet EV-charging and valet-parking in Asia. The staff also asked me technical questions about my Tesla Model S and I enjoyed sharing my knowledge with him.

Check-in

Front desk check-in

Check-in counter
Image from Locky's English Playground

The queue was long but staff were quick to clear the line. When I was at the front desk, the staff told me that I have booked an executive room so I should go to 28/F for an executive check-in. The front desk lady then took our luggage to the counter, placed labels on it, and then escorted us into the lift to 28/F. On the way up to 28/F, the staff introduced us the name of the restaurants and where breakfast will be served, pool deck, gym and spa, and wished us a happy stay. She had maximized the time inside the lift to provide the most information for us.

28/F check-in

Checking-in on 28/F
Image from Locky's English Playground

The staff at the counter welcomed us with warm lovely smiles and asked us if we would like orange juice or water, which we kindly declined. She kept baby Muse engaged and happy throughout the process and that is the best service parents can ask for: if the children are happy, the parents will be. After signing a couple of forms of which the details were read out to us, she told us that the room would be ready by 2pm and that we could have our lunch first. She asked me if I would like a call from the hotel if the room was ready before 2pm. I left my phone number and took the family down to G/F.

Room 2616

free-to-use speaker system + 3G phone with portable charger
Image from Locky's English Playground

The room is full of surprises. Love a 100% smoke residual-free room. Love the paper label saying “I have been sanitized”, it gives patrons confidence that sanitation has been performed with care.

Alcatel Handy phone inside a stand with descriptions on the side is lovely. Great survey at the beginning to gather patron’s data. The software has been very well-designed and provides very useful information for tourists. 3G and IDD calls are perfect.

A complete set of stationary
Image from Locky's English Playground

Love the stationary and laptop cables which can be really useful for some, Mediajack station too, but the USB could not charge the GP PowerBank. The laminated instruction + price list provides extremely useful. GP PowerBank is fully charged which I did use and it was good enough for one charge. Wireless speaker looks great but we did not try.

free-to-use printer
Image from Locky's English Playground

The presence of a printer really gives patrons staying for business or conference much relief. Having a DVD player in the room is a plus too.

“you are not seeing double mini bar is free"
Image from Locky's English Playground

“You are not seeing double mini bar is free” is a lovely piece of visual wordplay glass that says a lot about the creative character of ICON, although I still had to call the service to confirm the definition of “mini-bar”, and discovered that “mini-bar” includes the items in the fridge was a huge surprise.

Free!
Image from Locky's English Playground

Still free!
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All free!
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My name on TV screen, personalised for every guest
Image from Locky's English Playground

The personalized first page on the TV screen with patron’s surname gives a lot of prestige. The interface is also simple to use. Unfortunately, local TV channels are very limited, if staycation is the direction ICON intends to explore, local TV channels should be at the top of the To-do list in order to make the TV-binging Hong Kongers want to stay in their room.

Mouth-rinse included
Image from Locky's English Playground

Bathroom amenities such as Colgate mouth-rinse and bath salt gave us good surprises, as they are usually not provided in hotel rooms. Very caring.

Circular mirror lighting uses LED light strips, which matches the overall eco-friendly theme of the hotel and resonates with the ceiling light inside the lift.

Image from Locky's English Playground

Tips: the location of the hair dryer is hiding inside the drawer inside the wardrobe.

9/F Changing Room, Pool & Lounge

Terrific service at the pool! Thanks Ray!
Image from Locky's English Playground

Service at the pool was terrific. Staff offered lots of help, tonnes of smiles. There is a pump available and we got assistance for pumping up the float. We received complimentary Japanese mineral water in bottles and thick towels. Another boy received a pair of goggles handed to him by another staff. My little girl had great fun that day!

Tips: Health Club the gym and Timeless the lounge are on the same floor as the pool. So's the Playstation.

Swimsuit water extractor
Image from Locky's English Playground

I saw a swimsuit water extractor for the first time. It is easy and safe to operate. Clear instructions are given on the use of sauna and showers.

Sauna, anyone?
Image from Locky's English Playground

Dining: Dinner at The Market

Dinner at The Market with Adrian and Yvonne
Image from Locky's English Playground

Having successfully persuaded a Tesla Singapore group friend Adrian Peh and his wife Yvonne to stay at ICON, I recommended that they try the best buffet in Hong Kong as awarded by Openrice, 5 times!

There is no doubt about the variety and presentation of food and speed of replenishment. Quality and taste-wise, the food is top-notch. Adrian and his wife loved the durian desserts very very much and they will probably return to ICON just for the durian desserts (and probably for the Tesla limousine too).

Hotel ICON, no wonder they rank 4th in Tripadvisor's Top 25 Hotels in China! They truly deserve it, and more!