Stayed here July 21-23, booked through Marriott Rewards program. I believe the starting room rates on the web were in the neighborhood of 980 HKD.

Brand new hotel opened in April 2008. Super clean and very nice, soothing modern styling. Stayed in "Deluxe" room, 24th floor. Scale of hotel small, but very efficient and sophisticated feel. The MoMo coffee shop is excellent, with a wonderful signature pizza. The exercise room very nice and open 24 hours.

Staff courteous and unobtrusive. Hotel is located quite a distance from Central and the nearest subway, Sheung Wan, beyond the Western Market. If not in a hurry, can take the trolley. Cab to HK Airport express metro station is about 24 HKD, with 11/bag surcharge for luggage. 970 bus right across the street from main entrance is an express that goes to Jordan Rd/Nathan Rd intersection in Kowloon in the matter of 3 or so stops. Hotel has free shuttle to Central, etc., but schedule seems to be irregular.

The harbor view from the top floors of the Courtyard is wonderful. I could sit all day and watch the constant stream of boats moving across the harbor. Looking down at the ground, you’ll see the highway and shipping businesses – but the view out from the top floors is of the harbor, more shipping business across the harbor, and of Kowloon.

The harbor view room seemed a little larger than the city view room. The city view had a view like what you see on most of the Hong Kong postcards – a mass of high rise buildings. Yes, the lights can be pretty at night – but having to keep the drapes drawn in such a tiny room is like being in a closet.

The furniture supplied in the harbor view room was a bed, small desk with chair, one other small chair, small end table, entertainment cabinet, and night stands.

The bed was very comfy with nice linens. Flat screen TV, VGA, S-video cable, audio cords for both RCA and DIN connections were provided – so you can watch DVDs (played on your laptop) on the flat screen TV. No DVD/CD player is provided. There was a small desk by the window – so you get no work done as looking out at the harbor is too tempting to resist.

The room was furnished with a mini-bar, iron, complimentary tea bags and instant coffee, bathrobes and slippers.

The bathroom was well equipped with a stall shower (no tub), digital scale, hair dryer, lighted magnifying mirror, oversized bath towels and face cloths, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, bar soap, lotion, emery board, toothbrushes, shaver, etc. The bathroom had a pocket door which made it seem more spacious, and not as clumsy as the typical hinge door is in small spaces. One wall of the bathroom was glass with a roller shade. A large mirror occupied much of the glass wall, but otherwise daylight could stream in if you left the shade up. The bathroom could have used a few more hanging bars or hooks.
Internet access is an extra charge.

Whenever the TV was turned on it would start running ads from the Marriott – one of them being an offensive “adult entertainment” ad complete with lewd graphic. This was tacky and better suited to a by-the-hour type motel.

The elevators moved slowly and were very stuffy – didn’t seem to have A/C. That might be OK for lower floors, but it can be an air-deprived slow ride to the top floors.

The Executive Lounge was disappointing. The view from your table was of old apartment buildings. The breakfast consisted of 4 warmer trays – sausage, sausage related shreds, bacon and triangle deep fried hash browns. There was some dry cereal, horrible cheap bread and poor quality pastries and muffins, and some fresh fruit. Eggs were made to order. The apple juice was so stale it had literally turned to vinegar. The coffee was pretty good. Mid-afternoon, parched from the hot weather, I headed to the Executive Lounge for beverages and snacks. There were NO snacks – just some unappealing green apples. The beverages consisted of water, 7-up, Pepsi, and some alcohol. This may be the worst Executive Lounge I’ve ever seen. Even though it was part of my room rate, I did not bother to use the Executive Lounge after the first day.

There is a Momo Café on the second floor. It has a comfortable and spacious dining room. The generous portion of BBQ ribs were good, cooked with a tasty sauce, but strangely served with a side bowl of a different sauce (not as good in my opinion). The bread was similar to a cheap toasted hot dog bun. The ice cream was stale consisting mostly of ice crystals and a bit of goo. Momo also provides room service.

The hotel staff was friendly and aimed to please. The concierge was pleasant and tried to be helpful, but didn’t seem to have a broad enough range of knowledge about Hong Kong.

The Courtyard is located in an older neighborhood on the west side of the island, away from the glam of Central. If you need dried seafood or herbal medicine, this is the place. If you require manicured neighborhoods with air-conditioned malls and your fellow pedestrians in expensive clothes, this may not be the spot for you. There is no shopping or dining nearby, other than very local, very inexpensive venues. The tram is less than a block away. The tram does not have A/C and is often crowded, but hey, where else can you go from one end of the island to the other for about 25 cents? You can use the tram to get to the subway, the airport express terminal, all the main shopping areas, or to just about anywhere else on the island. If you want to travel in A/C, then a cab should do. The Courtyard has a complimentary shuttle but it is extremely limited – it never ran at any time that I was able to use it.

So if you don’t mind taking a taxi or a tram to everything (or long walks), then you might be able to get a good price on a room with a gorgeous harbor view (go for the upper floors).

Having previously stayed at the Renaissance Kowloon and the high-end JW Marriott in Hong Kong, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a Courtyard in this city. After all, US Courtyard hotels are "adequate" but generally nothing special to write about. The HK Courtyard is different, however, and more akin to a nice Marriott property in any American city rather than the run-of-the-mill US Courtyard. It features a proper restuarant, stunning views, an executive lounge, and excellent facilities for the business person or tourist on a tight budget.

The HK Courtyard is located between Sheung Wan and Kennedy Town in the western part of the city and literally a couple hundred yards from the waterfront. The location is between Des Voeux Rd West and Connaught Rd. Sheung Wan MTR station is less than 10 minutes walk away (about six blocks), and the Macau ferry terminal less than that. Since it just opened in April 2008, the property looks brand new.

When I arrived, I took a taxi from the Airport Express rail station, which cost about HK$35 for a 15-minute ride. The City Flyer (routes A10, A12) and other buses will drop you right in front of the door, too.

Rooms are very modern and exceptionally clean. The rooms are not huge, but compared to the US counterparts, you will feel quite comfortable in their airy style.

Staff greet you coming and going, and any questions you may have about directions or sightseeing will be answered thoroughly and cheerfully. Each person I met seemed proud of their affiliation with the hotel, and rightfully so.

The neighborhood is an older part of Hong Kong, among which you will find plenty of shops with dried seafood and related products, medicinal herbs, etc. The key sightseeing points of interest like the Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Park, and the Peak tram station are are within an inexpensive taxi or tram ride, not to mention the ease of access to the Sheung Wan MTR station.

Food in the MoMo Cafe on the second floor is a mix of Western-Asian, so you should be able to find something suitable. Prices are modest, and a dinner won't break your per diem. The quality is excellent. Elite Marriott members will also appreicate the large executive lounge, where you can snag breakfast (including eggs, omelets, etc) before heading off to business or a drink and snacks after a long day of meetings.

In short, I would suggest anyone going to Hong Kong on business or pleasure consider the Marriott Courtyard. If you're interested in being close to luxury-brand shopping or you don't like to walk a bit to the tourist spots, book a place in Central or Kowloon. Otherwise, save some money and treat yourself to this hotel. It is excellent value and luxurious by the standards you may have become accustomed to in US Courtyard hotels.

I stayed at 3 different hotels during my trip. One was another Marriott chain and one was from another chain (both in Tsim Sa Tsui.) This was the best one for a number of reasons, however for me it was the technology that put this hotel over the others. The tv was a flatscreen and you are able to connect your laptop/mp3/dvd player to the tv (cables provided). The other hotels did not even have a flat screen. There were also more cable tv channels available. This hotel offered wireless internet whereas the other 2 did not.

I was skeptical about the location knowing that it is not near an MTR station, however there was plenty of other types of transportation available right outside (buses and trolley.) There is even an express bus to the airport (price is probably about $16 HKD.)

My only issue with the hotel that kept me from giving this stay an exceptional rating is that I did not get the roomtype I requested (King non-smoking.) I ended up getting a King smoking, but as it was a brand new building, I did not smell any smoke. I was also upgraded to a harbor view room, but was only on the 7th floor so the view was not great (but much better than city view from the 7th floor.)

The room is on the small side, but everything else made up for it so I did not mind. The service at Courtyard was similar to the other 2 hotels I stayed at except for the lack of a swimming pool. But for the price, I can pass on the swimming pool. I would definitely stay here again, but if the price goes up I may consider staying at a more conveniently located hotel.