Langham Place Mongkok Club Level, Hong Kong Hotel Review

Langham Place Mongkok Club Level Review

 

This Langham Place Mongkok Hong Kong hotel review is part of a trip report including Cathay Pacific Business Class and First Class to Hong Kong and Bali, plus reviews of luxury hotels and food in Hong Kong and Bali. Prior posts include:

Review of British Airways Galleries Lounge at JFK Airport

Cathay Pacific Business Class Review: 777-300ER NYC to Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific First Class NYC-Hong Kong

Four Seasons Hong Kong Review

Tim Ho Wan Review: Hong Kong's Best Dim Sum and Cheapest Michelin Star?

Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong Review

10 Things to Eat in Bali

Cathay Pacific Business Class Review 747-400: Hong Kong to Bali

Ayana Resort and Spa Review-Club Level

Four Seasons Bali at Jimbaran Bay Review

Hotel Review: The Kayana in Seminyak, Bali

Restaurant Review: Metis in Seminyak, Bali

Batu Karang Resort on Nusa Lembongan

Restaurant Review: Indiana Kenanga, Nusa Lembongan

Diving and Snorkeling at Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan Near Bali

Komaneka at Bisma, Ubud Bali Hotel Review

Amankila Ocean View Suite Review, Bali

Cathay Pacific First Class Bali to Hong Kong Review

 

I picked the Langham Place Mongkok for our Hong Kong stopover from Bali back to New York for three reasons: price, location in Mongkok, and to personally stay and review a different hotel for TravelSort Hotel clients, since we'd already stayed at the Four Seasons Hong Kong and Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong.

First things first: no matter what ratings or descriptions you may see on TripAdvisor, Flyertalk, or anywhere else, Langham Place Mongkok is not a 5-star hotel in the sense that both the Four Seasons Hong Kong or Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong are, and it's also about half the price, so it's unfair to compare it to the most luxurious Hong Kong properties. 

Second, by virtue of its location in the heart of Mongkok and not Hong Kong Island, it's in a completely different setting that will appeal to some and not to others. It lacks the beautiful water views of the hotels that are right beside Victoria Harbour, but lends itself to exploration of a much more traditional neighborhood and shops that cater to residents, not tourists. 

Ok, on with the review. There's just one daily flight from Bali Denpasar to Hong Kong, and we arrived around 8pm Hong Kong time. Given that it was already the munchkin's usual bedtime and Langham Place Mongkok isn't right by one of the Airport Express stops, we got a taxi. Since there are two Langham hotels in Hong Kong, we made sure our driver was clear that we were going to Langham Place Mongkok. A word of advice: our taxi drivers in Hong Kong were all very efficient and polite, but not all taxi drivers speak or read much English–it's wise to have the Chinese version of an address with you. 

The taxi ride was fast, and there were bellhops waiting to help us, although we were fine managing our own luggage. The lobby is quite grand and spacious, which is a good thing, considering there are 665 rooms and suites at the hotel.

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Lobby

 

Since we were staying on the Club level, we went right up to the Club Lounge Reception to be checked in. The sleek signs and pithy slogans reminded me of Le Parker Meridien, New York:

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Club Lounge Sign

 

The attendant was polite, but not especially friendly, and I learned that there would be a charge for an extra bed for the munchkin, something that both the Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental had provided at no charge. No matter, we needed it, and fortunately housekeeping was very efficient and got it set up minutes after we had arrived at our room. I was even amazed that they managed to fit this extra twin bed into the compact 310 square feet room. 

Langham Place Hong Kong Review - Club Level Room

 

There's a large flat screen TV next to a decent sized work desk:

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Desk and TV

 

The bathroom wasn't huge, but it did manage to have both a bathtub and a separate glass rain shower:

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Rain Shower

 

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Bathtub

 

There were a variety of bath amenities in case you'd forgotten your comb, etc., and shampoo, conditioner and shower gel were by Chuan Spa, though I preferred using the L'Occitane amenities we'd gotten at the Ayana Resort.

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Bathroom Toiletries

Langham Place Mongkok - Chuan Spa Bath Amenities

 

Fortunately the beds were very comfortable, and we all slept really well. The next morning we were finally able to see the view out our window:

Langham Place Mongkok Hong Kong Review - View from Club Level

 

For breakfast, we had the option of buffet breakfast at The Place or breakfast in the Club Lounge, so we first went down to The Place where I knew there would be more options. We were asked for our room number, and the server confirmed it's included if you're staying on Club Level. There were the usual stations of fruit, juices, eggs, breakfast meats, pastries, etc.

Langham Place Mongkok - The Place Restaurant

 

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Breakfast Pastries

 

There was also dim sum, although it was clearly the pre-made type and not especially tasty.

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Breakfast Dim Sum

 

I did enjoy having an Indian dosa made to order, and tried that along with smoked salmon, the mediocre dim sum, and some fruit:

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Breakfast at The Place

 

My husband and son tried pancakes from a pancake machine, but it was better for the novelty factor–they said it didn't actually taste that good:

Langham Place Mongkok - Breakfast Buffet Pancake Machine

 

There's also a corner to your left, as you enter, with doughnuts, marshmallows (!) and a chocolate fountain–talk about pleasing those with a sweet tooth!

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Chocolate Fountain and Doughnuts

 

I tried a doughnut dipped in chocolate sauce and requested a cappuccino (machine made), which while not gourmet made a nice pairing. 

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Doughnut and Cappuccino

 

You certainly won't go hungry at the breakfast. It's nowhere near the quality of, say, the breakfast buffet at the Mandarin Oriental Singapore, but again keep in mind that Langham Place is closer to a very good 4-star hotel than to a 5-star hotel, and by that measure, it's a nice spread.

For comparison's sake, I also went up to the Club Lounge to see what the smaller breakfast buffet looks like there. The Club Lounge seating is nice, although I imagine at peak times it can get pretty crowded–it's not anywhere near as spacious as the Executive Lounge at the Four Seasons.

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Club Lounge

 

There's certainly some overlap in items–fruits, cereals, cheeses–but there's not the extensive hot selection you get downstairs at The Place. There are some items of better quality, however, namely the dim sum and the Swiss yogurt, which you don't get downstairs.

Langham Place Mongkok -Club Lounge Breakfast Buffet

 

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Club Lounge Breakfast Buffet

 

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Club Lounge Breakfast

 

A nice aspect of Langham Place Mongkok is that they offer a complimentary local neighborhood walk, via the concierge. We took advantage of this and had an excellent guide, Helen, who showed us some of the traditional buildings and businesses in the area, including an apothecary with Chinese herbs, tailor where traditional Chinese wedding garments were being sewn, a wholesale produce market and restaurant equipment stores, Chinese Opera House, etc. It was quite hot and humid when we were there, so a complimentary herbal fruit drink from one of the vendors was refreshing and very welcome. It was a very good walking tour and introduction to the local neighborhood.

 

After we got back, we were ready for one of the best aspects of Langham Place Mongkok: the rooftop pool, which is very modern. There are cabanas you can rent, otherwise comfortable lounge chairs for sunbathing. There's also food and drink service. It's the perfect hip scene for young couples, who were the only other guests we saw while we were at the pool.

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Rooftop Pool

 

That said, the attendants were perfectly friendly when the munchkin and I showed up, and since only one other person was even in the pool, the munchkin was able to happily splash around without interfering with the vibe 🙂

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Rooftop Pool

 

Although we didn't use the fitness room, the views would make for an inspiring workout:

Langham Place Mongkok Review - Fitness Center

 

The Verdict: Langham Place Mongkok is one of the best deals among Hong Kong hotels that are centrally located. It's certainly not the Four Seasons or Mandarin Oriental, but at about half the price, it's great. It's close to an MTR station, although not an Airport Express station, right by Langham Place Mall, so easy to get around and convenient access to shopping and dining. This is not the place to spend time in your room, as at 310 square feet they're modestly sized (although decent by Hong Kong standards) but most people in Hong Kong won't be spending a ton of time in their room anyway. There are commanding views from high floors, the Club Lounge, fitness center and rooftop pool, although not as pretty as at hotels that are right by Victoria Harbour. Food quality is good, especially in the Club Lounge, but of course not at the culinary level of true 5-star hotels. For our purposes, since we were there just overnight and for the morning, it was a good balance of value for money.

Book Langham Place Mongkok with TravelSort for members-only preferred rates.

Related posts:

Best Luxury Hotels in Hong Kong

Four Seasons Hong Kong Review

Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong Review

Cathay Pacific Business Class Review 777-300ER: NYC to Hong Kong

Foodie's Guide to Hong Kong

 

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