Opened in 2004, the 664-room Cordis Hong Kong is Mong Kok’s first and only five star hotel. Previously known as the Langham Place Hotel, the hotel was rebranded into Cordis Hong Kong in August 2015 following a major shake-up of the properties of the Langham Hospitality Group. This coincided with the introduction of the upscale Cordis Hotels and Resorts to distance less prestigious properties from the parent Langham brand.

Booking Cordis Hong Kong

For my three nights in Hong Kong, I considered a wide variety of hotels. Not wanting to pay too much to stay in Central or Tsim Sha Tsui, I finally narrowed down my choice between the Cordis in Mong Kok or the New World Millennium Hotel in East Tsim Sha Tsui. While both had the same price, I ultimately decided on the Cordis simply due to its convenient location. I ended up paying a nightly rate of HKD 1,700 (~USD 217, GBP 172) for a Deluxe Room. I felt like this was a good price for a mid-December stay.

Location

As I’ve mentioned earlier, the Cordis Hong Kong is located in the Mong Kok neighbourhood in Kowloon. Known for being densely populated, Mong Kok is the busiest neighbourhood in Hong Kong, home to myriads of shops, street markets, and more. The area is also decidedly very lively, with a mix of new and old buildings simultaneously housing shops, restaurants, and apartments.

The Cordis itself is located in the Langham Place shopping mall complex, which retained its name despite the hotel’s rebranding. This upscale shopping mall stands out in an area otherwise littered with traditional wet markets and night markets. Langham Place also has the distinction of being directly connected to Hong Kong’s far-reaching MTR system, making it a very convenient transport hub.

Furthermore, across the street is Nelson Street Wet Market, selling all sorts of seafood, meats, fruits, and vegetables – a glimpse of old Kowloon. A five-minute walk to the east will take you to the Ladies’ Market, where you’ll find various kitschy souvenirs of Hong Kong.

Check-in

After arriving on Cathay Pacific from Jakarta, I took the Airport Express to Central before changing to the MTR to reach Mong Kok. This took me just under an hour, which for two stupidly costs the same as a taxi fare (whoops!). As I came in from the Langham Place shopping mall entrance, I found myself straight at the Lobby Level, fully adorned with contemporary Chinese art. Assuming you took a cab, you’ll have to head up one floor from the street level to find the reception.

Despite arriving very early, I went to the reception to see if I could check-in. Ernst at the reception happily greeted me and took my passport to register my check-in. While he mentioned that I was extra early, he still had the courtesy of looking for any available rooms. Lo and behold, a room was available and so keys were issued. How lovely!

While I appreciated getting a room this early, getting to it posed a challenge in itself. First, I had issues actually getting the keycard to work in the lifts. After multiple attempts and multiple key changes, Ernst personally helped us go up.

Sadly, when we got to our room, we also had issues getting in. This required us to contact the duty manager, who promptly addressed the issue. After apologising for the issue, he personally delivered the new (working) keys to us. Wow! Interestingly, we weren’t the only people with key issues, so I guess there was a hotel-wide problem that day.

Deluxe Twin Room

I was assigned a Deluxe Twin Room on the 27th floor, facing the Kowloon district. One category above the entry-level Superior Rooms, the Deluxe Rooms feature a separate bathtub and shower setup. They are advertised to be sized at 29 sqm (310 sqft), featuring a modern and upmarket design.

Bedroom

While not especially spacious, the Deluxe Room’s 29 sqm footing is appreciated in a city otherwise known for small rooms and tight spaces. Featuring many cool grey and white tones in a simple-looking setting, the room feels like a welcome respite to the havoc of Mong Kok outside.

While much of the room’s footing is occupied by the beds in the middle, the mirrors behind it help give the illusion of a larger space. Regardless, I found the two beds to be firm and comfortable, which is only made better by the plush bedding covering them. Next to the bed is a plush armchair, placed strategically by the window. Although I generally liked the design, I did think the hotel could do a better job providing power outlets by the nightstand, in line with modern standards.

Across the beds is the glass work desk, which is attached to the storage cabinet under the flatscreen television. Next to that is also a collapsable luggage rack next to the storage cabinet. On the wall is a golden artwork of sorts, featuring the Chinese characters for Hong Kong in a golden-layered typeface. While this was the only element in the room inspired by Hong Kong, a view outside the room was enough to tell me where I was.

Finally, you’ll find the wardrobe and minibar by the room’s entryway, which shares its space with the entrance to the bathroom. The minibar features a large glass bottle of filtered water, that is replaced each day. I’ll also add that bathrobes and an iron and an ironing board is available in the wardrobe.

Bathroom

Located by the entryway is the bathroom, which features a large bathtub and a separate shower. While rather tight, the marble bathroom still manages to impress with its mirror-adorned design. Thanks to the glass window viewing into the bedroom, the space doesn’t feel stuffy; though of course, a blind can be retracted for more privacy.

Furthermore, I found that the water temperature and pressure to be great, which is always appreciated. This is especially nice, as a rain shower is provisioned in addition to a handheld shower in the walk-in shower stall.

Finally, I’ll add that the provided bath amenities were designed by Christophe Laudamiel for Cordis Hotels. Like most hotels nowadays, these came in large refillable containers affixed to the shower wall. I found them to be rather good quality, although I did think that their fragrance was a bit too strong.

Amenities

Health Club

The Health Club is located on Level 41 and is open 24 hours for hotel guests. The fitness facility shares the same reception and facility as the Chuan Spa, where you’ll have to sign in. The Health Club itself is separated into three sections – a fitness studio, an exercise studio, and a functional training studio. Right behind the reception is the exercise studio, in which you’ll find a range of yoga mats, exercise balls, and kettlebells. This is also where group exercises are conducted should you join such a class.

To the left of the reception is the functional training studio, which boasts excellent views of Kowloon Harbour. Here, you’ll find a row of exercise bikes facing the windows, complemented by aerobic steps and exercise anchor straps.

Finally, towards the direction of the Chuan Spa treatment rooms is the fitness studio. This is where you’ll find all the traditional cardio and weight equipment. As expected from a Langham-affiliated hotel, the LifeFitness equipment was modern and well-maintained, making for an excellent and well-rounded fitness centre.

Pool

Located on the rooftop on Level 42, the swimming pool is accessible through a single flight of stairs from Chuan Spa. At its 20-metre length, the rooftop pool is nicely sized compared to those you’ll find at other hotels in Hong Kong. Surrounding the pool are a bunch of sun loungers, deck chairs, and a couple of cabanas.

Sadly, despite the rooftop location, the skyline views are obstructed by the design of the tinted windows. Note that footwear must be taken off before entering the pool area, as is often the case in East Asia.

Langham Place Shopping Mall

On Level 5 (Lobby Level), you’ll find the side entrance to the upscale Langham Place Shopping Mall. The mall features a range of high-street retail stores in addition to a multitude of cafés, restaurants, and a cinema.

Water dispenser

In addition to the complimentary glass bottles of water provided in the room, a filtered water dispenser is available for public use on Level 5. Located on a wall next to the entrance to The Place restaurant, the dispenser is a thoughtful amenity that’s also environmentally friendly.

Service

Despite the large scale of the hotel, I found the staff here to be very friendly and helpful. In addition to Ernst at the reception, the duty manager at the time was very helpful in rectifying the problems that arose early in the stay. I appreciated that they took these issues seriously and addressed it as soon as possible. Each time I ran into a member of staff, they weren’t shy to say hello and greet guests. As such, I feel like the staff at Cordis are amongst the friendliest I’ve encountered in Hong Kong.

Overall

All in all, I had a very pleasant stay at the Cordis Hong Kong. In addition to the comfortable and modern rooms, I appreciated the unexpectedly excellent service from Ernst and the rest of the staff. I also really liked the exceptional location in the middle of Mong Kok, with a very convenient connection to the MTR system. While Mong Kok isn’t my first choice when it comes to Hong Kong, I’d stay at Cordis again in a heartbeat.

Read more from An Emerald Farewell here!