{"id":1222,"date":"2012-07-22T10:32:17","date_gmt":"2012-07-22T14:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/boardingarea.com\/blogs\/verygoodpoints\/?p=1222"},"modified":"2013-04-23T13:39:38","modified_gmt":"2013-04-23T17:39:38","slug":"the-westin-macau-hotel-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2012\/07\/22\/the-westin-macau-hotel-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Westin Macau Hotel Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Westin Macau is tucked away on the side of a quite hill facing the South China Sea. \u00a0Twenty minutes from the hustle and bustle of the Cotai Strip (the Las Vegas of China) the Westin feels a bit, quite and tired. \u00a0 I chose to stay there for 3 reasons: 1) it’s the only SPG property in Macau currently open, 2) it was my last few days to earn triple points in SPGs Nice Choice Promo and 3) I got a pretty good rate by booking early (~$140 USD\/night). \u00a0I actually looked last week to see if I could get a Starpick rate or a better deal and rooms were actually going for upwards of $300 USD\/night.<\/p>\n

From Hong Kong, there are two ways to get to Macau. \u00a0Ferry or\u00a0Helicopter. \u00a0For those who aren’t<\/em> high-rollers, I suggest taking the ferry. A ticket is very inexpensive. Premier class (which includes free checked bag, beverages on-board, a meal and first on\/first off boarding) round trip costs about $80 USD (depending on time and season.) \u00a0Coach tickets cost around $44 round trip. \u00a0The ferry ride is about 1 hour from Hong Kong Island’s Shun Tak Center. \u00a0The ferry also goes between Kowloon and Macau.<\/p>\n

For a long weekend, Macau is an easy get-away – if you like what Macau has to offer. \u00a0(More on that in my upcoming trip report)<\/p>\n

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Arrival and Hotel Shuttle<\/h2>\n

Once you arrive in Macau, you can breeze through customs (at least I did) because about 90% of the people were in the Hong<\/p>\n

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Wesin Macau Shuttle Bus - a little old<\/p><\/div>\n

Kong\/China passports lines or using the express lanes. \u00a0 After customs you can exit and cross under the street – yes, I said under the street – to find the hotel bus depot. \u00a0There you will see tons of signs and staff from all of the hotels except the Westin. \u00a0 Even though there is no signage or staff, the Westin does in fact have a shuttle – it’s just not easy to find. \u00a0After walking back and forth in 97 degree heat I started asking other hotel staff where the Westin bus was. One person told me all the way to the right. \u00a0I walked all the way to the right and then asked another person where the Westin bus was. \u00a0He said all the way to the left. \u00a0I doubled back and still, no sign. \u00a0I started walking back again and asked another person who finally told me just to wait around the general area because the Westin has no assigned parking space and will just park where ever it can. \u00a0He said the Westin staff person would be there around 5 minutes before the bus arrived. He was right. \u00a0 For anyone going to the Westin Macau, when you come up the\u00a0escalators\u00a0to the bus\u00a0center\u00a0turn right and walk about 1\/2 way down (you’ll see the signs for the Sands\/Conrad\/Sheraton) just wait around there until you see either a Westin staff person wandering around or until the Westin bus pulls up. \u00a0It’s a white bus with the Westin logo on the front. \u00a0The bus only comes to the ferry terminal every 30 minutes and it doesn’t wait around – so board quickly.<\/p>\n

Once you’re finally onboard the bus to the Westin it’s about a 25 – 30 minute ride to the hotel. There is a ton of construction and several 2-lane roads that have been cut down to a single lane of alternating traffic, so travel times can vary. \u00a0 The hotel bell staff was very helpful with my bags once I arrived. \u00a0They took my bag off the bus and brought them inside for me.<\/p>\n

Check-in<\/h2>\n
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Westin Macau Reception<\/p><\/div>\n

Check-in was easy. \u00a0I asked about an upgrade and was told that no suites were free (the hotel was at full capacity this weekend) but I was\u00a0upgraded to an Ocean View Room. \u00a0 As a Platinum member of SPG program, I was told breakfast & internet were free and that I could choose between the 500 points or local gift as my amenity. \u00a0I went with points. \u00a0 Breakfast, I was told, ran from 10:30 – 11:30 on Saturday, 7:30 – 11:30 on Sunday and 7:30 – 10:30 on Monday. \u00a0I couldn’t quite figure out the Saturday breakfast (maybe it was that I could barely understand the woman who checked me in, maybe it was all the special events occurring that weekend, who knows…but I figured I’d sleep in anyway and just have lunch.)<\/p>\n

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The Room<\/h2>\n

I headed to my room on the 8th floor – the top floor for guest rooms – and down a long hall. The hallway was incredibly hot – I don’t think they have air in the halls. \u00a0I made it to 808 and noticed that the door and walls around the room were pretty scuffed up and in need of some paint. \u00a0The hotel is obviously old, and the rooms are starting to show that age. \u00a0The carpets are stained and snagged. \u00a0The furniture looked like it had been in the room for the past 20 years and was in need of some updating.<\/p>\n

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TV Cabinet & Mini Bar<\/p><\/div>\n

I did like the TV cabinet – which also housed the mini bar – because it was a traditional Asian style cabinet. \u00a0When I opened it up, I almost fell over at the sight of the TV. \u00a0It held an old-school TV! \u00a0I had to laugh – I haven’t seen a TV that old in, well, I can’t remember the last time I have seen a TV like that. \u00a0 The room was a good size and had a nice large patio that looked over the pool and supposedly the South China Sea. \u00a0It was so smoggy that most days I could barely see the pool let alone the sea. \u00a0Clearly the fact that it was smoggy is not the hotels fault – it’s China’s fault for not doing more to protect the\u00a0environment.<\/p>\n

The room had a working desk with 1 plug – yes, just one – and in fact, other than 1 plug in the bathroom, it was the only plug in the room (Unless there was another one hidden behind the bed or TV cabinet. \u00a0I did move the bedside tables and there were no plugs. All of the lights, phone, internet modem, etc…had cords that fed through the wall and must have been plugged in somewhere behind the scenes.) There was an electronic control panel next to the bed that turned on and off all the lights, activated the do not disturb sign, controlled the AC and TV. \u00a0Pretty nifty.<\/p>\n

The bathroom looked nice at first glance. I’m guessing it was re-done at some point in time because it was modern and bright where the room was drab. \u00a0There was a very large tub, a shower, sink with large vanity area and toilet. \u00a0There was no bathmat or any type of towel for the floor, so I used a bath towel so that I didn’t slip on the marble. \u00a0There was no shampoo, conditioner or hand lotion, but there was a shower cap, vanity kit and two toothbrushes.<\/p>\n

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Dirty Shower Shot 1 (more below)<\/p><\/div>\n

Nothing really bothered me until I looked up-close at the shower. \u00a0It looked like no one had cleaned the bottom quarter of the glass\u00a0door or walls in years – maybe ever. \u00a0The amount of soap scum and build up on the door was gross. I tried to take pictures and they don’t do it justice. \u00a0Inside the shower there was mildew around the edges. \u00a0While I’m sure housekeeping did some type of\u00a0perfunctory\u00a0cleaning in the shower, the lack of attention to the detail made me question how clean other things really were. \u00a0I’m sure they do clean, but do they do a deep cleaning, ever? Based on the shower, I’d say no.<\/p>\n

The hotel boasts Westin Heavenly Beds – and while I’m sure at one point in time the bed was heavenly, it has since come down to earth. I usually sleep extremely well at Westin Hotels and typically love the bed and pillows. \u00a0However, the bed here felt like it was starting to sink the middle and the pillows weren’t too comfy.<\/p>\n

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The Restaurants<\/h2>\n

There are two restaurants in the hotel. Panorama, which serves a buffet for breakfast and dinner and\u00a0\u00a0Kwun Hoi Heen which serves dim sum at lunch and Cantonese fare for dinner. \u00a0 At one time, there must have been a Japanese restaurant at the hotel because some signage still exits, but the restaurant no longer does. \u00a0 I tried the hotel restaurant for lunch and enjoyed some dim sum. \u00a0They don’t have a huge selection, but what I did try, I liked. \u00a0 I did make it to breakfast on Sunday and the buffet was small, but very good. \u00a0A typical breakfast buffet not really worth commenting on.<\/p>\n

One thing that is worth commenting on is that the Westin Macau serves Shark Fin Soup. \u00a0Even the Chinese government<\/a> has said they will not allow Shark Fin Soup to be served at official state banquets and events. \u00a0But yet, the Westin Macau continues the practice. \u00a0For those who don’t know, the practice of shark finning is inhumane. \u00a0Sharks are caught and the fins removed while the shark is alive. \u00a0The shark is then tossed back into the ocean to drown. \u00a0It’s an unsustainable practice – the shark population where live finning takes place has depleted by up to 90% and in my own opinion the practice of live finning is just wrong.\u00a0Serving Shark Fin soup – not acceptable – especially by a hotel chain who touts its “greenness” with its Make the Green Choice Program, every email from Starwood employees has the “Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail” tag, they’ve even gone so far as to create a green brand with Element by Westin. \u00a0 You can even see Starwood’s\u00a0commitment\u00a0to environment sustainablity on its website<\/a>. This is why I’m so shocked and saddened that a Westin property, the Westin Macau, continues to serve Shark Fin Soup.<\/p>\n

Update: The Westin Macau responds to Shark Fin concerns read update here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Hotel<\/h2>\n

The hotel has a few gift shops, but most were closed. \u00a0If you wanted to buy, you just had to ask the front desk for assistance. \u00a0The Chinese herbal shop was open on Sunday morning and busy.<\/p>\n

The hotel spa was closed for renovations. \u00a0The hotel also published a note and posted it in the hotel and in the rooms alerting guests that mosquito fumigation would take place between 5:30 and 6:30 pm and guests should stay away from the poolside, gardens, lawns, hotel entrance and tennis courts during that time. \u00a0Nice to see a hotel doing something about mosquitoes.<\/p>\n

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Koi Pond<\/p><\/div>\n

The hotel is nice, but as I’ve said, getting old. \u00a0It offers a complimentary shuttle to the Cotai Strip (the same that goes to the Ferry) and they recommend advanced booking for the “first come, first served shuttle.” \u00a0On Saturday, I went to the service express desk around 10:45 hoping to catch the 11am shuttle. \u00a0I was told by the staff at service express that the 11am shuttle was fully booked and there was a wait list. \u00a0I asked about the 11:30 and was told it was also booked w\/a wait list. \u00a0The next shuttle with an open spot? \u00a0The 1pm shuttle. \u00a0I could either kill 2 hours in the hotel or take a taxi into town. \u00a0I opted for the taxi which took 30 minutes to arrive and cost me $45 HKD. So in the end, it’s really not a first come, first served shuttle, it’s more of a… you really need to make reservations shuttle. But it is free and that’s very nice.<\/p>\n

Having learned from Saturday afternoon, I made a reservation on Saturday night for a Sunday morning shuttle. \u00a0I wanted to be at the MGM before noon for a spa appointment. \u00a0I was advised that I should take the 10:30 shuttle – but oh, wait – it was booked. \u00a0So I got on the 11am shuttle and just hoped I’d make it in time for the appointment. \u00a0I took the Westin shuttle to the Macau ferry terminal and then switched to an MGM shuttle bus. \u00a0I arrived at 11:50am. Perfect timing.<\/p>\n

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Overall<\/h2>\n

The hotel is isolated – which can be a good thing and a bad thing. \u00a0It’s not easy to get around due to the popularity of the free shuttle – you have to plan your day out and can’t be spontaneous. \u00a0Even getting a taxi takes time. \u00a0 On the other hand, you’re away from the crazy and crowded Cotai Strip. \u00a0The hotel is family oriented and hosts a lot of events – two weddings this weekend alone. \u00a0 Depending on the weather – and smog factor- you may or may not be able to enjoy the pool. \u00a0The beach is nothing special in my opinion – not somewhere you’d actually lie out for some sun.<\/p>\n

The hotel is old and showing its age. \u00a0It seems they have started renovations on the amenities, like the spa, but no one could tell me of any plans to update the rooms – which really need it! \u00a0I suspect the Westin will have to renovate if it plans to compete with the new Sheraton being built.<\/p>\n

The staff is very friendly and helpful. \u00a0Christian at service express was extremely kind and willing to help w\/anything. \u00a0He’s the type of employee you want a resort like the Westin. The majority of the staff is Filipino and speak decent English. The only exception I found were some of the restaurant servers. \u00a0Communicating with them was challenging. \u00a0 \u00a0The Chinese staff are much harder to understand and some of them speak almost no English.<\/p>\n

If I ever return to Macau – and I doubt I would choose to come back (see upcoming trip report to learn why) – I would\u00a0absolutely not stay at the Westin again for two reasons: 1) I will not knowingly return to a hotel that serves Shark Fin Soup and 2) the Sheraton Macau Cotai strip opens in September 2012. \u00a0It will be a brand new SPG property close to all the other hotels (connected to the Conrad, Sands and Holiday Inn) and with much easier access to the casinos, shopping, restaurants, etc…<\/p>\n

VeryGoodPoints:<\/h2>\n