No.51 Man Tung Road, Tung Chung, Hong Kong, China | (727) 241-5756
Large modern
airport hotel is attached to a shopping mall
Spacious quiet
rooms have large windows
Five minutes to
airport via free shuttle service
Three restaurants
and bar include live jazz and sports viewings
Swimming pool
includes a separate kids' pool
Fitness room features up-to-date equipment
Direct access to
Tung Chung MTR subway
Fee for Wi-Fi
Far from the city
center
Check-in can get busy
Pool is not heated
The Novotel
Citygate is an upscale, 440-room hotel located just across the water from Hong
Kong International Airport -- a free airport shuttle takes just five minutes. Its size and adjoining shopping mall make it a
useful stopover hotel and also a great base for visiting Hong Kong Disneyland, though the city center is at least half an hour away by train. Rooms are
clean, spacious, and well-equipped, while pleasant gardens include a good-size
swimming pool. The only real competitor is Regal Airport Hotel, which charges
about the same and is closer to the airport.
Scene
Large airport hotel with terraced gardens and direct shopping mall access
Arriving at the
Novotel Citygate Hotel's strikingly vast and shimmering glass facade -- framed
in brushed steel and reflecting a large swathe of the sky -- it's hard not to be
a little impressed. Inside the scale is no less grand, with a bright and
cavernous lobby abuzz with a mixture of airport stopovers and airline staff and
finished with polished white stone, contemporary art, and even more glass. The property is surrounded by pristine
terraced gardens full of bamboo, palms, and manicured hedges; it also features a stonewall
waterfall. The hotel is connected (with direct escalator access) to a
huge shopping mall -- The Citygate Outlets -- with numerous international
designer brands. Built in 2006, the interiors are smart and super-modern, though
also with the impersonal and functional atmosphere of the nearby airport that
it serves. Check-in can also get very busy at times with the arrival of
multiple airlines' passengers.
Location
Located on Hong Kong's Lantau Island, a five minutes' drive from the airport
The hotel is
located in the Tung Chung area of Hong Kong's Lantau Island to the west of the
city. Just across the water is Chek Lap
Kok island and the city's international airport -- a free airport shuttle
service is provided and takes just five minutes. Guests also have direct access
to the Tung Chung MTR subway station that connects to the city center in half
an hour, and Hong Kong Disneyland in just two stops. Spectacular views over the
island can also be enjoyed from the Ngong Ping cable car station right nearby
while shoppers have direct access to the Citygate Outlets shopping mall next
door.
Rooms
Spacious, quiet rooms with large windows -- but there's a fee for Wi-Fi
The hotel's 440
rooms are spread over 24 floors and decorated in a smart and contemporary -- if
a little characterless -- blend of sleek wood furnishings, carpeted floors, and
minimalist modern art. Rooms are more spacious than most, with tea/coffee
facilities, minibars, and large flat-screen TVs. High-speed Wi-Fi is available
but for a fee and Executive rooms have Nespresso machines and iPod docks. Large
windows look out over cable car, sea, or hill views from higher levels.
Bathrooms are clean and well-maintained with walk-in showers and a good selection
of toiletries. Bedding is particularly comfortable and there's very little in
the way of noise from the nearby airport.
Features
Three restaurants, outdoor swimming pool, and free shuttle service
With three
restaurants -- Essence, Olea, and Moccato -- the hotel provides plenty of
dining options which range from Asian fusion to Mediterranean cooking. The main
lobby-level restaurant serves a buffet breakfast, thought it's not included in
the standard rate. A lobby bar also provides live jazz and big screen TVs for
live sports. A decent-sized, though unheated, swimming pool can be found in the
hotel gardens, with loungers and a separate splash pool for children; there's
also an outdoor playground for kids. A fitness room provides up-to-date
equipment, though there's no spa facilities on-site (in-room massage can be
arranged). The free shuttle service to and from the airport runs at 15 minute
intervals, while also ferrying guests to Asia World Expo for selected trade
shows.