Hong Kong Travel
for HKJCS staff
Fast Index
Note: This information is really for HKJCS (Australia) staff to keep them clued in on Hong Kong and my experiences
here. It deals mainly with the new things that you see, particularly with the South Pacific hotel, where I spent quite a
long period whilst working on the smart card project.
Arriving in Hong Kong
Getting to the Hotel
All this info is for Kai Tak airport.
Really you have two options, the taxi or an airbus.
Believe me - take the bus. Get the A20, it costs about 1/5 the price and will get you there faster and in more comfort.
Just turn left when you get out of the airport and follow the signs. You should have HK$ with you, it will cost about
HK$20. There is a change counter for breaking the HK$100 notes that you will get from Anita Chan or Toni Squire.
South Pacific Hotel User Guide
Summary
Hotel Home Page
Click here to go to the hotels home page - this has a few nice photos and some other information.
Checking In
Make sure when you arrive at the checkin counter that you:
- Get your room layout preference (two single or one double bed). I prefer one of the rooms number xx13. This is
on the quiet side of the hotel, is relatively spacious and has a double bed. Definitely try to avoid xx14 which is
near the stairwell, or xx01, which is equally ordinary!
- Do not provide a credit card number, rather offer to settle all personal expenses in cash. I have another sad story
to tell regarding this matter...
- Ask for the Mini-Bar to be emptied so that you can fill it with exactly the same stuff for one tenth the price from
the 7-11 just down the road.
- Get a feather pillow sent to you room to prevent neck cramp from the rocks they put by default at the head of
the bed.
- Ask for a wakeup call so you are not late for that first days work in the Hong Kong office.
- Tip the concierge boy who carries your bags. HK$10 seems to work for me. I am sure your hotel based
reputation (and hence the quality of all further service) begins with this step.
End of Day Jobs
When you arrive back at the hotel after a hard days work and are ready to crash (often this will be after 11pm) you
should do a lot of little jobs to ensure a good nights sleep. You must do these jobs EVERY day as the housekeeping
staff will undo them every morning.
Here they are listed in optimal order so you only have to pass through the room once to complete them.
- Insert key, turn on the Do Not Disturb light, lock and chain the door (depending on your security preferences).
- Turn off the bathroom light as there is no way to control it from the bedside panel.
- Get the bedspread out of the hanging cupboard where the housekeeping staff have stashed it and put next to the
bed for use about 4:30am when it seems to drop about 6 degrees no matter what you do with the aircon control.
- Wind the air conditioning knob almost all the way to hot.
- Get the newspaper from the table above the clothes drawers and throw it on the bed so that once you have
settled down you can see what is on the TV without having to get up again. (Note: This technique will not work
on Sundays as the whole weeks TV guide is a seperate add-on to the Sunday paper which you do not receive in
the hotel. I have not yet worked out why it is not included and actually I did get it once, I think by accident!)
- Tilt the TV about 10 degrees squarer to the bed so you can see it face on when in the bed.
- Grab the TV remote from on top of the TV and throw on to the bed next to the newspaper and bedspread.
- Turn off the jug (that annoying little red light will shine right in your eyes all night).
- Turn off the light which shines on the jug (again there is no bedside control for this). This is possibly the single
most forgotten item and has caused much frustration!.
- Depending on your room location you may have to drag the heavy curtain around the curtain draw string to
cover the gap between the string and the window so the Nissan sign accross the road does not shine in your
eyes until about 2am when they seem to switch it off. (Note: This is particularly relevant for room number xx13.)
Checking Out
Here are some hints about checking out:
- Ask for a late checkout, it is usually granted and less of a rush on the last morning.
- Make sure you double check your room, including the safe.
- After settling the bill, make sure you still have enough cash for transport and departure tax.
- Take the A20 airbus back to the airport, again it is far cheaper and more convenient than a taxi.
Miscellaneous Hotel Information
When taking a shower it pays to close the toilet seat first. This may seem silly until you have soap in your eyes and try
to scramble from the shower over to the sink to get the extra bottle of shampoo...
Hong Kong Experiences
Here are some of the funny things that have happended to people on their trips to HK. If you
have an original HKE to add to this list, please mail them to me direct.