Review: Disney’s Hollywood Hotel in Hong Kong

If you’re trying to decide which Hong Kong Disneyland hotel to stay at, let me tell you why it’s worth considering Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. Truthfully, I wasn’t expecting to like it but it was just fine for our two-night Disney bonanza.

We’ve stayed at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, considered the luxury option, but since we were landing very late from Kota Kinabalu on the first night and not likely to be in the hotel much the day after, it didn’t make sense to spend more money than I had to.

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Disney’s Hollywood Hotel Location

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is located on Lantau Island. While the airport is, too, it does take about 20 minutes with a fare of about $200 HKD ($22 USD) depending on traffic and how many bags you have. You can take the MTR (train system) or a bus, but a taxi from the airport is miles easier. Just make sure to get into a blue Lantau taxi.

Disney’s Hollywood Hotel is at least a 20-minute walk to Hong Kong Disneyland. Most people take the free resort shuttle which departs every 10 minutes or so and takes just a few minutes. The shuttle stops at both hotels and the park on a continuous loop virtually all day. It is very convenient.

Art Deco Rooms

While the decor is certainly not to my taste, the rooms were fine. I didn’t have any trouble with the free WiFi or noise despite being told the hotel was at full capacity. The beds were a little firm (not intolerable), but that is quite normal in Hong Kong unless you’re at a five-star hotel. I’m pretty sure my daughter did her usual somersaults across both of these before taking this picture because I remember housekeeping doing a good job.

The closet didn’t have a door on it, which was a little odd, but our room had a safe, in-room coffee and tea, bottled water, a decent television and a small table to work at.

The bathroom was quite small with a dreaded shower curtain. I found the bath amenities to be good, however, hair conditioner was noticeably absent. In that little Mickey cup on the shelf were a few kids amenities. Bring some hair conditioner and you’ll be fine.

Disney’s Hollywood Hotel Restaurants

Chef Mickey

The most popular dining experience is the Chef Mickey character dining which happens:

• daily at breakfast.
• Sundays and public holidays during lunch hours.
• Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and eves of public holidays during dinner hours.

We caught Chef Mickey in person each day at breakfast, which starts at 7:30 a.m. and if you can get there before Mickey’s grand appearance at 8:00 a.m., that is ideal because during this time he’ll walk around the dining area to post for photos. Otherwise, he’ll be stuck at the front taking photos with people who queue up. I am not sure what he does during the later portion of breakfast service.

I’ll talk about this character dining experience in another post. It’s a fairly extensive buffet with international and local dishes. I have also previously reviewed character dining at the Disneyland Hotel’s Enchanted Garden.

Hollywood and Dine

This is a fast-casual option where you order at the counter (or grab and go). We did not eat here but it certainly looked convenient and reasonably-priced.

Studio Diner

Part bar, part lounge… this is where we chose to eat dinner one night since Mickey wasn’t appearing at the buffet dinner. Either because most people chose the buffet or were still at the park, when we needed to eat around 5:30 p.m. it was more or less empty.

So, we collapsed on to a comfy sofa to recap a busy day at Hong Kong Disneyland. In addition to being pleased with my glass of wine and the good service, I was blown away by how tasty my Hainanese chicken rice was. I order it every time we’re in Asia because it’s next to impossible to find in San Diego. I didn’t have high expectations but the food at the hotel was pretty good.

My 8-year-old daughter ordered a kids’ pasta but it wasn’t enough so we topped that off with a (Hong Kong-style) quesadilla. She was super jazzed it came with Doritos.

Recreation at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel

The piano-shaped pool with small waterslide is bound to be a hit with the kids. A lifeguard is usually on duty and a whirlpool is available for tired parents. I hate to say we did not see a server taking drink orders or anything like that but my daughter got hungry so we weren’t there for very long.

Near the pool is a small play gym and a huge lawn that is perfect for cartwheels and running. The South China Sea is visible from most areas here on a clear day.

The Malibu Game Room was a big hit with my daughter. While it is staffed, parents must accompany kids. Play air hockey, shoot hoops (via a video game) and much more here in this small gaming area.

The lobby level gift shop sells Disney souvenirs, candy and a handful of necessities that you may have forgotten. Right now, Tsum Tsum stuffed animals of all sizes are hot so expect your kids to ask for some.

Good to Know

Guests of the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort hotels do not have perks like early park access. You can (and should to avoid the lines) purchase park tickets through the hotel’s front desk.

Breakfast isn’t served until 7:30 a.m. so bring snacks for early risers. There is also no in-room dining.

There aren’t any convenience stores within walking distance so be sure not to forget anything. Taxis in Hong Kong are cheap, however, if need be.

If you’re the type of person who likes to contact the hotel before a stay, you are better off calling the main Hong Kong Disneyland hotline to get your questions answered if they are time sensitive. If you do not speak Cantonese, make sure they send you a confirmation email. And if your request isn’t clear (as English can be an issue, for example) ask them to double-confirm. It took a week or more for emails about a dinner reservation to be confirmed. All requests for the park and both hotels seem to route through a general guest relations department.

Taxies are not hard to get from the hotel should you want to visit the Big Buddha (click for our tips), also on Lantau Island.

You are paying for the privilege of staying at the resort. We paid the base hotel rate which including tax was about $1900 HKD ($250 USD). You can stay in nicer hotels in the popular Kowloon area closer to Hong Kong’s bustling business district and most popular tourist areas and restaurants for the same price. And, the price of the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel often rivals five-star hotels in Central, where we usually stay. The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is more upscale (though not terribly upscale) than Disney’s Hollywood Hotel and has some extra amenities like room service, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, better character dining and Disney dim sum. The two hotels are very different in style. My husband would prefer the Art Deco look of Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. Others may prefer the Victorian style of the Disneyland Hotel.

It is very easy and inexpensive to access Hong Kong Disneyland Resort via MTR from most places in Hong Kong. Disney fanatics should stay on the resort and families will love it too… value seekers perhaps will not.

My daughter, who is used to five-star hotels, was really upset that we only spent two nights here. She loved it.

Have questions? Just ask. As I’ve said before, we used to live in Hong Kong and have stayed at both Hong Kong Disneyland hotels as well as other luxury hotels in Central. We return each year.

Reservations

Book directly through the Disney’s Hollywood Hotel website or our partner site, Agoda. Agoda usually has the best hotel rates in Asia.

For more information see all of my Hong Kong Disneyland Resort posts as it is definitely one of the best things to do in Hong Kong with kids.

Disney’s Hollywood Hotel
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
Lantau Island, Hong Kong
+852 3510-5000