Going to Hong Kong in 2 weeks and staying at either the Kowloon Shangri-la or JW as they can fit a family of four in one room at a reasonable price. Yes, I have done a search and it seems that the JW has small rooms but that the rooms at the Kowloon Shangri-la may be dated/old and need of refurbishing. Also have read that there may be alot of contruction going on around the Shangri-la. Any advise?

myself i prefer being in kowloon and the JW is on the island i believe...
i do not think any sh-la hotel, even in shabby shape, would disappoint you...join their golden circle club and you are entitled to free breakfast for 2 and late check out

I understand that the Kowloon Shangri-La has recently completed renovating all of their guest rooms.

It's a lovely hotel.

I feel just the opposite to rhkmk, I like both hotels but prefer to be on the Hong Kong side.

The Shangri-La is a lovely hotel and has some of the biggest rooms in Hong Kong. It's right on the harbour so you can get some nice views. There are tons of restaurants and shops nearby. I'm actually spending a week at this hotel starting tomorrow for a business conference, so I'll let you know more later.

The Marriott is adjacent to Hong Kong park which gives you a little breathing room in HK's urban sprawl. Other than the attached shopping mall -- which is one of HK's best -- you'd have to taxi to restaurants.

Both hotels are well run, with good restaurants. The pool at the Marriot is outside, at the Shangri-La inside which may make a difference depending on the time of year. There's an MTR (subway) station in the same complex as the Marriot. From the Shangri-La it's a bit of a hike.

There is always construction going on in Hong Kong wherever you are!

I would choose the JW as I think the location of the Kowloon Shangri-La is somewhat secondary in that it is not as well-located as other Kowloon hotels are. The only advantage I see that the Shang has over the Marriott is that you would get better harbour views from the Shang, but IMO that does not make up for its secondary location.

Have to strongly disagree with Marmots comment that you would have to taxi from the Marriott to restauratns; there are literally dozens of restuarants along Queens Road and other areas east of the hotel within walking distance or a short tram ride, and the Lang Kwai Fong area is very easily reached on foot in about 15 minutes (a flat walk). You can walk to the Peak Tram station from the hotel in about 5 minutes, a nice walk through Hong Kong Park. You can also reach the great Bowen Road walking path from the hotel in about 15 minutes, albeit most of that time if virtually straight uphill.

As Kathie mentions, the Shangri-La completed its renovations more than a year ago. It's an excellent hotel with some of the best harbour views in the city, but the location is a bit out of the way.

The JW is a perfectly fine business hotel, but it's not nearly as nice as the Shangri-La. However, its ocation is much more convenient, attached to a major shopping/restaurant arcade and the MTR station.

Either place would be nice. If it were me, I'd stay at the Shang if I could get a harbour-view room, otherwise I'd choose the Marriott.

Shangri La - anyday.

The JW Marriott is nice but IMO is nothing too special. The new exec harbour view rooms at the Shang are fantastic. Don't be put off by other's comments on location, it is a short (10 mins), but very pleasant walk along the waterfront to the star ferry. And only 5 mins to the nearest metro station.

marmot---thank you for noticing my typing error...i thought i only made spelling errors....that should be not sh-la hotel would disappoint you, even if shabby...

i quit...no sh-la hotel will disappoint you!!!!

Thanks for the responses. We will be arriving from Bali and I think I am going to go for the Shangri-la over the JW as it is only $30/night more and the rooms are considerably larger at 42 MS vs 32 MS.
Given that there are 4 of us the extra space should be welcome. Glad to hear the the Kowloon Shangri-la has just been refurbished. Have also joined their Golden Circle club and would welcome the late checkout and breakfasts. Looking forward to the Marmot report for the latest in HKG.

Good choice on the Shang.

If you're looking for good but inexpensive eats in the immediate vicinity of the hotel, you do have some good choices. The Woodlands, almost directly across the street from the Shang's front entrance, is a terrific Indian restaurant. It's vegetarian, but even diehard meat-eaters (incl. myself) find the food to be wonderful there.

If any of you like sushi, Genki Sushi is just a block or two up the street, at the TST East plaza. This is a conveyer sushi joint -- sushi is put out on small plates and winds its way through the restaurant -- when you see something you like, you just take the plate off the conveyer. (When you're finished, the waiter totals up the number of plates you've taken.) The price is very reasonable, the sushi is remarkably good, and kids seem to think that it's fun.

I stayed in the Shangri-la. It's fine but is essentially just a western style, big deluxe impersonal hotel. Could be almost anywhere in the world. '

mjs, I've just returned to Jakarta after a week in Hong Kong and a few days in Bali. I really enjoyed my stay at the Kowloon Shangri-La. I got mixed responses on whether or not the refurbishment was fully completed. The public areas and MY floor were definitely recently re-done. The room was big and bright, although I would have much preferred to have a harbour view over the view of other hotel rooms. The service was very good, some of the friendliest I've ever experienced in Hong Kong. Because I was at a conference I didn't try all the restaurants, but the coffee shop was quite good with a wide menu.

I'm not a great fan of TST East area in general (lacks soul) but since I'd last been there an MTR station has opened just a few feet from the Shangri-la. Actually, it's more like the entrance to an underground tunnel; the train is about 1/4 mile away, but it makes getting around a lot easier.

The renovation of the walkway along the harbour is also almost completed so it's a very pleasant walk from the Shangri-La to the Star Ferry. And there is another ferry that leaves from the TST East area.

There are a zillion excellent Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong. Just look for one that's full of locals and you can't go wrong. For Western food, my favorite continues to be Va Bene in Lang Kwi Fong, Central, about a five minute walk from the Star Ferry or MTR.

Even though you're not staying at the Marriot, take your kids over to Hong Kong park. The aviary is wonderful and the whole park is a relief to the claustrophobia of Hong Kong.

My kid always liked the planetarium, science museum and history museum.

We just returned from Bali and Hong Kong yesterday and had a grand time. Stayed at the Kowloon Shangri-la while in Hong Kong which was a good choice for us as we have two adults and two teenagers and need the room. The superior rooms are actually pretty good sized at 460 sq feet but we upgraded for a modest amount to a two room suite with over 950 sq feet. Apparently most but not all of the rooms at this hotel have been remodeled lately. One superior room which had not been remodeled still looked pretty good to me. They are planning more work on the pool/spa etc next year.
Tremendous closet space in our suite, and my children loved the plasma screens with DVD player so they could watch their $1.50 DVD's they bought in Bali. Bathroom abit small with no separate shower and useless bidet but good amenities. Butler was useful and the overnight shoe shine helpful in restoring the leathers after a week in Bali. Thank you rhkkmk for the tip on joining the Golden circle club which gave us a free late checkout and two free continental breakfasts/day. Upgraded to a full "American " breakfast for $22 Hk/person and this is quite a nice spread of food to chose from.
Ate at the Shang Place downstairs once which was quite good but also quite expensive. In general I found Chinese restaurants in Hong kong to be quite expensive, especially in comparison to San Francisco, Vancouver and Los Angeles. London prices I think.
Location of hotel was fine with a 10 minute walk to the Star ferry via Moody Street or by the harbor. Close to the MTR.
Investigated the Penninsula hotel which has a slightly more convenient location but with smaller rooms and higher prices. Also looked at the Ritz which had nice rooms and the JW Marriot which had tiny rooms. If we return soon to Hong Kong we might consider the Ritz if we wanted to stay on the Island side.
Overall I must say we liked the Shangri-la Kowloon.
I also prefer Kowloon to the Island as a tourist. Thanks to all of you for your kind advice.

glad it worked out for you...