Click HERE to book Hyatt Centric East Taipei directly through World of Hyatt!

The hotel sits along Nanjing East Road, in Taipei's Songshan District. This is Taipei in working clothes, a commercial and financial pocket of the city rather than a tourist-first neighbourhood, which is exactly the positioning the Hyatt Centric brand tends to lean into. The area is dense with department stores, offices, restaurants, and MRT-linked movement, so it works well as a base for someone who wants to spend more time moving through the city than sitting inside the property. For orientation, the hotel is close to Taipei Arena, the Taipei Dome, and Taipei Songshan Airport, and it is within easy reach of the metro. If you are arriving on a regional route into Songshan rather than Taoyuan, that proximity is a real convenience, and the location puts you within a short ride of the Xinyi District and Taipei 101 when you want them.

If you are building a Taipei trip around World of Hyatt, it helps to know where this property sits alongside the rest of the family. The established anchor is the Grand Hyatt Taipei in the Xinyi District, an 850-room convention hotel connected to Taipei 101 by skybridge, complete with a Grand Club lounge and a full breakfast buffet. Out in New Taipei City is the Hyatt Place New Taipei City Xinzhuang, the value-focused select-service option with 278 rooms. My personal favourite in the city, though, is EPISODE Daan Taipei, part of the JdV by Hyatt collection and sitting in the Da'an District close to Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT. It is a boutique, music-led property with a "Less But Better" concept, and it happens to be a Category 3 hotel, which means it prices off exactly the same award chart as Hyatt Centric East Taipei below. What tips it into favourite territory for me is the combination of a genuinely walkable Da'an location and the generous Globalist treatment I received, which is not something every JdV property delivers. You can read my full review of EPISODE Daan Taipei here.

The ones to keep an eye on are the two forthcoming luxury Hyatts sharing The Sky Taipei tower next to Taipei 101 in the Xinyi District: the Park Hyatt Taipei and the Andaz Taipei. It is the first time Hyatt has placed both brands within a single building in Asia, with the Park Hyatt occupying the upper floors and the Andaz bringing its lifestyle-luxury character lower down. I would temper expectations on timing, though. The project has been delayed repeatedly and an opening this year looks unlikely, so I am treating both as a "when they arrive" prospect rather than a firm date. When they do open they will be the aspirational Hyatts in the city and the properties to target with a luxury advisor booking, since both Park Hyatt and Andaz are Hyatt Privé-eligible in a way that Hyatt Centric is not. If you are planning a future Park Hyatt Taipei or Andaz Taipei stay, this is where a Privé rate through my link will earn you complimentary breakfast, a property credit, and upgrade priority.

Hyatt Centric East Taipei slots neatly into that line-up: more contemporary and lifestyle-led than the Grand Hyatt, more polished and central than the Hyatt Place, and a direct Category 3 alternative to EPISODE Daan Taipei for anyone who prefers the Songshan side of the city to Da'an.

Hyatt Centric East Taipei is a Category 3 hotel. Since 20 May 2026, World of Hyatt moved from three award tiers (Off-Peak, Standard, Peak) to five (Lowest, Low, Moderate, Upper, Top), so a single category now carries five possible standard-room rates depending on demand for your dates. For a Category 3 property such as this one, the standard-room free-night pricing is as follows:

Taipei is one of the easier premium-cabin redemptions and paid fares out of Changi, with a flight time of under five hours and a healthy spread of carriers. For a city where I tend to base myself around good MRT access and food, a new points-earning Hyatt in Songshan is a welcome addition to the rotation. My honest read is that this is a solid, sensible opening rather than an aspirational one. It will not replace the Grand Hyatt for anyone who prioritises a club lounge and a full breakfast buffet, and it is not the reason to book a trip on its own. But as a well-located, on-brand lifestyle hotel that prices from 8,000 points on the right dates, it earns a place on the shortlist. I will be booking a stay once it opens and reporting back with a full review. For now, reservations are live for arrivals from 15 February 2027, so if you already have Taipei dates in mind, it is worth pricing this one up against your usual options while the early award calendar is wide open.

Click HERE to buy World of Hyatt points at a 20% discount before 5 October 2026!

The standard rate to buy World of Hyatt points is roughly 2.6 US cents each. Apply the 20% discount and you land at approximately 2.08 US cents per point, or about US$20.80 per 1,000 points. Converted at the current rate of around S$1.28 to the US dollar, that works out to roughly S$26.60 per 1,000 points.

Here is what that looks like across a few purchase sizes:

For context, a Category 1 hotel starts from just 3,000 points per night (if you can get an off-peak redemption) so this can be a great way to lock-in some stays if the stars align. I value World of Hyatt points at somewhere between 2.0 and 2.5 US cents in normal use, which means 2.08 cents sits below my baseline valuation. The elephant in the room is the May 2026 move to more dynamic award pricing, which trimmed the value of a good number of standard and peak redemptions. Some sweet spots that used to make buying points a no-brainer have lost a little of their lustre. That does not make the offer bad, but it does mean the days of buying points blind and coming out ahead are largely behind us. Crunch the specific award first, then decide whether to buy.

World of Hyatt points are genuinely hard to earn from Singapore (especially since HeyMax removed it as one of its transfer partners). There is no direct transfer route from KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, or the usual Singapore-issued card currencies (DBS, UOB, OCBC, Citi, or Amex Singapore Membership Rewards) into World of Hyatt. That leaves Singapore-based members with really only two ways to pad a Hyatt balance: earn slowly through paid stays, or buy points outright. Buying points is therefore a more relevant tool for us than it is for the average American reader who can simply move over Chase points at will. If you have a Hyatt redemption you actually intend to make, this discount is one of the few accessible levers you have.

Here is a wrinkle worth knowing before you check out. Points.com purchases do not code as hotel spend. They process as a US dollar transaction under MCC 7399 (Business Services Not Elsewhere Classified), which changes which cards earn bonus miles and means you will incur a foreign currency fee on top. That last part matters. Most Singapore banks levy a foreign currency fee of around 3.25% on USD transactions, which quietly erodes part of your 20% saving. Paying through Amaze reduces that fee, which is why the standout combination here is the Citi Rewards Card paired with Amaze: you keep the 4 mpd earn rate while paying lower foreign currency fees than going direct through the bank.

This is a solid, unglamorous offer. Twenty percent off is the standard best case for Hyatt's buy-points promotion, and 2.08 US cents per point is a fair rate for a currency that is hard to earn from Singapore. It is not a deal I would jump on purely to build a balance, especially after the May devaluation nibbled at some redemption values. But if you have a specific aspirational stay in mind and you are short on points, this is a clean way to bridge the gap. Run the numbers on your intended award, and if the math clears, buy before 5 October 2026.

Click HERE to check out the full review of the Qantas Singapore International Business Lounge!

As a Qantas Platinum member who runs out to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines fairly often (the oneworld perks on that short hop are excellent), the morning picture is exactly what I watch, because the early KUL departures sit right around these windows. The afternoon-to-late-night session remains the constant across the week. It is the morning that varies from day to day.

A few things stand out. Wednesday, Friday and Sunday now carry a long morning window from 3.20am right through to 10.15am, which is a genuine improvement if you are on an early departure those days. Tuesday keeps its more sociable 7.50am start. Monday and Thursday open at 11am, and Saturday now has no morning session at all, opening only at 2pm. The 3.20am starts remain the ones to watch. They are best described as pre-dawn, and they only appear on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday under the current schedule.

Why the hours keep moving

The afternoon and evening session is a fixed feature because it supports the heavy Qantas evening bank to Australia and London, including the Airbus A380 departures. That part of the day does not change. What shifts is the morning, which Qantas builds around a small number of early Qantas, Oneworld and partner flights. As those flights are added, retimed or dropped, the lounge hours follow, which is why the schedule has now been revised twice in fairly short order.

One caveat worth keeping in mind is that the very early 3.20am openings have been tied to QF256 routing Paris to Singapore to Sydney, a temporary arrangement linked to the Middle East airspace situation. Qantas has indicated it would review that routing, so the pre-dawn starts on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday may not prove permanent.

What this means for the KUL run

For the Malaysia Airlines flyers among us, the takeaway is simple. On the six days with a morning session, an early MH departure to Kuala Lumpur now lines up with a proper Qantas breakfast and a barista coffee before you fly. Saturday is the exception; with the lounge not opening until 2pm, a morning KUL flight that day leaves you without Qantas lounge access. There are no oneworld lounges that you can access on a Saturday morning departure (unless you are willing to make the trek down to Terminal 4).

The usual access rules are unchanged. The Business Lounge is open to those flying Qantas, Emirates or a Oneworld-operated flight in First or Business Class, or in a lower cabin while holding sufficient Qantas, Emirates or Oneworld status. As Qantas Platinum, or any Oneworld Emerald or Sapphire, you are covered when departing on an eligible Oneworld flight from any terminal at Changi, not just Terminal 1. It is also worth remembering Changi's Early Check-In programme at Jewel. From 8am you can check in, drop bags and clear into the transit area to lounge-hop ahead of a much later departure, so these hours are useful even if your actual flight is in the evening.

The Qantas Singapore Business Lounge is a 600-seat facility with a manned bar, made-to-order food, shower suites and fast Wi-Fi, and morning access on most days makes a real difference to anyone catching an early Oneworld flight from Changi. The current schedule is a slight step back from the brief spell of daily morning openings, with Saturday now afternoon-only, but the long 3.20am to 10.15am windows on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday are a solid win for early departures. Just keep an eye on the schedule, because with the hours tied to a handful of morning flights, this is clearly one that Qantas will keep adjusting.

Click HERE to book a Hyatt Privé rate for complimentary breakfast, a property credit, and a possible room upgrade!

An eligible night is defined as any night where you pay an eligible rate or redeem a Free Night Award. Award nights counting towards the earn is a small but meaningful detail. If you are already planning to burn points on a Latin America redemption, those nights can help you spin up fresh certificates in return.

Let me be honest about the geography. Latin America and the Caribbean are the definition of a long-haul commitment from Changi, and this is not an offer I would fly halfway around the world specifically to trigger. The reward currency here is the Category 1-4 Free Night Award, which tops out at a Category 4 property. Many of the marquee names on the participating list, the Hyatt Ziva and Zilara all-inclusives, Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, Park Hyatt St. Kitts, sit well above Category 4, so you will not be redeeming these certificates at the same resorts where you earned them.

Where the maths works is if you are already building a longer South America or Caribbean itinerary and can slot in a lower-category property. A Category 1-4 award is genuinely useful at a city stay such as the Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro or Hotel La Compañía in Panama, and pairing an aspirational beach resort with a couple of urban nights is a natural way to structure a trip to the region anyway. Earn the certificates on the resort portion, redeem them on the city portion, and you have effectively knocked nights off a two-week holiday.

For most Singapore-based readers, though, this is a niche play. If Latin America is not already on your 2027 calendar, your World of Hyatt points are almost certainly better deployed closer to home. The offer earns its place only when the trip is happening regardless, at which point three or more nights of a stay you were paying for anyway quietly converts into a free night. That is the sweet spot: incremental value on committed travel, not a reason to book committed travel.

This is a solidly constructed promotion with a genuinely generous ceiling of five Free Night Awards, and the fact that award nights count towards the earn is a nice touch that rewards active redeemers. The hard constraint is the 30 June 2027 expiry on the certificates, which leaves a narrow runway and demands that you plan the redemption before you even earn the award. If you have a Latin America or Caribbean trip already penned in for the first quarter of 2027, register now, stack a Hyatt Privé rate on top, and treat the free nights as a bonus. If you do not, there is no urgency here for a Singapore traveller, and no shame in letting this one pass.

Download the Chocolate Finance app and opt in for the SG61 birthday booster HERE!

There are three steps, and the sequencing is important because your "starting balance" is locked before you begin earning the boost.‍ ‍

1. Opt in: existing users opt in through the app; new users download the app, verify with Singpass, and opt in. This must happen between 1 August and 30 September 2026.

2. Note your starting balance: your starting balance is your highest SGD balance during the promotion period before you opt in. Only money added above that figure qualifies.

3. Grow and hold: add at least S$5,000 above your starting balance and maintain it until 30 September 2026. That newly added money earns the boosted rate on up to S$20,000.

Your boosted returns are not paid out immediately. Chocolate credits them to your SGD account 10 business days after the promotion ends on 30 September 2026. The booster adds 1% p.a. to Chocolate's underlying tiered return.

Here is how the qualifying new money stacks up, based on where it sits in your account.

The booster is an extra 1% p.a., but it only runs for up to 61 days, not a full year - the quicker you get in on this promotion, the more days you will have to enjoy the boosted interest rate. On the maximum boosted amount of S$20,000, the incremental 1% p.a. over 61 days works out to roughly S$33 (calculated by using S$20,000 x 1% x 61/365). That is the value of the booster portion alone. Factor in the base 2% p.a. and the total return on that S$20,000 of new money over the 61 days is closer to S$100. So the SG61 booster is a modest sweetener rather than a windfall, and anyone imagining a headline "1%" translating into hundreds of dollars will be leaving that expectation on the table.

That said, S$33 for parking cash you were going to hold anyway is not nothing, and it stacks on a base rate that already compares favourably to most Singapore savings accounts without hoops. The value proposition here is incremental yield on liquid cash, not a hero return. The SG61 birthday booster is a sensible, low-friction promotion for the cash you already keep liquid. If you have S$5,000 to S$20,000 of idle SGD that would otherwise sit in a low-interest account, opting in and topping up is a straightforward way to nudge your return to 3% p.a. for two months, with the caveat that the incremental value of the booster itself is around S$33 at the cap.

Click HERE to book direct with Discover ASR and register your Cathay number!

The process is refreshingly light. Submit the request, allow 10 business days for processing (with a possible additional 10 if ASR asks for validation), and your matched status is yours. The catch sits in the retention rules. The match is non-transferable and valid for one-time use only, and you have 12 consecutive months from approval to hit the qualifying annual spend for that tier, or you drop to whatever level your actual spend earned. For Platinum, that qualifying bar runs into five figures (in the region of S$10,000), so you are not retaining top tier on a couple of weekend stays. In plain terms: this is a "try before you commit" arrangement. It lets you enjoy Platinum benefits immediately, but you only keep them if you genuinely funnel stays through ASR over the following year.

What ASR Platinum Actually Gets You

Here is where I need to temper expectations, because ASR Platinum is not the same animal as top-tier Marriott Bonvoy or Hyatt. The perks are useful but modest, and a couple of the headline ones are region-locked away from where most of us actually stay. The core Platinum benefits:

• A 60% points bonus on eligible stays. ASR points hold a fixed value of 0.25 Singapore cents each, so base earning works out to roughly 2.5% back, and Platinum's bonus lifts that to around 4%. That 1.5% uplift on every dollar of ASR spend is the single most quantifiable reason to want the tier.

• Late check-out to 3pm, offered on priority.

• The "Full 24-Hour Stay." This is the standout. You choose your own check-in and check-out times, so you could arrive at 9pm off a late flight and keep the room until 9pm the next day for the usual overnight rate. For anyone using serviced residences in transit, this is quietly excellent, and it is conceptually similar to Marriott's Your24 for Ambassador members.

• Two laundry tokens per stay and complimentary enhanced Wi-Fi.

The disappointments are worth naming. There is no standard lounge access and no guaranteed suite upgrade, which top-tier elites of other programmes take for granted. Complimentary breakfast only applies at European properties, and the one-way airport transfer only at Middle Eastern ones. If you are staying at a Citadines in Osaka or a lyf in Singapore, which is to say Ascott's home Asia Pacific market, you get neither. Go in expecting a solid extended-stay programme with a genuinely handy flexible-checkout perk, not a lavish elite experience.

The Insider Bit: You May Already Have a Faster Door to ASR Platinum

Before you spend your single-use Cathay match, check whether you already qualify through ASR's standing status match, which is separate from this Cathay promotion and runs on an ongoing basis. It recognises elite status from just about every major hotel programme (Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt and others), and, crucially, it also accepts airline status. Qantas Platinum, for instance, maps straight to ASR Platinum. Holders of a metal American Express card can secure ASR status too.

This matters because the Cathay match here is explicitly one-time use, whereas the general match is repeatable. If you hold a top-tier hotel status or a qualifying frequent flyer tier like Qantas Platinum, you likely have a route to the same ASR Platinum without touching your Cathay allocation. My advice: reach for the match you can renew, and keep the one-shot option in your back pocket for when you have nothing else to match from.

500 Bonus Asia Miles - Minimum Spend of USD 800 Required

The miles half is the sweetener, and I will be blunt about its size. Book a qualifying rate directly with ASR, spend at least USD 800 (about S$1,030, excluding taxes and service fees), link your Cathay number under "My Account Preference" then "Earn Miles" before check-out, and you will pocket 500 Asia Miles on top of your ASR points within 30 business days of your check-out month.

Five hundred Asia Miles is worth somewhere around S$8 to S$10 in practical terms, which against a four-figure spend is a rounding error. It does not scale either; only one qualifying booking per stay period earns the bonus, whether you spend USD 800 or USD 8,000. Put it this way: settle that same S$1,030 stay on a half-decent Singapore miles card and the plastic alone earns you more miles than the promotion does. Link your Cathay number so the 500 miles trickle in on stays you were making anyway, but do not reorganise a single trip around them.

A few conditions apply to the miles: bookings must be made through Ascott's direct channels (the OTAs do not count), the names on your Cathay and ASR accounts must match exactly or the miles will not credit, and there is no retrospective crediting for missing details. The offer covers almost the entire ASR portfolio, excluding only properties in India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, and one US property (The Domain Hotel).

Focus on the status, forget the miles. The complimentary tier match is comfortably the more lucrative half of this partnership, but keep your expectations calibrated: ASR Platinum is a modest top tier whose real recurring value is the 60% points bonus (roughly 4% back) and the excellent Full 24-Hour Stay flexibility, not lounges and suite upgrades. If you genuinely stay at Ascott, Citadines, Somerset, or lyf with any regularity, claim it. If you already hold Qantas Platinum or a top hotel status, match through the standing programme instead and save your one-time Cathay match for a rainy day. And the 500 Asia Miles? A pleasant afterthought, and nothing more.

Click HERE to check out all the participating Shop Small merchants in Singapore!

Shop Small is a movement founded by American Express to support local, independent businesses, and it has become a regular fixture on the Singapore calendar. The mechanics are simple, but as always with Amex Offers, the details are where the value lives. One point worth clearing up early: this is not limited to Cards issued directly by American Express. Eligible Cards include personal American Express Cards issued in Singapore by the banks (e.g. DBS and UOB) as well, so if you hold an American Express Card through one of the banks, you may also register for this offer too.

There are two steps, and the first is easy to forget. You need to save the offer to your Card before you spend, either through the Amex app or your online account. Spend that counts only registers on the specific Card you save the offer to, so if you hold more than one eligible Card, check each of them.

From there, head to a participating merchant, spend at least S$10 in a single in-person transaction, and pay with the registered Card. The S$3 credit is triggered automatically once the transaction qualifies. Repeat at up to five qualifying transactions across the month to reach the full S$15. The offer page goes live on 4 August 2026 and can be found at go.amex/shopsmallsg. Participating merchants are listed in the Shop Small merchant directory, and this matters more than it sounds: spend only counts at businesses listed in that directory, so it is worth checking a merchant before you rely on the credit.

Which Amex Cards Qualify (And Worth Considering)

If you already hold an eligible American Express Card, you are set. If you do not, or if you have been meaning to add one to your wallet, here are four Amex Cards issued in Singapore that also qualify for this offer and earn their keep well beyond it.

1. DBS yuu American Express Card is the everyday workhorse of the group. It earns yuu Points that can be taken as cash rebate or converted to KrisFlyer miles (and now Max Miles!), with up to 18% rebate (or 10 miles per dollar) at participating yuu merchants like Cold Storage, Giant, Guardian, 7-Eleven and foodpanda once you meet the monthly conditions.

2. DBS Altitude American Express Card is one of Singapore's best-known entry-level miles cards, earning 1.3 miles per dollar on local spend and 2.2 miles per dollar overseas, with DBS Points that transfer to KrisFlyer and other partners. It is a sensible pick if you want a fuss-free miles card with a low income requirement.

3. UOB PRVI Miles American Express Card is a strong general-spend miles card, earning 1.4 miles per dollar locally and 2.4 miles per dollar overseas with no earning cap, plus periodic bonuses on regional and overseas spend. Worth noting UOB awards UNI$ in blocks of S$5, so round up your transactions where you can.

4. UOB Absolute Cashback Card takes the opposite approach for the cashback crowd, with a flat 1.7% unlimited cashback and no minimum spend, one of the highest no-frills rates going. It is the card for those who would rather see credit on their statement than chase miles.

At a maximum of S$15, this is not the kind of offer that changes your month. What makes Shop Small worth the two minutes it takes to save is the effective rate. If you spend exactly S$10 each time, you are getting 30% back, five times over, on purchases you were arguably going to make anyway. That is a strong return for coffee, a meal at an independent cafe, or a purchase at a neighbourhood retailer. The catch is discipline. Because the credit is capped at five transactions, there is no benefit to stacking a large single spend beyond the S$10 threshold. The sweet spot is five separate S$10-ish transactions at genuinely small, in-person merchants over the course of the month. Save it to your Card now, check the directory when it goes live, and treat it as a nudge to support the independent businesses the campaign is built around.

Click HERE to check out the full list of participating bars and restaurants!

You earn 10 World of Hyatt points per eligible US dollar spent on food and beverage, which is double the usual five base points. The breakdown is five base points plus five bonus points per US dollar. Here is the important part that is easy to miss: walk-in dining that is not tied to a hotel stay ordinarily earns nothing at all in World of Hyatt, so this is not a case of the usual earn being doubled. During this window, non-stay dining that normally earns zero suddenly earns 10 points per dollar. That is what makes the offer genuinely additive rather than a rounding exercise.

This is where it gets interesting for anyone who reads this site. World of Hyatt points are among the more valuable hotel currencies, and I generally value them at around 2.0 US cents each. At 10 points per US dollar, you are effectively getting somewhere in the region 20 per cent back in value on dining you were likely to do anyway. Your own valuation may vary, but even at the conservative end this comfortably beats the earn rate on most Singapore dining credit cards on their own (which you will still be able to earn on these transactions).

To put it in redemption terms under the new five-tier award chart that took effect in May 2026 (which I covered in detail in my earlier post on the World of Hyatt chart changes):

• A Category 1 hotel (like the Hyatt House Kuala Lumpur, Mont Kiara) at the Lowest level now costs just 3,000 points per night. That is a free night for around US$300 of eligible dining.

• Maxing out the promotion at 30,000 bonus points is enough for up to ten nights at a Category 1 hotel on the Lowest level (3,000 points each).

The honest caveat on the cap is that 30,000 bonus points requires roughly US$6,000, or close to S$7,700 of eligible dining across two months. Very few readers will get anywhere near that, and I would not manufacture spend to chase it. The value here is in the everyday meals you were already going to buy, not in inventing new ones.

Outlet participation is the weak point of this promotion. Hyatt is explicit that not all properties, and not all outlets within a participating property, are taking part. Across the wider region the terms tell you to ask the outlet associates before you order, which is a polite way of saying the burden is on you to confirm eligibility on the spot. Front-of-house staff are not always briefed on regional loyalty promotions, so do not be surprised if you have to gently explain what you are asking about.

For Singapore, the participating outlets are confirmed and sit across the city's two Hyatt-branded hotels, Grand Hyatt Singapore and Andaz Singapore. The confirmed venues are:

• Grand Hyatt Singapore: Le Pristine Singapore, Pete's Place, Oasis, and 10|Scotts

• Andaz Singapore: Alley on 25, 5 ON 25, 665°F, and Mr. Stork

Each of these is running themed ComforTable menus tied to the campaign, so keep an eye out for names like the Midday Comfort Deal, the Me Time Recharge Meal, Plates & Pours Hour, the Tea & Treats Ritual, and Get Together brunches and dinners. These are the packages the promotion is built around, and they make hitting the US$10 minimum effortless.

The sweet spot is straightforward. If you already dine at a participating Hyatt outlet with any regularity, or you live or work near one, this is close to free money for two months. Present your number, pay at the outlet, and let the points post.

Two practical notes: First, if you are staying in-house, do not charge dining to your room during this window. Settle it directly at the outlet instead, otherwise the folio exclusion locks you out of the bonus. It feels counterintuitive, but paying separately is what earns you the points here. Second, stack your payment. Because you are paying directly at the outlet rather than to a folio, you are free to use whichever card earns you the most on dining. My personal choice is the UOB Lady’s Solitaire Credit Card, UOB Preferred Platinum Visa, and the HSBC Revolution Credit Card. These cards will earn at least 4 miles per dollar when used correctly and you can essentially double-dip on the same spend, earning hotel points and card rewards at once.

The trigger is a sharp rebound in jet fuel prices tied to renewed tensions in the Middle East. According to the latest data published by the International Air Transport Association, the global average jet fuel price rose to US$149.40 per barrel for the week ending 17 July 2026, up from US$127.06 the week prior and US$119.13 for the week ending 3 July 2026. That is a steep climb in a fortnight, and Cathay has moved quickly to pass it through.

Cathay adjusts its passenger surcharges by route band rather than by individual route. The table below sets out the current and revised amounts, with the Hong Kong dollar figure in brackets for reference where an international band applies.

The top long-haul band is also applied to a range of city pairs that do not touch Hong Kong at all, including Japan to the United States, various United States and Europe to South America routes, Australia and New Zealand to Chile, and a cluster of Qatar-origin routes. If you are constructing anything creative on Cathay's wider network, assume the same USD 174.60 band applies to those sectors from 1 August.

The scale of the increase is worth spelling out. The international bands are jumping by roughly 41%, while the cross-border Hong Kong to Chinese Mainland surcharges rise by a flatter 20%. On the marquee long-haul band, that is an increase of nearly USD 51 each way, or a little over USD 100 return before you have paid a cent towards the fare itself.

For most readers here, two bands matter. The first is All other flights, which is where a Singapore to Hong Kong sector sits. The surcharge climbs from USD 30.90 to USD 43.50 each way, or roughly S$42 to S$59 at current rates. It is not ruinous, but on a return regional trip it is another twenty-odd dollars quietly added to the bill. The second is the long-haul band, which is the one that stings. If you are routing through Hong Kong to Europe, North America, the South West Pacific, the Middle East or Africa on Cathay, you are now looking at USD 174.60 each way, or approximately S$235. On a return long-haul itinerary that is close to S$470 in fuel surcharges alone.

The elephant in the room, as ever, is award travel. Cathay and Asia Miles have never shielded members from fuel surcharges on award redemptions the way KrisFlyer does on Singapore Airlines metal, so this increase lands squarely on anyone burning miles for a premium cabin on Cathay. A round-the-houses Business Class redemption to Europe via Hong Kong will now carry noticeably heavier cash co-payments than it did a month ago. It does not change the value equation dramatically, but it does chip away at it.

Fuel surcharge movements are cyclical and largely outside any airline's control, so there is little point in being indignant about the increase itself. What is actionable is the timing. Cathay has given a clear line in the sand at 31 July 2026, and surcharges are assessed at the point of ticketing rather than travel. If you have a Cathay trip on the horizon, whether a cash fare or an Asia Miles redemption, ticketing before 1 August 2026 locks in the current, lower surcharge even if you fly months later. If your plans are still soft, I would not rush into a speculative booking purely to save fifty dollars each way on a regional hop. But for a confirmed long-haul Business or First redemption, getting the ticket issued before the deadline is a straightforward way to keep a few hundred dollars in your pocket.

Click HERE to check out the latest promotions for KLEO Seminyak!

None of the rooms at KLEO come with a bathtub, worth flagging upfront for anyone who considers that a dealbreaker. As a Globalist, the best available category is the 52 sqm Premium Room with balcony, though this proved harder to secure than expected. On the morning of arrival, my reservation had been pre-upgraded to a King Bed Neighbourhood View room, despite Premium Rooms still showing as available. I emailed the hotel that morning to ask whether a better upgrade could be arranged for the duration of my stay. The response was polite but not quite what I had hoped for:

We are pleased to confirm that we have reviewed your reservation and arranged an upgrade to the best available room at this time. As our Balcony Rooms are limited in availability, we are delighted to offer you an upgrade to our Terrace Room instead. Please note that the Terrace Room is conveniently located on the lobby level.

I ended up accepting the Terrace Room upgrade, on the lobby level, rather than holding out for a premium room that may or may not have materialised.

As a World of Hyatt Globalist, the benefit entitles members to the best available room (up to a standard suite) at check-in for the entire length of their stay, and since the Premium Room with balcony was still showing as available at the point of check-in, I could have reasonably pushed for it regardless of how limited that inventory was. In the end I was perfectly happy with the Terrace Room. It turned out to be spacious, and the ground-floor layout meant I could step straight out into fresh air and greenery rather than being boxed in on a higher floor, which felt like its own quiet luxury in Bali's climate.

Design-wise, the Terrace Room leans into KLEO's playful, colour-blocked identity rather than the pared-back neutrals typical of a Hyatt property. Deep forest green panelling with arched detailing runs along one wall, offset by a wood-panelled minibar nook, while the bed area picks up warmer, earthier tones with a mustard-and-terracotta pendant lamp hanging low beside the headboard. The ensuite continues the theme with sea-green vertical tiling and an open walk-through layout connecting the vanity, wardrobe and bathroom, so the space feels more like a compact apartment than a conventional hotel room. It is unmistakably younger and more design-forward than what you would find at Alila Seminyak next door, and while some of the finishes are clearly done on a tighter budget, the overall effect is playful rather than cheap.

The bed itself is a mixed bag. It looks the part, dressed crisply in white linen with a channel-quilted sage headboard, but it is undoubtedly on the firmer side, closer to what you would expect at a business hotel than the plush, sink-in beds associated with tropical resorts. On the upside, the room's small indoor lounging corner, a mustard-yellow armchair paired with a round table by the window, turned out to be one of my favourite spots in the room. With Seminyak's afternoon heat and humidity being what they are, having a comfortable indoor nook to read or work from, rather than being limited to the terrace outside, was a welcome bit of flexibility.

A small but appreciated touch is the bedside setup, with universal power outlets and USB charging ports built directly into the nightstand, alongside clearly labelled switches for master lighting, night light, relax and reading modes. It is a practical, well-thought-out detail that saves guests from hunting for adapters or fumbling in the dark. Sleep quality was also solid, helped by air conditioning that ran cold and consistent throughout the night. By comparison, I recall the air-conditioning at Alila Seminyak next door running noticeably less cold, though that is understandable given it is the older of the two properties.

A nice welcome touch awaited on the side table: a small decorative metal box containing an assortment of chocolates in different flavours, including a spicy variant that was an unexpectedly interesting bite. Alongside this sat a tin of Muntigunung dried mango, a locally handmade product from Bali, and a couple of KLEO postcards featuring the hotel's moody, artisan-focused branding. It is a small gesture, but one that fits the property's identity as a younger, community-conscious alternative to the more polished, corporate welcome amenities.

Since I was working remotely during this visit, having a proper desk in the room made a real difference. The curved wooden desk, set against the forest green panelling with its arched detailing, was compact but functional, with a comfortable chair, a landline, and enough surface space for a laptop and notes. This mattered more than it might otherwise, because while KLEO's common areas are genuinely well designed and pleasant to sit in, they are open-air and not air-conditioned, which makes them less practical for a full working session in Bali's heat and humidity.

On top of the sockets at the bedside, the desk area came with its own bank of universal outlets and USB-C/USB-A charging ports, complete with a switch labelled specifically for the terrace, so devices were never left fighting for a single plug point. Wifi throughout the room and property was fast and stable, with no dropouts during my stay. There is also a Xiaomi coffee machine in the room, with complimentary coffee capsules replenished daily, a handy option for that first cup before heading out. That said, Tanamera coffee is just a short stroll away, and the surrounding Seminyak area are well stocked with good coffee spots, so even without the in-room machine, caffeine is never far off.

Whenever I travel to Bali, I always look forward to having an outdoor space to unwind in, and the Terrace Room delivers this well with its own private sitting area facing a small patch of tropical garden. A two-seater sofa in olive green, paired with a round rope-and-stone coffee table, makes for a pleasant spot to sit with a drink as the evening cools down. There is no outdoor shower, which is something I personally enjoy at tropical properties and did miss here, but the terrace itself is a genuine asset, especially for balmy evenings looking out onto the greenery. One small caveat: mosquitoes do make an appearance after dark, so those sensitive to bites may want to limit time outside in the evening or come prepared with repellent.

Between the bedroom and bathroom sits an open wardrobe area, wood-panelled with soft integrated lighting along the shelving, and a magnified vanity mirror on one side that hints at the bathroom just beyond. What I liked about this layout is that the wardrobe is split into two matching sides, left and right, which makes it easy to divide storage space cleanly if travelling with a partner or friend. Rather than negotiating shelf and hanging space, each person effectively gets their own side, a small but sensible design choice for a room that otherwise feels compact.

The hotel also offers an in-house wash and fold laundry service, allowing guests to send up to a fixed number of items for a flat fee, a useful option for anyone staying longer and not wanting to pack a suitcase full of dirty laundry on the way home. The bathroom itself continues the room's playful design language, with floor-to-ceiling teal vertical tiling that gives the space a fresh, almost retro-tropical feel against the warm wood tones of the vanity and wardrobe. A long stone counter houses a double basin setup with wall-mounted taps, while an oversized arched mirror doubles as a clever visual trick, opening the compact bathroom up and even framing a view back into the bedroom.

As mentioned, there is no bathtub here, but the shower more than makes up for it with a proper rain shower head overhead alongside a handheld unit, both fed by strong, consistent water pressure.

Toiletries come in the form of KLEO's own Essence of Bali range, housed in wall-mounted refillable pump bottles rather than single-use miniatures, a small sustainability touch that also keeps the shower shelf tidy. The shampoo, conditioner and body wash are plant-based, with the body wash in particular featuring a Balinese sea salt-enriched formula that felt genuinely pleasant to use rather than a generic, sickly-sweet hotel scent.

While KLEO Seminyak is not beachfront, the hotel makes up for it with a rooftop pool that is more generous in size than you might expect for a property in this category, complete with sun loungers, umbrellas and a bar overlooking the surrounding rooftops of Seminyak. It is a genuinely pleasant spot to catch the sunset with a drink in hand. Speaking of which, the rooftop bar runs a happy hour with 1-for-1 drinks that is not always clearly advertised, so it is worth asking staff directly about timing and terms rather than assuming it will be flagged to you automatically.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Breakfast is served at Zia Tina, the hotel's all-day restaurant, and is included as part of the World of Hyatt Globalist benefit. Officially, this entitles each guest to one main course, though from experience the team was happy to accommodate additional orders without any fuss. The spread itself was a pleasant surprise: think a soft-poached egg dish with crispy bacon and blistered cherry tomatoes, a nasi goreng-style plate with a sunny-side-up egg, prawn crackers and a trio of sambal and pickle accompaniments, a fresh fruit and granola bowl with dragon fruit and mango, and a fluffy soufflé pancake finished with berry compote and whipped cream. The restaurant is also open to walk-in guests from outside the hotel, and it appears to be a fairly popular breakfast spot in its own right, with a handful of external diners at the tables during my stay.

One pleasant surprise was the gym, which is well equipped for strength training with a proper squat rack, a full range of dumbbells and kettlebells, weight plates, and a rower alongside the usual cardio machines. Honestly, I preferred it to the gym at Alila Seminyak next door, as the equipment here felt newer and better maintained, and having a dedicated squat rack and rower is not something every hotel gym in this category offers. For anyone looking to keep up a proper strength training routine while travelling rather than just squeezing in light cardio, this was a welcome find.

Overall, KLEO Seminyak, part of JdV by Hyatt, struck me as excellent value for what it offers. The design throughout, right down to the atrium-style lobby with its terracotta tiled columns and warm mid-century furnishings, punches well above what you would expect at this price point. If you are the sort of traveller who wants to hole up in a sea-view suite and barely leave the property, Alila Seminyak next door remains the better choice, and you will pay handsomely for that privilege. But if you are planning to spend most of your days out exploring Bali, and simply need a comfortable, well-designed base to return to at night, KLEO makes a compelling case at two to three times less the cost, freeing up that budget for everything else Bali has to offer. I would happily stay here again on a future trip back to Seminyak.

KLEO Seminyak - JDV by Hyatt
Jl. Taman Ganesha Jl. Petitenget No.9, Seminyak, Bali, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Website | Email

Click HERE to save up to 12% off your stays in Greater China!

Despite the Triple Delight branding, there are really two moving parts you need to understand, and they behave slightly differently. The first is the rate discount: 12% off the member flexible rate and the member breakfast-inclusive rate. Note the small print here, the discount applies to the room only and not to the breakfast component. Because it is layered onto the flexible rate rather than an advance-purchase rate, you keep the flexible cancellation policy, which is a genuine plus for anyone whose China plans are not yet locked in.

The second is the 20% Reward points bonus, which only applies to bookings made through the ALL App or the Accor WeChat Mini Program. Book on the desktop website and you forfeit the points kicker. The bonus is calculated on top of your base points and is capped at five bonus-earning stays across the campaign.

The 20% figure is the eye-catcher, but keep it in proportion. It is 20% on top of your base points, not a 20% rebate on the room rate. Base earning under ALL is modest to begin with (Classic members earn a baseline that scales with status), so the bonus in absolute terms will usually amount to a small top-up rather than a windfall. On a two-night stay at a mid-range Greater China property, you are realistically looking at a modest handful of extra points, not a free night.

The more meaningful lever for most readers is the 12% rate discount itself, particularly if you would otherwise be booking a flexible rate for the cancellation freedom. Stacking the discount with the app-only points bonus is the sensible play: book through the ALL App, take both, and you have optimised the offer without any real effort.

The 12% discount on a flexible rate is a fair saving with no cancellation penalty attached, and the app-only points bonus is a costless extra if you simply book through the ALL App. It is not a promotion I would build a trip around, and the "Triple Delight" name promises rather more theatre than the two-part reality delivers, but it does what it says. My advice is simple: if China, Hong Kong or Macau is on your itinerary before the end of September, book direct through the ALL App to capture both the discount and the points bonus, and do not lose sleep over the modest size of the latter.

Click HERE to register for the Here’s to Now promotion with ALL Accor!

The mechanics are refreshingly simple, but as usual, the order of operations matters here. You must register first, and only bookings made after successful registration qualify. If you have already booked a Mövenpick stay, that reservation will not count, which is a common way readers leave points on the table with Accor promotions..

ALL Accor Reward points are worth €0.02 each, given the programme's baseline of 2,000 points to €40. That puts 1,000 points at around €20, or approximately S$29. Bank the full two stays and you are looking at about S$58 in value. That is hardly the stuff of aspirational redemptions, and it will not fund a suite in the Maldives. But the value proposition is straightforward: if you were already going to stay at a Mövenpick for two nights or more, this is free points for the cost of a few minutes of registration. I would not book a Mövenpick I did not otherwise want purely to chase 1,000 points, and neither should you.

The offer spans over 85 hotels and resorts across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and Türkiye. Singapore is not on the participating list, but plenty of destinations within easy reach of Changi are, which is where this becomes relevant for the short-haul holiday crowd. Participating countries include Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam, alongside Bahrain, Egypt, Ghana, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Namibia, Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

This is the part you need to read twice. Accor's own materials contradict each other on when your stay must actually take place.

The marketing landing page states clearly that you can stay until 31 December 2026. The formal terms and conditions, however, state in clause 5 that the offer is valid for stays from 13 July to 13 October 2026. Those are two very different windows, and the gap between them is nearly three months. I have flagged this because it matters. If you book a stay for, say, November 2026 on the strength of the landing page and the credit fails to post, the T&Cs give Accor the wording to deny it. Until Accor reconciles the two, my advice is the cautious one: either complete your qualifying stays on or before 13 October 2026 to stay within the strict terms, or contact ALL Accor to get written confirmation of the later 31 December date before you commit to a booking you cannot easily cancel.

This is not a promotion that will move the needle on your balance, and 1,000 points is a rounding error for anyone chasing genuinely aspirational redemptions. But it costs nothing beyond registration, it applies to any tier, and if you have a Bali, Bangkok or Bali-adjacent trip already on the cards, you may as well pad your balance. Just register before you book, keep your stays within the safer 13 October window unless Accor tells you otherwise in writing, and do not go out of your way for it.

For travellers connecting through Auckland to onward points in the South Pacific or using the 777 on the airline's longer trunk routes, this is a meaningful upgrade that closes the gap with competitors like Qantas and Singapore Airlines on premium long-haul hardware.

Business Premier: Reverse Herringbone and Full Suites

The headline change is in Business Premier, where Air New Zealand is moving to a reverse herringbone layout using Collins Elevation seats, the same family of seats being rolled out across the 787-9 fleet. This is a significant shift from the current forward-facing configuration and should bring welcome improvements in privacy and personal space.

Key features of the new Business Premier cabin:

• 44 seats, unchanged from the current layout

• 43-inch pitch seats that convert to a fully lie-flat bed

• Doors on every seat for enhanced privacy

• Sliding privacy dividers on centre seats, useful for those travelling together

• 18-inch inflight entertainment screens with Bluetooth audio connectivity

• USB A and USB C connections

The addition of doors across the board brings Air New Zealand's long-haul Business Premier product into the same conversation as Qantas' Business Suite and Singapore Airlines' Business Class on the A350, both of which have set the standard for privacy on this class of seat.

Economy: New ZIM Seats and Larger Entertainment Screens

Economy also gets a refresh courtesy of new ergonomically designed seats from ZIM, paired with upgraded inflight entertainment screens. Interestingly, the overall Economy count increases by two seats despite the changes.

Key features of the new Economy cabin:

• 246 seats, two more than the current layout

• Economy Stretch seats at 35-inch pitch

• Standard Economy seats at 31 to 32-inch pitch

• 13-inch inflight entertainment screens with Bluetooth audio connectivity

• USB C connection

Premium Economy is left untouched by this programme, having already gone through its own refresh over the past year with new seat covers and cabin curtains. Notably, the overall Premium Economy cabin shrinks slightly, from 54 to 52 seats, to help accommodate the redesigned Business Premier suite, while the two seats freed up are added to Economy instead.

The total aircraft layout remains unchanged at 342 seats, with the 16 Skycouch rows in Economy retained.

The first retrofitted 777-300ER is scheduled to enter the workshop in March 2027, with a return to service targeted for May 2027. Given Air New Zealand operates ten 777-300ER aircraft, expect the retrofit programme to roll out gradually across the fleet over the following one to two years, similar to the pace of the 787-9 refresh.

Air New Zealand's 777-300ER is not currently deployed on the Singapore to Auckland route, which typically sees the 787-9, but the type has historically featured on other Air New Zealand long-haul sectors that Singapore-based travellers connect through via Australia. A more consistent cabin standard across the airline's widebody fleet also strengthens the case for routing through Auckland when chasing Star Alliance status credits or booking a South Pacific itinerary that involves a longer sector on the 777.

For those planning further ahead, it is worth keeping an eye on which routes get the retrofitted aircraft first once the programme begins in 2027, particularly if a lie-flat Business Premier suite with a door is on the wish list for a New Zealand or Pacific itinerary.

Click HERE to link your Marriott Bonvoy and JAL Mileage Bank accounts!

The headline feature is reciprocal status matching. Members of either programme can now link their JMB and Bonvoy accounts to receive elite recognition in the other programme, with the level of benefit scaling to how much status they already hold. Marriott Bonvoy members will also start earning FLY ON Points automatically each year simply by linking their accounts, without needing to take a single flight.

How JAL Mileage Bank Members Benefit

JMB members gain a fairly generous path into the Marriott Bonvoy ecosystem, which is a massive perk given Bonvoy's portfolio of more than 10,000 properties worldwide.

How Marriott Bonvoy Members Benefit

This is where things get interesting for those of us who already carry Bonvoy elite status. Simply linking a Bonvoy account to JMB triggers an automatic annual credit of FLY ON Points, JAL's status-qualifying currency, with the amount tied to Bonvoy tier.

This is the detail I keep coming back to. Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite members are the only two tiers that unlock the status match to JAL Crystal, and Crystal sits at the same level as oneworld Ruby, the entry-tier recognition across the alliance. That alone is a nice freebie for a Bonvoy member who has never flown JAL. But the real value is in the phrase "or higher based on accumulated FLY ON Points". With 30,000 to 40,000 FLY ON Points landing in the account every year just for holding status, Titanium and Ambassador members are already sitting on a meaningful jump start towards Sapphire, JAL's next tier up and the equivalent of oneworld Sapphire. For anyone who splits their loyalty between Bonvoy and a oneworld carrier, this closes a gap that used to require actual JAL flying to bridge.

As someone who holds Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite and have already reached oneworld Emerald through Qantas Platinum, this partnership has little value to me personally. However, it does give me a head start towards oneworld Sapphire if I ever wish to switch frequent flyer programs - miles on JAL Mileage Bank are worth a whole lot more than Qantas Frequent Flyer points anyway. For Singapore-based readers who already hold Bonvoy elite status and fly JAL occasionally via Haneda or Narita, linking accounts costs nothing and only adds value. Whether it is worth actively chasing JAL flying purely for JMB status is a separate question, but as a passive top-up to an existing oneworld strategy, this is hard to argue with.

Click HERE to check out the latest promotions for the Courtyard by Marriott Sapporo!

At the time, I already held oneworld Emerald through Qatar Airways Platinum, secured via a fast track offer with ALL Diamond in early 2025, though it was due to expire in February 2026. The Aria Suite itself was superb, but if I am honest, the chance to visit The Pier First during my layover in Hong Kong is always the highlight of any Cathay Pacific business class journey for me. Getting to the Courtyard was straightforward by train, with Nakajima-Kōen Station only a short stroll from the hotel entrance. The walk itself was another matter. The snow had settled thickly enough to make navigating the pavements with luggage a slower, more deliberate affair than I had anticipated.

Having opened only in July 2024, everything still felt crisp and current, from the furnishings in the lobby down to the room fittings. Gone was any sense of the generic, slightly tired feel that Courtyard properties can sometimes carry. Instead, the design language leaned into a bright, natural aesthetic that felt distinctly Hokkaido, with warm wood tones and clean lines that made the space feel considerably more premium than the brand tier suggested. At check-in, I was thanked for being a Titanium Elite member and given a daily credit of JPY 3,000 (JPY 1,500 per registered guest) in lieu of complimentary breakfast, which is not a standard benefit at a Courtyard property - more about this later! What struck me most, though, was a small gesture that had nothing to do with points or elite tiers. I had mentioned, almost in passing, how bitterly cold it was outside while checking in, and the staff member on duty did not just nod politely. She disappeared briefly and returned with a handful of Hokkairo heat packs for me to warm my hands with, along with a bag of milk karinto, a local Hokkaido snack, tossed in as an unprompted little gift. It was a small thing, but it is exactly the sort of warmth (pun very much intended) that tends to stick with me long after the free breakfast credits and elite recognition are forgotten.

While the upgrade itself was modest, a small bump from Superior to Deluxe, landing me on a higher floor rather than anything more substantial, the room itself left a strong impression. It was comfortable and remarkably quiet, with none of the street or corridor noise that can sometimes creep into city hotels. What stood out most was the restraint in the furnishing. Light oak panelling and slatted wood detailing ran throughout, paired with a frosted glass partition separating the entryway from the bedroom that let light filter through without sacrificing privacy.

Nothing about it felt cheap, despite the simplicity, and materials and finishes carried a quiet, considered quality that many properties a tier above fail to achieve. The bed itself was pristine, with sheets ironed crisply and tucked with a precision that immediately put me at ease. Towards the back of the room near the window sat a small sofa and chaise, a welcome touch that made for a comfortable spot to lounge during the day, whether catching up on emails at the adjacent round table or simply watching the city lights below. Crucially, given how bitterly cold it was outside, insulation and heating inside the room were excellent, with no draughts or cold spots to speak of.

The king-size bed itself deserves a special mention. It was generously proportioned and plush without tipping into overly soft, with pillows that struck the right balance of support and comfort after a long day trudging through the snow. A striped, backlit panel ran the length of the headboard, casting a soft glow that made the room feel warm and inviting even on the coldest nights. What I particularly appreciated, though, was a small but thoughtful touch on each bedside table: a can warmer, one holding a Hokkaido corn soup and the other a hot chocolate, waiting for me each time I returned to the room. Both are complimentary and replenished daily, and there is genuinely nothing better than cradling a warm can in frozen hands after a day out in the Sapporo cold. They taste as good as they sound too, so do make the most of them during your stay.

Bedside convenience was well thought out too. A discreet panel embedded into the nightstand controlled the room light, night light, and bedside light independently, letting me adjust the mood without having to get up once I had settled in for the night. A USB-C port was also built directly into the panel, a small but practical touch that meant I did not have to hunt around the room for a place to charge my phone.

A small counter near the entrance rounded off the in-room amenities nicely, with a Nespresso machine and a couple of complimentary bottles of Hokkaido mineral water, replenished daily along with a small tray of coffee capsules. I do not usually mind stepping out for a quick coffee, but winter changes the calculus entirely. When the temptation is to keep both hands buried in your pockets the moment you leave the room, having a decent cup of coffee ready within arm's reach in a comfortable heated room becomes a genuine luxury rather than a nice-to-have.

View fullsize

View fullsize

What impressed me further was the daily replenishment itself. Housekeeping topped up not just the water bottles but a generous six Nespresso capsules every day, more than enough for two people to enjoy a couple of coffees each without having to ration them. It is worth putting this in context: even at the Grand Hyatt Jeju, where I stayed in a suite last year, the capsule replenishment was noticeably stingier. For a Courtyard property to out-do a Hyatt suite on this particular detail says a lot about how seriously this hotel takes the small things.

The bathroom itself was compact but well-appointed, with a marble-topped vanity, a sleek oval basin, and a Toto washlet toilet that has become something of a baseline expectation in Japan. There is no bathtub in the room, which may disappoint some, but the hotel more than makes up for it with an on-site sento, a traditional Japanese-style public bath, separated for men and women. It is a distinctly local experience and one that requires being completely comfortable in the nude, but returning from a freezing day out to a proper hot bath is an experience I would call legendary. The in-room television even displays a crowd indicator for the sento, though I found it was not always accurate. As you might expect, the period just before and after dinner tends to be peak hours, so plan accordingly if you prefer a quieter soak.

For a quicker rinse, or if the sento queue looks daunting, the in-room shower is more than capable on its own. It features a proper rain shower head alongside a handheld attachment, both stocked with toiletries lined up neatly along the wall, and the water pressure and temperature control were excellent throughout the stay. The Toto washlet, as expected, came with a heated seat, one of those small conveniences that becomes an absolute necessity once winter sets in and you realise how unpleasant a cold toilet seat can be at three in the morning.

The Nirvae Botanicals shampoo and conditioner, scented with bergamot and tea tree, were a pleasant surprise too. The fragrance was subtle and clean rather than overpowering, the sort of neutral scent that would not clash with cologne or perfume applied later, and a welcome departure from the overly sweet or synthetic-smelling toiletries that some hotels default to.

Arriving well after dark, my first look out the window revealed almost nothing beyond scattered lights in the distance, and it was only the following morning that I got a proper sense of what I was looking at. By daylight, the room overlooked a mix of low-rise residential buildings and an expansive open field dusted with snow, stretching out towards the city skyline beyond.

Breakfast is served at Substance, the all-day dining restaurant on the second floor, from 6:30am to 10:30am (with last entry at 10:00am). As mentioned, this comes at a cost of JPY 2,500 per person at the special Marriott Bonvoy elite rate, offset by the JPY 1,500 daily credit per registered guest. What made it more interesting, though, was arriving among the first few guests each morning. Doing so gave me the option to choose between the standard buffet spread or a premium kaisendon, a bowl piled generously with fresh Hokkaido seafood. Do note that opting for the kaisendon means forgoing the buffet altogether, so it is worth deciding in advance which experience you are after, though on the seafood quality alone, I would say the kaisendon is well worth prioritising at least once during your stay.

View fullsize

View fullsize

On the other days, I opted for the standard buffet, which turned out to be a surprisingly decent spread, especially once the effective cost worked out to just JPY 1,000 per person after applying the daily F&B credit. There was a live noodle station serving a comforting bowl of ramen, complete with tender chashu and a rich, well-balanced broth, alongside a made-to-order egg station for whichever style you fancied that morning. A build-your-own kaisendon corner was also on offer, and while it understandably did not match the quality or generosity of the premium version, it was still a respectable effort, with a reasonable variety of toppings including tamagoyaki, tuna, and salmon roe to pile onto your rice.

Beyond the noodle and egg stations, the rest of the buffet covered the usual bases well. There was a solid rotation of Japanese breakfast staples, including grilled fish, karaage, and sausages, alongside a proper continental spread of salads and cold cuts for those after something lighter. Coffee was self-serve from a proper machine, and takeaway cups were readily available too, a thoughtful touch for anyone wanting to grab a cup on the way out the door and straight into the cold.

All things considered, this was a stay I would not hesitate to repeat. Redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points here proved to be a genuinely good use of currency, particularly if your dates allow you to capture the 5th night free benefit, which brought the effective cost down considerably compared to paying cash. The location strikes a fair balance too. It is not right in the thick of Susukino or directly beside Sapporo Station, but Nakajima-Kōen Station puts both within easy reach, with Susukino roughly a ten-minute walk and central Sapporo just a short subway ride away, all while retaining a quieter, more residential feel around the hotel itself thanks to its position beside Nakajima Park. Between the well-appointed rooms, the thoughtful daily touches, and a breakfast programme that punches well above its Courtyard branding, this is a property I will gladly return to on my next trip to Hokkaido.

Courtyard by Marriott Sapporo
1 Chome-1-57 Minami 10 Jonishi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 064-0810, Japan
Website | Email

Click HERE to register for the Marriott Bonvoy x Emirates 5,000 bonus points offer!

This is a targeted promotion, which means it is only valid for the specific Marriott Bonvoy members to whom it has been addressed. If you have received the invitation in your inbox, it is worth registering even if you are not certain you will complete a qualifying stay before the deadline, since registration itself costs nothing. One thing worth flagging up front: this offer never appeared in the promotions section of my Marriott Bonvoy app. I only found it because I happened to check my email. If you are someone who relies on the app to see what you are enrolled in, it is worth digging back through your inbox, since this is the kind of offer you would completely miss unless you are checking your email religiously.

A stay is defined as consecutive nights in the same hotel, regardless of how many times you check in or out, provided you are paying an eligible rate at a participating Marriott Bonvoy hotel. The important detail here is that bookings made before 15 July 2026 are still eligible, so long as the actual stay is consumed within the promotion period. This is useful if you already have a trip booked for August or September; you do not need to make a fresh reservation to qualify.

A few carve-outs are worth flagging before you assume a stay will count:

• Free Night Awards and Cash + Points bookings do not earn the bonus.

• Prepaid rates booked through third parties such as Expedia, Travelocity, or Booking.com are not eligible, since these do not earn points at all under Marriott Bonvoy programme rules.

• Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott Executive Apartments, ExecuStay, and Marriott Vacation Club owner-occupied weeks are excluded.

• Award redemption nights do not earn bonus points.

Marriott has confirmed this offer can be combined with other points promotions running concurrently, though the earnings are calculated exclusively of one another rather than stacking multiplicatively. If you are also enrolled in a global Bonvoy promotion this quarter, you should be able to earn both bonuses on the same qualifying stay, subject to each promotion's own terms. One notable exclusion: members who have elected to earn Miles instead of points on a given stay are not eligible for this promotion. If you typically convert your Bonvoy earnings to airline miles at checkout, you will want to opt for points earning instead if you intend to capture this bonus.

For a targeted offer with no downside to registering, the answer is generally yes. Five thousand points is not a life-changing sum, but it is a free top-up on a stay you are likely booking anyway, and it costs nothing beyond a few minutes of registration through the official Marriott Bonvoy Emirates portal. The main thing to watch is the definition of an eligible stay, particularly if you tend to book through online travel agencies for a marginally cheaper rate. If you have multiple stays planned before the end of September, it is worth directing your first paid, points-eligible stay towards a hotel where you are confident the rate qualifies, so the bonus is not wasted on a non-qualifying rate.

Click HERE to check book a Hyatt Prive rate for The Standard, Singapore!

The property itself has a cool, laid-back energy that immediately reminded me of the Mondrian Singapore Duxton, all playful design touches without trying too hard. Check-in was handled reasonably efficiently, though I did not receive a room upgrade for this stay. As a Globalist, a 4pm late check out was offered regardless, which softened the blow slightly. Worth flagging for fellow points redeemers: the Standard Twin With One Twin Bed is the base room category here, and it is the only room type available for points redemptions. If you are hoping to redeem into one of the King bed rooms, you are out of luck. On a more positive note, the property moved down from Category 5 to Category 4 this year, which means Category 1-4 free night awards can now be used here, a meaningful win for anyone sitting on a stash of expiring awards.

The room itself is compact at 23 sqm, which is on the smaller side even by Singapore standards, but it has been furnished thoughtfully enough that it never feels cramped. The floor-to-ceiling window is the standout feature, flooding the room with natural light, and my room faced directly onto the Shangri-La apartments. This actually makes sense once you understand the property's layout, as the hotel sits sandwiched between the Shangri-La apartment block and the main Shangri-La hotel itself. A nice touch is the L-shaped sofa tucked by the window, which turned out to be a great spot to relax during the day, whether catching up on emails or simply people watching over the neighbourhood below. The room also comes with a 50-inch smart TV mounted on the opposite wall, and casting shows from Netflix or other streaming apps onto the screen was straightforward, a small but appreciated convenience for anyone who wants to wind down with their usual line up rather than hotel channels.

There was no welcome amenity to speak of, save for a handwritten note left on the terrazzo side table, a nice personal touch even if it did not extend to anything more tangible. I was staying for leisure rather than work, but it is worth noting that the room does not really offer a proper desk or work area beyond the window sofa. If you do need to get things done, the cafe on the lobby floor is a solid alternative. From experience, it tends to be quiet during the day, making it a decent spot to camp out with a laptop if the room itself is not conducive to work.

Amenities in the room are functional rather than lavish. There is a Nespresso machine sitting on a small marble ledge next to the minibar, paired with a couple of bottled waters, and a fold out luggage rack mounted on the wall nearby, a practical alternative to a proper wardrobe given the room's tight footprint. The whimsical red cabinet is a nice nod to the brand's playful design language, though storage space itself remains limited. It is clear that the design team prioritised character over practicality here, which is very on brand for The Standard, Singapore, but guests travelling with more luggage may find themselves wishing for a proper closet.

Opening the drawer of that red cabinet reveals a nice surprise, with a small stash of complimentary Nespresso capsules and a selection of TWG teas, along with sugar and creamer sachets tucked neatly alongside a corkscrew and cutlery. It is a thoughtful touch that elevates what would otherwise be a fairly standard in-room coffee and tea set up. I am not entirely sure whether an evening turndown service is offered as standard, as I did not have the opportunity to observe one during my stay, so this is worth checking with the front desk if it matters to you.

On the bed itself, I had booked the king configuration for this stay. Worth noting that if you have booked the twin room, whether for the cheaper rate or because you redeemed points, it is worth writing in ahead of your stay to request a king bed instead, as this seems to be something the hotel can accommodate on request. Despite the compact room size, I found the bed itself to be genuinely comfortable, and the overall design language, from the striped wooden headboard to the capsule-shaped wall light in a warm amber glow, gave the room a distinct character that I appreciated.

Despite being only 23 sqm in size, the boxy-layout of the room made it feel sufficient. Do note that instead of a proper wardrobe, a couple of hooks on the wall serve as the main storage for jackets and clothing, which fits the room's compact footprint but may feel limiting if you are packing more formal wear.

There was no iron in the room during my stay, though I understand one is available upon request from housekeeping.

The view from my room looked down onto the pool deck, and it is a genuinely striking one, with the freeform pool framed by rows of umbrellas and lush landscaping below. From my limited experience with The Standard brand, having only stayed at the Bangkok property before this, the pools do seem to be a consistent strength across the brand. They always seem to strike that balance between looking good in photos and actually being pleasant to spend an afternoon at, and this one is no exception.

The bathroom is arguably the most visually striking part of the room, with bold orange and cream striped tiles running floor to ceiling and a statement circular backlit mirror above the sink. It is a departure from the neutral palette in the bedroom, and it works well, giving the space a distinct personality without feeling gimmicky. The vanity is compact but well laid out, with a single sink, a shelf for toiletries, and a walk-in shower visible through the mirror's reflection. Storage is again on the minimal side, though a small shelf beside the sink and cubby space below help make up for the lack of drawers.

The shower itself continues the same bold orange and white striped tiling, with a rain shower head overhead and a handheld shower on a sliding rail, along with a built in seat and a set of full sized amenities lined up on a small ledge. There is no bathtub in this room category, which is fairly standard for a room this size, but the shower alone is spacious and well pressured, more than making up for the absence of a tub if a proper soak is not a priority for your stay.

Consistent to what you would expect, bath amenities come in bulk sized pump bottles rather than the usual miniature single-use bottles - a shampoo, conditioner and body wash set mounted directly on the shower wall. This is a sustainability conscious touch that more hotels have been adopting, and it works well here, cutting down on plastic waste without compromising on the actual product quality.

Breakfast is served at Kaya, the hotel's restaurant located on the ground floor, which functions as an all-day dining venue outside of breakfast hours. As a Globalist, breakfast here is complimentary, a perk that alone goes some way towards offsetting the lack of a room upgrade on this stay. The format is a la carte, and unlimited servings of everything on the menu are included, which is a fantastic setup as it means you can order as many rounds as you like without worrying about a fixed buffet spread. Portions are kept intentionally small, so this actually works in your favour, allowing you to sample a wider variety of dishes across multiple rounds rather than committing to one large plate. The staff here deserve a special mention too, cheerful and consistently on top of orders, with coffee refills offered proactively throughout the meal.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Kaya, incidentally, is normally a contemporary Japanese izakaya restaurant on the second floor of the hotel, so it makes sense that you will spot some Japanese influenced dishes on the breakfast menu too. Beyond that, there is a good mix of Western and Asian options that cater to a fairly broad clientele. Some of my favourites were the fried chicken waffle and the laksa, both of which were surprisingly well executed for a breakfast setting, along with the ochazuke, which was a nice nod to the restaurant's Japanese roots. I also appreciated that there were decent vegetarian and healthier options on the menu, which is not always a given at hotel breakfasts.

The Standard, Singapore is not going to win on location alone. Being sandwiched between the Shangri-La apartments and hotel means it is a bit removed from the main Orchard strip, and unless you are happy to stay in and make full use of the property, you may find yourself relying on that shuttle more often than you would like. That said, the pool more than makes up for it, and it is genuinely one of the better ones I have encountered on this side of town. There is also a gym on site, though I did not have the chance to check it out myself. From what I understand, it is outdoors and on the smaller side, so manage your expectations accordingly if a proper workout is part of your travel routine.

Overall, I liked my stay here. It is great that Singapore finally has a Category 4 property to call its own, especially now that the hotel has moved down from Category 5. That said, I would not necessarily call this the best use of a free night award if you have the flexibility to choose elsewhere. Properties like Grand Hyatt Fukuoka or even The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon offer arguably better value for the same certificate. Still, if your award is close to expiring and you find yourself in Singapore, this is a perfectly solid option to fall back on. Rates through luxury advisor channels can sometimes undercut the standard World of Hyatt rate, so it is always worth a quick comparison before booking direct.

The Standard, Singapore
12 Orange Grove Rd, Singapore 258353
Website | Email

Click HERE to book your flights on Trip.com and double-dip on miles and points!

The table below covers all route groups affected by the 16 July revision. Singapore-based travellers fall under the Rest of the World origin bracket, so the USD column is the most relevant figure.

The reduction is uniform at approximately 17 percent across all three brackets. Surcharges for flights to and from the Chinese Mainland remain unchanged. The revised rates apply to both Cathay Pacific-operated flights and joint operating and codeshare flights on the affected routes. For Singapore-based travellers, most Cathay Pacific itineraries connect through Hong Kong, attracting surcharges on each individual sector. Using 1 USD = 1.276 SGD as the conversion reference:

Return trip to London (SIN-HKG-LHR and back):

• 4 sectors, all long-haul bracket

• From 1 Jul: 4 × USD 149.20 = USD 596.80 (approximately S$762)

• From 16 Jul: 4 × USD 123.70 = USD 494.80 (approximately S$631)

• Saving: approximately S$131 per return trip

Return trip to Sydney (SIN-HKG-SYD and back):

• 4 sectors, same long-haul bracket

• From 1 Jul: ~S$762

• From 16 Jul: ~S$631

• Saving: ~S$131

Return trip to Hong Kong (SIN-HKG and back):

• 2 sectors, "all other routes" bracket

• From 1 Jul: 2 × USD 37.20 = USD 74.40 (approximately S$95)

• From 16 Jul: 2 × USD 30.90 = USD 61.80 (approximately S$79)

• Saving: approximately S$16 per return trip

Fuel surcharges are passed through to award redemptions in full, regardless of which programme you use to book. Asia Miles, British Airways Avios, and most other oneworld partner currencies all carry the surcharge as a cash payment on top of taxes and fees. A Business Class redemption from Singapore to London now comes with roughly S$631 in surcharges and fees before you have spent a single Asia Mile - still a meaningful out-of-pocket figure, but noticeably lower than the peak seen earlier this year.

The comparison with KrisFlyer redemptions on Singapore Airlines, which carries lower fuel surcharges on long-haul routes, remains relevant. If you are sitting on award space for a Cathay redemption and weighing whether to pull the trigger, the surcharge trajectory is moving in your favour right now, though there is no guarantee the bi-weekly reviews will continue downward. If your travel is not imminent, waiting until 16 July 2026 to issue your ticket will lock in the lower surcharge rate. On a long-haul return itinerary, the differential of roughly S$131 over the 1 July rate is worth capturing if you have the flexibility.

That said, Cathay's bi-weekly review cadence means the direction could reverse. Two downward moves does not guarantee a third. If you have a desirable award seat confirmed and the out-of-pocket saving is modest relative to the risk of losing availability, booking sooner may still be the better decision. The momentum is encouraging. Whether it continues into August will depend on where jet fuel prices head from here.

Click HERE to check the best rates for Kimpton Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong!

I flew in from Kansai International Airport on Cathay Pacific and reached the hotel by early evening. As an IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite member, I was genuinely surprised to see my stay upgraded by six categories, from an Essential Sunrise Sea View room to a Premium Victoria Harbour View. For context, my original three-night booking was priced at HKD 9,772 (around S$1,635), but I managed to lock in the stay for 155,000 points, working out to roughly 1.05 cents per point, a respectable return for IHG One Rewards points.

Depending on the actual room you are assigned, Premium Victoria Harbour View Rooms measure somewhere between 34 to 40 sqm, and the layout felt deliberately spacious. Every guest room and suite in the hotel comes with floor-to-ceiling windows framing Victoria Harbour, and mine was no exception. The king bed is plush without being overstuffed, the harbour view is every bit as commanding as promised, and the entire room carries a warm, polished aesthetic that feels both modern and genuinely comfortable.

I arrived at the hotel just before 10pm, but I still wanted to photograph the room while everything was in pristine condition. Turndown service was not done on the first night, which worked in my favour for photos, but it also did not happen on the following nights. It left me wondering if evening turndown is offered only on request rather than provided automatically, which is worth checking with the front desk if it matters to you.

I had mentioned in passing that I would be celebrating my birthday before the stay, and I did not expect the team to follow up on it. When I got to the room, I found a small cupcake topped with a chocolate birth plaque and a fresh strawberry, alongside a bowl of sweet green grapes that disappeared faster than I would like to admit. A handwritten note sat propped against the room's Tivoli radio, thanking me for choosing Kimpton and wishing me a wonderful birthday stay. It is a small gesture, but it is exactly the kind of personal touch that makes a stay memorable, and it says a lot about how the team was briefed and empowered to act on guest details rather than let them slip through the cracks.

The open wardrobe uses a rattan-and-brass frame that feels more boutique furniture piece than standard hotel fitting, with wooden hangers and a slatted marble-topped bench for luggage. Tucked beside it is a well-stocked mini bar nook, complete with a proper cocktail shaker, mixing glass and bar spoon, alongside a Nespresso machine and a small selection of teas and coffees. It is a thoughtful bit of space planning, and the little glass-fronted cabinet housing the bar tools adds a touch of theatre to what is otherwise a functional corner of the room. A wall-mounted television sits opposite, angled towards the bed, keeping the layout clean without a bulky console eating into the floor space.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Proper stemware and tumblers sit alongside the cocktail tools, a small luxury that most hotels skip in favour of plastic cups. The Nespresso machine comes loaded with capsules from Elephant Grounds, a well-regarded Hong Kong coffee roaster, which felt like a fitting nod to the local coffee scene rather than a generic in-room amenity.

The bed itself is dressed with plush, generously stuffed pillows and crisp white linens that made it easy to sleep well despite the long trip. The upholstered leather headboard extends into a rattan-panelled bedside console with a brushed brass control panel built into the frame, letting you switch the room lights, master power and a discreet do not disturb style moon setting without reaching for a separate panel or app.

As promised, the room delivers a stunning sweep of Victoria Harbour. Having previously stayed at the Grand Hyatt, Kerry Hotel, Hyatt Centric, and The Ritz-Carlton, I genuinely think the Kimpton Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong offers the most impressive harbour view of the lot. In Singapore terms, it is the difference between staying at The Fullerton Bay Hotel for that perfect Marina Bay panorama versus staying at Marina Bay Sands and not actually seeing the building everyone comes to photograph. While admiring the view, I realised I could see straight into the room next door, and presumably, they could see into mine as well. Something to keep in mind if you enjoy leaving the sheers and blinds open; at the very least, make sure you are appropriately dressed.

The bathroom is actually the first thing you encounter when you step into the room, an open-concept layout that greets you before the bedroom even comes into view. A freestanding dark bathtub anchors the space, positioned just beyond a fluted glass partition that separates the bathroom from the bedroom. It is close enough to the bed that you can slip between the two without feeling like you have left the room entirely. A terrazzo floor and stone-clad wall give the whole area a spa-like finish rather than the usual sterile hotel bathroom feel.

The tub itself is easily one of my favourite features of the room. It is deep and well contoured, with a padded headrest and a leather caddy that holds soap and bath salts within easy reach, plus a wooden bath caddy for your book or phone. It is the kind of tub that invites you to actually stay in it rather than rush through a quick soak, and after a long day of walking around Tsim Sha Tsui, I found myself lingering here far longer than I had planned.

The shower comes fitted with full-sized, 400ml bulk dispensers from Non Fiction rather than the small single-use bottles most hotels still default to. The Santal Cream body wash and Rose Pale shampoo and conditioner smell noticeably better than the average hotel amenity range, and the switch to bulk sizing is a welcome nod to sustainability that also happens to feel more premium in the hand.

One feature that deserves its own mention is Social Hour, Kimpton's signature daily happening held at Birdsong on Level 15. The café transforms from its daytime coffee lounge setup into a lively evening venue where guests can enjoy complimentary drinks and bites as the harbour catches the evening light. It runs for a single hour each evening, and unlike most hotel happy hours that are gated behind club floor access or a specific rate code, this one is genuinely open to all in-house guests regardless of loyalty status or how you booked the room, so even those on a basic OTA rate qualify. It is a nice bit of levelling that fits the Kimpton brand's more inclusive, community-driven ethos.

The catch is that word has clearly gotten around: the bites are on the smaller side, more canapé than substantial snack, and seats around the lounge fill up quickly once the hour starts. If you want a proper spot to sit and enjoy the harbour view with your drink, it pays to head up a little before Social Hour officially begins rather than after.

Breakfast is one of those areas where free night redemptions usually fall short, since reward stays typically exclude the meal unless you are booking a rate that includes it. As an IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite member, though, breakfast was one of the welcome amenity choices offered at check-in, and it is by far the most valuable of the options available to top-tier elites. A quick reminder: breakfast is only complimentary as a welcome gift for Diamond members; Platinum and below will need to book a breakfast-inclusive rate or pay separately. The buffet is served daily from 6:30am to 10:30am at Hillside on Level 12.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Hillside is surprisingly spacious, especially by Hong Kong standards, with tables set far enough apart that you never feel crammed in. The wraparound city views give the room a bright, open feel, and there is even a cosy lounge-style section if you would rather ease into the morning without committing to a full restaurant setting. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the Tsim Sha Tsui streetscape and the greenery scattered throughout softens what could otherwise be a fairly corporate looking space. It is a comfortable space to linger in with a cup of coffee, and that is not something I usually say about breakfast rooms in Hong Kong.

A solid lineup of drinks is available, including fun picks like dirty matcha, coffee tonic, Hong Kong-style milk tea and yuen yeung. The usual coffees are on offer too, and the hotel uses Elephant Grounds beans, which is always a reassuring sign for anyone who cares about their morning cup. If you are after something more interesting from the egg station, the Mala Denver Omelet and Hillside Omelet are the two signature options. I prefer the former; sharp cheddar and Chinese sausage make it an easy win, while the Hillside version leans lighter with feta, basil, asparagus and edamame.

The century egg and pork congee was excellent as well, with the right texture and plenty of flavour. Beyond that, you will find the usual breakfast staples: siu mai from the steam basket, a spread of pastries, scrambled eggs, sausages, hash browns, tomatoes and more. A personal highlight was spotting a jar of Lao Gan Ma in the condiment section; it upgrades just about everything it touches.

Level 50 is home to what is arguably the property's pièce de résistance, the beautiful swimming pool and the Swim Club (which oddly enough, only opens in the evenings). Getting up there can be a test of patience, as only one lift bank serves the top floor. To make matters worse, there are no clear signages indicating which side actually goes to Level 50, so you end up calling both lifts and unintentionally slowing the system down for everyone. When I finally made it up, the wind was intense, but the views were undeniably spectacular. The pool itself is beautiful, though noticeably cold and not heated, which caught me off guard. Still, it is a striking space, and being able to enjoy the open air and natural sunlight is a nice contrast to the fully enclosed pool at The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong.

Kimpton Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong is a genuinely strong debut for the brand, and one that immediately earns a place among the city's best harbour view stays. Between the six-category upgrade, the Diamond breakfast amenity and a respectable 1.05 cents per point redemption, my IHG One Rewards status did a lot of heavy lifting here, and it is a good reminder of just how much value top-tier status can unlock even on points bookings. The room itself is where the hotel truly shines, from the open-concept bathroom and freestanding tub to the small but telling touches like proper stemware and a handwritten birthday note. Level 50's pool is more novelty than necessity given the cold water and lift bottleneck, but it hardly detracts from what is otherwise a polished, thoughtfully designed property in one of Kowloon's most convenient locations. If you have IHG One Rewards points to burn or Diamond status to lean on, this is an easy recommendation.

Kimpton Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong
11 Middle Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Website | Email

Click HERE to register for the ALL Accor Summer bonus offer and check participating hotels in your destination!

This is not a offer that changes my travel plans on its own, but if you were already planning a longer stay in Europe, the Middle East, Africa or parts of Asia (Japan and Singapore are both on the eligible list), registering costs nothing and stacks on top of the points and status credit you would earn anyway. The mechanics are fairly standard for an ALL bonus campaign, but the fine print is worth reading properly before you book anything.

• Register first, book after. You need to click through to activate the offer before making your reservation. Bookings made before registration are not eligible, so do not book first and register later expecting it to be backdated.

• Book directly with Accor. Reservations must go through the official Accor website, the ALL app, the call centre, or directly with the hotel. Third-party OTAs such as Booking.com or Expedia are excluded entirely, which is fairly typical for ALL promotions.

• ALL Accor+ rates required for the higher tier. If you want the 1,500 or 7,500 point bonus reserved for ALL Accor+ subscribers, you must book at the ALL Accor+ specific rate. If that rate is unavailable for your dates, you default to earning at the standard ALL Accor member tier instead.

For a member without ALL Accor+, 5,000 points on a five-night stay works out to roughly 1,000 points per night on top of whatever you would already earn from the room rate. ALL Reward points are typically valued at 2 euro cents each, so this bonus is not going to fund your next redemption on its own, but it is a genuinely free top-up for a stay you were already planning to take.

For stays of 2 nights or more:

• ALL Accor members: 1,000 bonus points (€20 value)

• ALL Accor+ cardholders: 1,500 bonus points (€30 value)

For stays of 5 nights or more:

• ALL Accor members: 5,000 bonus points (€100 value)

• ALL Accor+ cardholders: 7,500 bonus points (€150 value)

The bigger unlock here is for ALL Accor+ subscribers. The jump from 5,000 to 7,500 points at the five-night tier (an extra €50 of value) is a reasonable incentive if you are already holding the subscription for its automatic Silver status and 15 percent discount, and it makes the case for booking ALL Accor+ rates specifically rather than a flexible public rate, provided the price gap between the two is not significant.

If you were only planning a quick two-night stopover, the bonus is modest (1,000 to 1,500 points) and probably not worth restructuring your itinerary for. This offer rewards length of stay more than frequency, so it suits a proper summer holiday better than a weekend hop. As always with these seasonal ALL campaigns, registering takes thirty seconds and costs nothing, so there is little reason not to activate it if you have a qualifying stay on the calendar between now and mid-September.