Best hotel of 2019

Rosewood Hong Kong. The Rosewood Hong Kong was my favorite hotel of 2019 for both its impeccable property and excellent service. We stayed in the Grand Harbour View Suite and had access to the Manor Club. I would highly suggest booking a room with Manor Club access. The personalized service you receive is excellent and the quality of the food and drinks served in the club is top notch with a menu of made to order dishes that changes daily.

The Rosewood is located on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong and boasts the best views of Hong Kong Island I've seen yet. Our suite was huge with a large living room, a den, a bedroom and one and a half baths. There are a lot of small details that make it feel like your own residence than a hotel. Books, artwork, small accessories and a decanter filled with whiskey are there for your personal enjoyment.

While the Rosewood boasts some of the nicest hardware I've seen, the service takes the experience to another level. Not only would the staff at the Manor Club remember us by name, the staff at the lobby would welcome us back to the hotel by name as well. One person in our party could not eat pork so the next morning, they had prepared dim sum without pork for us.

Although we stayed in a number of great properties throughout 2019, the Rosewood was easily my #1 choice for the year.

Best hardware of 2019

Hotel de Crillon Paris. The Crillon was a beautiful hotel with a great location in Paris. We stayed in the Premier Suite and appreciated the layout where the bedroom and the living room were separated by the bathroom. The residence truly felt like our home in the midst of Paris. Having breakfast at Jardin D’Hiver each morning and drinks at Bar Les Ambassadeurs in the evening was truly special.

Park Hyatt Kyoto. This hotel opened on October 30 and while they are getting their service levels up to par, the property itself is stunning. The design, finishes and landscaping were all beautiful and drinks at Kohaku were great. Step right outside the property and you are in the midst of one of the most popular sightseeing areas of Kyoto.

Best service of 2019

Park Hyatt Saigon. We stayed in a Park Executive Suite here but what made this stay special was the friendliness of the staff. They would recognize us when we returned to the hotel and offered many recommendations for sights to see and places to eat. The exceptional service we experienced here is what separates great stays from good ones.

The Opposite House Beijing. We spent one day here on a layover. We arrived early in the morning and had a flight leaving past midnight and the hotel was more than accommodating of our situation. We received great service throughout the day and would often return to our room with small surprises such as cookies or notes.

Other stays we had in 2019

These are all of the other hotels we stayed in 2019.

  • Arts Hotel Barcelona
  • Al Maha Dubai
  • Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina
  • Kahala Resort Oahu
  • Andaz Tokyo
  • Andaz Singapore
  • Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
  • St Regis Shenzhen
  • Four Seasons Hotel Seoul
  • Park Hyatt Seoul
  • Grand Hyatt Seoul
  • Conrad Seoul
  • Park Hyatt Busan