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BP International Hotel in Hong Kong Review
BP International Hotel at Night
A very good affordable hotel in the heart of Kowloon
The BP International Hotel in Hong Kong was where I decided to call my temporary home during a short stay. The price range at the time was just right for a budget traveler like me. Best thing of all though is BP International Hotel's prime location in Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Finding a comfortable cheap budget hotel in Hong Kong is nearly impossible. Hong Kong's land contains some of the most expensive real estates in the world. And it gets even higher every year.
But a good affordable hotel can still be found such as the BP International Hotel. The BP is a 25 story hotel located on the western side of the Kowloon peninsula and just right on the northern end of Kowloon Park.
For those of you who don't know, Hong Kong itself is one big island. However, Kowloon is a peninsula and is connected to mainland China. There are many districts within Kowloon like Tsim Sha Tsui, Mongkok, Yau Mai Tei and Prince Edward. Kowloon peninsula and Hong Kong island is separated by the spectacular Hong Kong Harbor.
The BP International Hotel is in the popular shoppers district called Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) where you can find excellent local and international restaurants. Though TST is probably best known for high class luxury item shopping with many super malls like Harbour City and the newly built Elements mall are found.
Just recently my mother made plans to visit me in Thailand. But before she did she decided to stop over in Hong Kong for a few weeks. I decided to join her.
Since I've been to BP many times I knew it was a good choice for her. There are non smoking floors, the rooms and especially the bathrooms are clean. I made a video review of the room we stayed in.
More Hotel Reviews From This Author
- Prudential Hotel Review in Kowloon Hong Kong
If you need a bigger room and can afford to spend a bit more check out my review on Prudential Hotel. It's about a 5 minute walk from BP Hotel.
How To Get To BP International Hotel From The Airport
You can easily get to the hotel by taxi or airport express train. But those options cost more. To save money take the Airport Express Bus A21. If memory serves me right the airport express bus cost around HKD $30. The bus will drop you right off on Nathan Road by the side entrance of the Prudential Hotel. From there it's a short 5 minute walk right across the street on the north end of Kowloon Park.
Jordan MTR Station is right below the Prudential Hotel with plenty of entrances to the station.
The BP is located on Number 8 Austin Road, just a 5 minute walk to the main avenue of Nathan Road. It's easy to spot the hotel because it's the tallest building on the north end of Kowloon Park, which is like the Central Park of New York City.
This is a really ideal location for tourist. The MTR (Mass Transit Rail) is Hong Kong's very own underground train system and perfect for getting to the main island of Hong Kong through a tunnel beneath Hong Kong Harbour. The nearest MTR station is just a 5 minute walk away. You can also take the ferry as well at Star Ferry terminal which is just a 15 minute walk from BP to get to Hong Kong Island. And if you're interested in taking a short visit to Macau there's also a ferry terminal at Harbour City, just a 10 minute walk west from BP.
There are 529 rooms at the BP International and there are 25 floors. Though only 1 of them is non-smoking, which is the 20th, the one we stayed in. By the way, if you want a really good view of downtown Kowloon and a bit of Hong Kong request a room on a high floor.
There are many room configurations for guests such as 2 sets of bunk beds, 2 twin beds or 1 king size bed. Yes, I wrote 2 sets of bunk beds and it's not a mistake. I guess it's not unusual at all because BP is actually owned by China's chapter of Boy's Scouts association. There's even a nice little museum on the 25th floor displaying the uniforms and history of the Boy's Scouts in Hong Kong. Matter of fact ever so often you'll see kids and young adults marching out of the BP's side entrance in the usual Boy's Scouts attire.
Room Amenities
- Toiletry
- Hot Water Maker
- International channels
- Hair Dryer
- Minibar and refrigerator filled with snacks. Their minibar is a bit expensive. Good news is there's a big 7 Eleven convenience star right across the hotel.
Room Review
I've stayed at the BP at least 8 times, mostly on the 20th floor which is the non-smoking floor. There were several occasions where I had no choice but to stay at a smoking floor because non-smoking rooms were unavailable.
Overall the rooms at BP are very clean and the furniture in the rooms are very well maintained. Though the beds are very firm and might be a problem for some. Some of the smoking rooms had strong odor of cigarettes and some were not so bad. There were several occasions where I had asked for a room change within the smoking floors for a better room and my request had always been honored. I found that the English speaking staff at the reception desks are very helpful and friendly and do what they can to accommodate you.
But regardless, I always prefer a non-smoking room. Mainly because I've noticed the quality of the rooms are slightly better there for some reason.
Now I know the thing most people who have never been to a hotel in Hong Kong before will find quite shocking how small the rooms are. Even in mid range budget hotels. If you want a big room you have to pay a premium price. And in most cases even the expensive hotels in Hong Kong offer the same size rooms as BP does but at an inflated room rate.
I always book a standard room and the size is always around 20 square meters. And the bathroom is quite compact. The shower stall is narrow and I often bumped my elbow against the glass shower partition. Though I am quite happy with the water pressure. Even on the 20th floor you could feel a good sting from the shower head. Which I prefer better than a cup of coffee to wake up.
The Good:
- Clean rooms and bathroom
- Within walking distance to shopping, markets, restaurants and MTR train station
- Self service laundry room open 24 hours. I forget the price but includes detergent and drying machine. It's much cheaper than handing your laundry over to the shops near the hotel
- Affordable LAN Internet access, HK$90 for 24 hours
The Bad:
- Small rooms (but typical in Hong Kong, so can't really complain)
- Beds are very firm
- No swimming pool or gym
A video room review
More Travel Information From This Author
- Best Website to Book Hotels in Hong Kong
Booking budget and luxury Hong Kong hotels from local and reliable hotel reservation agencies is the smart way to get the best hotel rates. But finding discount hotel prices in Hong Kong may cause some to... - Best Online Hotel Booking Websites
As a self professed chronic budget traveler I'm always on the look out for the best travel deals, whether it be plane tickets, car rentals and hotels. Especially hotels. Hotels make up the biggest portion of any travel budget. That is of course if yo
Conclusion
Overall I really recommend BP International Hotel. Hotel prices fluctuate with season and especially during major convention gatherings in October where prices definitely jump higher. Last time I was there was in August of 2009 and I paid HK$690 per night. Expensive to some but after staying in many hotels throughout the area in the similar price range, BP International is worth the price they charge.
As always I recommend a hotel reservation company called Agoda.com. They mainly specialize in Asia, so they can get really good rates for you. You can check out Agoda BP International Hotel rates to find out how much the rooms will cost you if you know when you'll be visiting Hong Kong. You will also find more pictures and current guests reviews of the BP hotel there.
More Helpful Links about Hong Kong From This Author
- Agoda.com Hotel Reservation Company Review
If you're wondering if Agoda is a good company for hotel reservations than you've come to the right place. I have absolutely no complaints about Agoda and I highly recommend their services. Check out my Agoda review to find out why. - Best Hotels in Kowloon Hong Kong
Hong Kong remains today as one of the most popular exotic Asian destination. A shining gateway and start off point for exploring all that Southeast Asia has to offer for leisure travelers on a holiday of a lifetime. Though most think Hong Kong is jus