Regal Riverside Hotel

Omg, this review may be a bit biased but I would NOT recommend anyone to stay in this hotel… even if you’re looking for a cheap price! That was my mistake. Being that I was only in Hong Kong for a week visiting family, I decided to go cheap and booked this hotel since I was really just going to be «sleeping and showering» here.
Let me start off by the location. The location of the hotel is actually in a great location. The bus stop is minutes outside of the hotel that can take you to Shatin Plaza, which is about a 5 minute bus ride. There are multiple buses that take you to different places outside the hotel, which is extremely helpful when it comes to visiting other places. Other than the bus stop, there are small little convenience stores and restaurants surrounding the hotel. Restaurants outside the hotel offer Japanese, Thai, Chinese, and some local bars. Convenience stores that are perfect for some snacks and drinks would be the 711 and the K circle store that’s within walking distance. I know some reviews have said the location of this place isn’t the greatest with the subway (MTR) being far from the hotel, but if you’re ballsy enough to try taking the bus (download the app called KMB, very helpful), it’ll save you A LOT of money (especially if you’re using the octopus card).
The hotel really isn’t one of the best. I really expected better considering the lobby of the hotel. It’s a smaller lobby than what I’m used to seeing but the décor of the lobby was very welcoming. One thing that turned me off when I checked in was the organization behind the counter. There were papers everywhere with confirmations of other people checking in. Boxes were laid out all around their computers. I’m not sure if they’re doing some sort of re-​organizing or cleaning, but the staff looked very flustered and disorganized. However, this didn’t bother my stay and the staff was friendly. When I started heading towards my room, I noticed a strange smell in the hallway near my room. I can’t tell you what the smell is but it was neither pleasant or disgusting. It was just an odd smell. The other issue was the BLAST of the A.C. at one section of the hotel leading up to our room. Not sure what it was, but the AC in that area was completely uncontrolled.
Here is a list of things that I found to be an issue in this hotel/​my room:
1. Lighting– terrible lighting in the room! The sliding door closet to your right when you walk in lacked lighting. Sometimes the lights would work, sometimes the light wouldn’t. It was really annoying, especially for a woman like me who tried putting make up on.
2. Bathroom– dark and unwelcoming. Nothing special about the bathroom… there was a toilet, a tub, and a sink. Lighting in here sucked too. It made it look like a cheap motel room. The tub drain doesn’t work very well until maybe 10 – 15 mins into your shower. You’re standing in feet deep water before the drain actually starts to drain all the water.
3. Beds– not too bad, but nothing great. My husband complained about his pillow being too soft, which is just a personal preference. However, the beddings were clean.
4. Paper thin walls– There was a night when my husband and I woke up at 4am hearing the next room shouting and screaming and laughing. We were able to hear the conversation going on and the closing of their drawers and closet. In the bathroom, I was able to hear when the water was turned on and when the toilet flushed in the next room. This was the cherry on top for me. We heard BOTH rooms on either side of our rooms in the middle of the night. One room was cheering and having a party while the other had angry parents yelling at their children.
5. Windows– Not tinted at all. You better make sure you wear clothes when you open your curtains. You can see into everyone’s room and see the TV shows their watching.
Another major turn off to the hotel was the bar downstairs of the hotel. One morning my husband and I decided to go for a run at a bike trail across the street from the hotel and there was vomit outside this one bar. Trash was EVERYWHERE and the place was filthy. Props to the woman who was cleaning up the street that day.
I really can’t say I’ve enjoyed my stay at this hotel. While the location is convenient, I would NEVER stay at this location again, even if I was looking for a cheap place to stay. The noise coming from other rooms really dampened my decision in staying at this place again.
As I mentioned, there were some pros in this hotel, which is the cleanliness of the beds and the convenience of the bus routes and convenience stores… if these are all you need, then this may be the place for you.

Really nice choice if you are on a budget. Pretty cheap, and then you can take a free shuttle from the airport Regal hotel to/​from Riverside (or any other Regal property for that matter). Free wifi.
Biggest problem is location. Nearest subway stop is maybe a 15 minute walk across the river to the mall. Then, it’s pretty long trip to get to HK island whether by subway-​bus, or taxi.
The rooms themselves are sort of what you expect for what you pay. Décor and fixtures look like they were updated 10+ years ago, with adequate maintenance.
We were planning to use the outdoor pool, but it was closed for inclement weather during our stay.

If you had friends who were coming to HK at short notice and they needed somewhere the was respectable and cheap– I don’t think they can beat the Riverside Regal Hotel in Shatin.
This hotel has been in Shatin since the town’s early days and to this day I still don’t understand why it was built here. The design and the lobby of the hotel was proper hotel design so I’m sure this was not an afterthought but very much a hotel when it was designed. Back in the day, the airport was in Kai Tak and there were so many Mainland tourists to be had; so it is a bit of a mystery why this was built here.
As the years went by and the hotel was constantly slated as being in the middle of nowhere with no upgrades done to it. I really did think that they would just close it for good and sell the land. However, the boom of the Mainland tourism really gave this place a push and now busloads of visitors stay here because its relatively near to Shatin City Plaza (where all the shops are) and it doesn’t take too long to get to Lo Wu (never a concern in the old days).
Lately the hotel has had a few floors added to the top and the rooms have been done up to propel itself into the modern day; all this was much needed to keep it competitive. The best of all, given the prices of Hong Kong hotels now known to be expensive worldwide– this is a place where you can still get a nice room for a night for under 2k. That’s value for you right there.