I Lived In Hong Kong Hotels for 6 Months of 2022 (so far)

Are you sure you didn't type apartments wrong?

I arrived in Hong Kong at the end of 2021 after an absence of 4 years. Granted, I have never lived in HK for more than 3 months but still, it is a place that has a special meaning to me. My parents are from here, I have worked for a summer here, and that's not to mention the dozen or so times that I have visited family here.

It was certainly a start to remember with 21 days of glorious quarantine welcoming me at a hotel next to the airport. When I completed my 3 weeks, I headed for a hotel in Wan Chai which I had booked for a month's stay.

Let me be clear, I am not a rich businessman. I'm your average person who can only afford average rent. Civil engineers earn peanuts considering the money and effort that they had to put into education. I can definitely relate to your money problems. Check out my personal finance articles for proof of that.

Hotel #1 - Wan Chai

I had been spending some of my time looking for a place to stay temporarily and this was the one that seemed to tick most of the boxes. I had never lived on Hong Kong Island and was quite unfamiliar with Wan Chai except for the Exhibition Centre, the Immigration Towers. I had the impression that it was mostly a business district.

When I arrived, the hotel lobby seemed fairly quiet. Covid had stopped tourists and business people from travelling to the city so hotels like this were struggling. I was given the keys to my approximately 230 square feet bedroom on the 8th floor, with views of the surrounding office towers.

It was not as big as my quarantine bedroom that was around 350 square feet but it fit my needs. It had a bathroom with shower and bathtub, a spacious working desk, plenty of storage and a queen sized bed. The lighting was pretty neat too.

No kitchen though, but that didn't bother me. No, no, I wanted to eat out and buy takeaway every day. I've eaten home cooked food almost every day for the last one and a half years. There are plenty of options here, delicious food at affordable prices (maybe I'll do an article on that hmm).

I'm actually very fortunate, my parents are professional chefs and we used to run a Chinese restaurant and takeaway. So Chinese dinner every day. I've eaten some of the most delicious Chinese food I've ever tasted at home. Though it would be nice to try out some other cuisines, now that I'm in Hong Kong where practically any cuisine is available.

What was the plan? Well, this is the biggest move in my life so far. Moving to this side of the planet had always been my dream and I was determined to make it happen. I missed Hong Kong and wanted to see some family and friends. I wanted to go and spend some time on the mainland. I was passionate about living in my ancestral country. After all, I didn't learn Chinese for nothing.

The cost of a month's stay? It was HKD$11,500 for 30 days. Yes, you read that right! It was ~$383 per night. With hotel taxes included. No extras, hidden charges or catches. In one of Hong Kong's most prominent business districts. Gym included. Cleaning services included 3 times a week.

Okay, it was (only) a 4* star hotel. But where else can you get that sort of rate in the developed world. I looked up one bed private rented apartments in the streets outside. They typically cost more than the monthly rates that many hotels were offering. Most of them didn't include bills or service charges either. Hotels did, it was all-inclusive. I'd be daft not to, huh. I ended up staying in the same Wan Chai hotel for 3 months. Check out a little video I made:

Life is never smooth (but isn't that what makes things interesting)

Eventually I got kicked out, along with all of the other hotel guests because Covid had suddenly gotten very bad. The hotel had agreed with the government to turn into a community isolation facility.

I understood the need but they only gave us around 10 days notice. Yes, I needed to find a new place to live in that time. I was half fuming, half unsurprised. They did give me a few days compensation after I asked though.

When the day came, I moved to my family's village home for over a month until the Covid settled. I decided hotels weren't worth the trouble for now as they were all in a mess. Some of them were cranking up their prices and there was very limited availability. It turned out several hotels were kicking out their guests for the same reason. Still, I had a suspicion that it was nature's way of punishing me for living too long in a hotel.

Hotel #2 - Yau Ma Tei

Things finally got a little better in April. Although I became used to living in the countryside, it was inconvenient and there were plenty of bugs and mosquitoes. I found a hotel in Yau Ma Tei. They were offering 30 day stays for $11,100. I decided to go for a tour (that is the luxury of already being in the city).

It had everything I needed, a super convenient location with MTR a 2-min walk and many, many choices to eat. More than Wan Chai. The lobby was a nice, welcoming area too and staff seemed attentive.

I signed the contract for an initial one month (an added benefit compared to private apartments as the minimum period was one month and I only had to put down a HKD$1,000 security deposit). There was no long-term commitment required. I told myself I could just leave for another hotel in one month. I had already grown used to moving from place to place. Why not try different hotels since I'm already paying?

But I didn't! It suited me so much both for my workspace and my eating habits that I ended up signing on for another 2 months (I'm still here as I am writing this article). I'll let you in a secret, this is where this very website, Yenkid.com began. I don't know what it is about this hotel but it helped me focus on my projects. That hasn't really happened in the most efficient way since the pandemic began.

Typical hotels would have cost in the region of $20,000 to $30,000 per month back in 2017, nearly double or even triple the amount I paid. It was an opportunity of a lifetime. I never even considered living in a hotel for a period longer than one month. Now, it's 6 months and counting.

No bills or service charges to fuss about. Standard furnishings provided. I didn't even have do my own cleaning (I did suggest to the cleaning lady that I was happy to clean myself but she "accused" me of trying to put her out of a job hahaha).

I'm not sure how long I will be staying here but for another month at least. Maybe it's something I can afford to do on the mainland too. Yes, that's where I headed next (hopefully).