This hotel promotes the fact that it's one of the oldest on the Haitang Bay Strip (including ~10 other 4/5 star hotels now)....and it shows.
Come here for the villas with private plunge pools - at least the weekend I was in town, these seemed to be selling at rates similar to what a basic room cost at one of the most expensive choices (The Edition), and only a couple hundred more than many of the other hotels.
But otherwise everything after that is a bit of a let-down, and probably needs some help to meet what the Conrad brand is aiming to be. The age certainly shows in the dinged-up fixtures, drained/empty pools, closed restaurants, and the overall decor seems like 1990s US luxury / 2000s China. It wasn't dirty or uncomfortable at all - just not what you'd expect from Hilton's high-end brand. Similarly, the breakfast was underwhelming - honestly one of the poorest/most limited I can remember having in a 5-star Western brand hotel in China in a while. And you could just kind of tell the hotel may not have cared anymore - not a lot of effort put into the presentation with bowls and power cords just sitting out. The room service menu was more-than-criminally overpriced - we actually stayed one night at the Intercontinental 3 km up the street, and noted some of the dishes were half the price (we had a credit we needed to use at the Hilton - otherwise just use Meituan/ele.me for delivery).
After walking around several other Haitang Bay hotels, and staying at the Intercontinental as well, it seems over-building is a bit of a theme - and places struggling to keep up and adapt to Chinese guests who don't use the features Western designers may have expected (eg, poolside bars, beaches). But this hotel seems to be struggling more than others...I would be surprised to see it stay a Conrad for more than a few more years...
