Round The World and other travel

Hotel 4

Westin Resort, Macau

If the first hotel on this trip was the strangest Hilton property I'd ever encountered, this must have been one of the more unusual outposts of the Starwood empire. On the face of it, this was a large and upmarket hotel, with the emphasis firmly on the 'resort' part of its title. Features included a golf course, gym, spa and indoor and outdoor pools, as well as activities such as tennis, table tennis and croquet. The problem was that overall occupancy rates seemed to be low, apart from on the Saturday night - and this during the Macau Grand Prix! Meanwhile nobody - and I mean absolutely nobody - made any use of the leisure facilities on offer. Sure, it was off-season, but it was still warm enough to be going around in tee-shirt and shorts. Didn't anyone - anyone at all - feel like a swim? Apparently not: it seemed at times as though we had stumbled upon the hotel equivalent of the Marie Celeste.

Additionally, a walk around the hotel during daylight hours revealed a few physical signs of shortcomings. Our eagle eyes spotted peeling and stained paintwork, badly faded outdoor furniture and at least one poorly maintained and frankly filthy water feature.

There were also plenty of positives, however. We were allocated a large room with balcony, complimentary breakfast was added in recognition of Bruce's SPG Platinum status, and staff were friendly and helpful throughout. Our cash + points deal represented amazing value for money. The food was generally of a high standard. Overall, despite a feeling that all was not well with the hotel, our stay was enjoyable enough.

With a giant new Sheraton close to completion on the nearby Cotai Strip, we speculated that perhaps the days of this property in the Starwood portfolio might be numbered. It will be interesting to see what becomes of it.