Hotels in Hong Kong: higher and higher

While the great classics of the Hong Kong hotel industry continue to fill up, establishments with character are making their presence felt at the head of the bay. A new offering that doesn't shy away from taking on new heights to surprise...

By The Editor -

Published on 21/09/2012

It's no scoop: Hong Kong is a city of hotels. It may even be the best in the world. In 2007, there were 140 hotels; today, there are more than 220, with almost 70,000 rooms. "The figures will continue to rise, with around 255 hotels expected by 2016," says Cynthia Leung, Director of Business Services at the Hong Kong Tourism Board. The city aims to welcome 45 million visitors a year by 2015. An ambition that is well on the way to being achieved. "Last year, 42 million people stayed in Hong Kong, in a territory of seven million inhabitants", continues Cynthia Leung.

Trends are also changing. Even if the great classics are still the benchmarks. For example, since 1963, the Mandarin Oriental has calmly watched Victoria harbour and its evolution while remaining at the cutting edge of service. In Kowloon, the Peninsula, the doyen of the bay, which will celebrate its eighty-fifth birthday in 2013, is currently getting a makeover to mark the occasion. One of its two towers, which had been under renovation for a long time, has just been reopened, with the latest technology and a sober, contemporary design. For the same reason, the other tower, which has also been closed, will not reopen until spring 2013.

Hong Kong's palaces never rest on their laurels. The stiff competition no doubt has something to do with it. "At the moment, business travellers prefer flats with hotel services, as well as smaller, very select establishments," says Cynthia Leung.

Ten rooms, five restaurants

Among all these luxury boutique hotels, Hullett House opened in 2010 in a listed building dating back to 1881, which until 1996 housed the headquarters of the British Maritime Police. "It's an absolutely unique place," says Michael Au, General Manager. It's true that this Leading Hotel of the World has just ten rooms... but five restaurants, one of which is Michelin-starred! A rarity, and probably unique in the world. Not to mention that all the rooms, which respect the original architecture with their high ceilings and airy balconies, are veritable works of art. The Stanley, wallpapered in almond green with multicoloured birds, decorated with a simple cage and a huge white bed, is a pure marvel.

As for the restaurants, they all have their own character: the Tea Room with its intimate black and white style; the Stables Grill with its red plastic lights, typical of night markets, and its walls clad in wood salvaged from a shipwreck. The contrast between extreme chic and raw elements underlines the charm of this colonial building, which has a false air of the Singapore Raffles.

Still in Kowloon, but in a more contemporary spirit, the Icon hotel, opened in 2011, offers a concept that is as surprising as it is original. This 262-room boutique hotel, opening onto a lobby adorned with a wall of 8,000 plants designed by Patrick Blanc, is a veritable laboratory of trends. Because the owner - surprise! - is none other than... the Hong Kong Polytechnic. "Three of the rooms are permanently used for experimental purposes to test the latest technologies, particularly in home automation," explains Connie Fan, the hotel's spokesperson.

Yet there is nothing to suggest that this is a "research hotel", a laboratory... The materials are noble, the colours warm, the design ultra-careful. "One of the 'corner suites' with a view over Wanchai is currently being decorated by Hong Kong designer Vivienne Tam," says Connie Fan. Here, as you would expect, everything has been thought out and calculated to make business travellers feel at home. On the 25th floor, in the beautiful club lounge, as in front of the outdoor swimming pool on the ninth floor, well-being is absolute. The same goes for the Mira, which is a little more urban, festive and glitzy...

This is the trendiest hotel in the Kowloon district, on the famous Nathan Road. The building, which dates back to the 1950s, was completely renovated in 2009 and transformed into a sublime 492 rooms... Its "signature": a tunnel of white waves that you walk through before entering a playful, acidulous world. "It is currently the only hotel affiliated to the Design Hotels in Hong Kong, but a second is due to open on the island in December 2012," explains Jakub Lewandovski, Head of Public Relations.

The atmosphere is so confidential that you'd almost forget that it houses a vast conference room, as well as six restaurants and cafés, spread across the different floors. Among them, Cuisine Cuisine, which specialises in Cantonese cuisine, has a total green look instead of the traditional red and gold, and even boasts a Michelin star. On the practical side, the hotel provides all guests with a mobile phone for local calls, ideal when out and about in the city.

Facing the urban forest

On the island of Hong Kong, another design hotel is the talk of the town. It's the Upper House, an elegant 117-room hotel opened at the end of 2009, offering unusual views of the hills and what's left of the jungle in this urban forest. In fact, everything here is designed to emphasise this visual advantage. Benches with cushions and extra-large baths line the bay windows. Another feature of this house of bamboo and alabaster is a very trendy floating check-in, reminiscent of the spirit of the Hyatt group's Andaz brand. You can check in on the ground floor or on the 49th and top floor. On the heights, then. From this point of view, there's nothing like the one everyone's talking about: the Ritz-Carlton, opened in spring 2011. The highest hotel in the world, at 490 metres, is a totally dizzying place, and not just because of the altitude. Let's face it, the Ritz-Carlton is 'the hotel to be' at the moment. And probably for a long time to come. This is clear from the lobby, which is unusual in that you have to take an ultra-fast lift to the 103rd floor to reach the luminous, crystalline, hushed sesame, and obviously above the fray. Club guests, on the other hand, continue their journey to the 116th floor, where there is a superb lounge and a butler - whose services are available 24 hours a day - who offers a discreet and personalised welcome.

In their rooms, located between 113th and 117th, these privileged residents will discover business cards bearing their name, an essential accessory for any business relationship in Asia... They will also benefit from a free limousine service for all their local trips. "We recently introduced these services to enhance the quality of our guests' stay," explains Bonnie Kwok, Public Relations Manager.

Everything here is superlative. The highest bar in the world, the highest swimming pool in the world, the highest spa in the world... But also, and quite simply, the beauty of the place, its originality, its refinement, its sober yet glittering chandeliers. In the restaurant on the 103rd floor, where breakfast is served, the banquettes are not on the sides, but facing the windows. So much for conversation. It's all for the eyes. And that, too, is the magic of Hong Kong.