Revamped Hong Kong hotel has surprises in store
Don’t expect to find Chinese dragons and vibrant golds and reds behind the unassuming facade of this transformed harbourfront property.
A sanctuary rather than simply a place to stay, somewhere with a sense of serenity and balance in the bustling metropolis. That was Chi Wing Lo’s vision for the transformation of the 40-year-old Regent Hong Kong.
The celebrated architect and interior design and furniture whiz is standing in the penthouse of his Kowloon hotel re-creation, overlooking the magnificent sweep of Victoria Harbour across to Hong Kong Island, at a reception on opening day. Dressed in white linen, the 68-year-old accepts praise, and in a quiet assured manner, explains what he set out to achieve. It is the first hotel project for Lo, the son of a Hong Kong fisherman but Harvard-educated and with an Italian-based furniture brand, Dimensione Chi Wing Lo, (literally) to his name.
Listen for words such as serene, uncluttered, calm and not loud, personal havens, discovery and, most importantly, framed views. In the rejuvenation of this waterfront property, near the Star Ferry terminal, and in a revitalised Salisbury Rd retail and arts precinct, don’t look for Chinese dragons, vibrant golds and reds, but rather a quiet purity. It’s a large property, with 497 guestrooms including 129 suites, and its 1980 exterior, now clad in grey, is not a wonder of its age but, as Lo says, an unassuming package with a surprise inside. And that is how skilfully it reveals its unbeatable setting.
Let’s start at the porte cochere with 18 warm-glow domes overhead and opening into a reception with dark granite floor and 16 glass-brick screens, described as a vertical chandelier. The long reception desk, backed by colourful digital artwork, has a heartening number of check-in staff, agreeable and attentive, as are staff throughout the hotel. In view, a legacy of the old Regent, which for a while was the InterContinental – a curved white Carrara marble staircase leading to the ballroom, the stuff of movie dreams. It’s played an important role in wedding and event photos of Hong Kong society since the property opened.
There’s lots more to discover in the lobby area with new bars and restaurants, and I’ll sweep up that staircase in not-so-glamorous style for the grand opening dinner and entertainment in the ballroom, but I’m on my way to the big reveal – my Classic Harbourview guestroom. The corridor from the lift is lit at waist level and the walls unadorned; with the swipe of my key alongside a door with castle-keep touches, I’m inside and there, instantly, the aforementioned framed view– in CinemaScope and glorious Technicolor, a room-width window looking on to Victoria Harbour and the skyscrapers of Central across the water. Here’s the coincidence: it’s coming up to 8pm, nightly showtime for A Symphony of Lights, which illuminates those buildings, so I settle down on the window seat-daybed, noting a welcoming bottle of fizz and treats nearby, and watch the spectacle. Nothing in the calm elegance of the room, its oak, granite, light carpet and fabrics, challenges that view. Everything, as the architect had planned, is in “refined juxtaposition”. An extraordinarily comfortable bed, tick; invitingly stocked mini-bar, tick; easy-to-master TV, lights, drapes and air-conditioning, tick. But save the big nod for the bathroom (maybe a little oddly placed as the first area inside the entrance lobby), which features a tub nicely facing the view. Sliding doors divide the bathroom from the bedroom when modesty calls. Bath products are from Perricone MD and samples of skincare wonders are left nightly with turndown service. Is this a subtle message? Ah, but there are chocolates too.
Buffet breakfast is served in Harbourside restaurant with namesake views including the Avenue of Stars featuring handprints of movie notables (I instantly recognise Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee). The cuisine also covers the waterfront – from Western to Chinese, Indian, Japanese and Korean. It’s a fine judgment as to how many times I can replenish my plate before being noticed. A similar buffet is offered for members in the calm enclave of Regent Club.
Other dining outlets include the Michelin-starred Lai Ching Heen, a historic mainstay of the old Regent that continued to trade during the two-year rebuild. Enter via a hall inspired by a jade jewellery box and prepare for a delectable dim sum lunch. The Steak House also maintains a Regent tradition, with an Australian tomahawk among its beef offerings. Also of note are a king crab cake, Canadian lobster bisque and, on the night of my visit, an “immersive” (no more inviting term) caviar table and salad bar. There’s a newly opened branch of Nobu, featuring the Japanese-Peruvian cuisine of Nobu Matsuhisa, who does a fine line in seafood ceviche. Try The Lobby Lounge for a traditional afternoon tea and a glass or two of champagne. And notice everywhere throughout the hotel finely arranged floral displays, often showcasing Australian native plants.
With theatrical curtains, a green-feathered lampshade atop a china parrot base, and comfy, discreetly arranged seating – and the framed view – quirky Qura bar is a retro lure for a late-night cocktail and, for the so-minded, an expensive cigar in its (sealed) humidor room. Shake off indulgences with a visit to a well-equipped gym adjacent to the pool deck.
This Hong Kong hotel will be the flagship of the refreshed Regent brand, for the past five years part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts portfolio, alongside the Six Senses, InterContinental and Kimpton prestige brands. New Regent properties have opened or are planned for destinations including Phu Quoc (Vietnam), Shanghai, Santa Monica (California) and Bali.
Hong Kong has changed dramatically in the decades I’ve been familiar with it. Once, as a British outpost, it was the West’s eyes and ears on a closed China. Today a visitor can’t help be mindful of Beijing’s crackdown on dissent. Post-Covid, the streets are less busy (so my Hong Kong friends observe), Western visitors less numerous, day trippers from China strong in numbers, and retail (particularly at the luxury end) seemingly healthy. The K11 Musea, adjoining the Regent, is an art gallery cum shopping centre, with branches of New York’s Museum of Modern Art store, Fortnum & Mason and Alexander McQueen fashion house. In West Kowloon the edgy M+ contemporary art gallery is near Hong Kong Palace Museum, displaying traditional Chinese treasures.
Regent’s gala night is a wow. The marble staircase is a perfect setting for photos of the glamorous in their McQueens. In the framed view, a traditional junk on the harbour. May Hong Kong sail smoothly.
In the know
Cathay Pacific flies directly to Hong Kong from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Guestrooms at Regent Hong Kong from about $HK6000 ($1172) a night, plus service charge.
Graham Erbacher was a guest of IHG Hotels and Resorts.
