The View: Quintessentially Hong Kong. Look out of your room and you’ll see a combination of Hong Kong Island’s green interior, public housing with its strikingly repetitive facades, modern steel-and-glass buildings reflecting a funky version of the hotel’s already quirky exterior, and a slither of blue-green Victoria Harbour.
With figures criss-crossing squares, traffic zigzagging roads, ferries blinking in and out of sight, this slice of Hong Kong life from daylight to night lights is compellingly entertaining.
First impressions: Designer André Fu’s take on the St Regis concept of private home for high society has been updated and tweaked for Hong Kong.
The Great Room (lobby) welcomes with sky-high space and light and leads to the contemporary and eye-catching The Drawing Room; and yet the details are about comfort and a home feel, more residential retreat than business hotel, like the casual throws on sofas inviting guests to rest and wrap up.
The Location: The St Regis is a few blocks from the harbour, close to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition centre and in walking distance to the sophisticated dining towards Star Street and Wanchai’s infamous neon-flashing bars along Lockhart Road. Wanchai ferry pier is a few minutes’ walk away for alternative transportation to Central and Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon.
Governor’s Suite bedroom
The Room: There are more than 120 to choose from, André Fu’s take on elegance and comfort is a delight, with restful pastel colours, covetable objets d’art and beautifully designed mod cons.
Go for a corner suite (there are some great deals at the moment) and its generous living area includes a sofa for sprawling and watching movies and a desk for catching up with laptop work. Space flows into the bedroom with a high and extremely comfy bed and wide screen TV. The bathroom is the star of the show, with acres more space, a terrazzo tub, large shower and stylish vanities.
The Service: Exemplary. The 24-hour private butler service starts the moment you walk up to the front desk and are gently shepherded into the lifts for an in-room check in.
Download the app and your e-butler is at your text beck-and-call. They make a mean cappuccino with the sophisticated in-room coffee machine and will remind you to head to the Great Room at 5.30pm for the daily champagne sabering and a glass of the good stuff to toast the evening.
Spa treatment room
Wellness: The small but inviting pool is flanked by a charming row of mini cabanas with lounge beds looking up towards skyline views. On the same floor is a spacious teched-up gym, open 24/7 for guests from all time zones.
Currently The Spa has only one treatment room, albeit beautifully designed (more are on the drawing board), for facials and body treatments using 001 Skincare from London. In the meantime, in-room treatments are available.
The building as a whole is BEAM Plus Bronze certified with several planet-friendly initiatives. Bathrooms amenities still come in little plastic bottles, but on the bright side there are in-room recycle bins.
Memorable Moments: Breakfast is an event. The semi-buffet at Rùn, the Chinese restaurant that serves up fine dining dim sum and tea pairing during the day, mixes super-healthy items with flaky-fresh pastries and indulgent meats, and the to-order western or local breakfasts are multi-dish extravaganzas.
Come the opposite end of the day, the St. Regis Bar is a bijou but beautifully curated combination of comfy armchair and bar stool seating, and the eye-catching city collage behind the suave barmen and occasional live jazz.
Sip on the signature spicy Canto Mary (in fact, there are three) or consult the little tome of specially created cocktails inspired by New York, the home of the original St Regis, or Hong Kong. There’s also L’Envol restaurant with its modern French cuisine and well-stocked cheese room.
Final Word: At the St Regis, luxury and elegance are perfectly balanced with André Fu’s Hong Kong appearing in design points like the circa 70s gas lamps and wall panels. There’s also the dim sum trolley loaded with afternoon tea ‘pick and mix’ goodies in the afternoon, or gins and tonics come ‘Violet Hour’. This is a hotel that artfully mixes style, relaxation and fun.