Hong Kong Travel Guide
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How A £1 Million Emerald Ring Went 'Missing' At the Four Seasons Hong Kong
Where: 8 Finance Street, Hong Kong
Though it goes completely against the sense of security that hotels want you to feel, jewelry and fancy hotel suites are a prime target for thieves. Especially jewelry inside a fancy hotel suite.
So we're not entirely sure what crossed the mind of Swiss jeweler Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele when she absentmindedly left her £1 million emerald ring in a bathroom at Four Seasons Hong Kong last week. According to the Daily Mail, Gruosi-Scheufele left the ring, which was bought by her parents in 1963, in the bathroom at the hotel's fourth-floor ballroom during an event. A busy, busy event, with lots of people rushing in and out of the bathroom. By the time she raced back to the bathroom (six minutes later), the ring was nowhere to be found. Quick work!
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Snapshot Of The Week: Harbor-Gazing In Hong Kong
Where: 18 Salisbury Road, Hong Kong
There is one particular trend @HotelChatter happens to quite enjoy: candid hotel photos. These pics range from stunning views to anti-views to celebrity tomfoolery and everything in between. And we can't get enough of 'em! Every Monday, we commemorate our favorite hotel-themed snapshot du semaine. Got a favorite of your own? Want to show off your sweet suite?Send it in!
After seeing our picks from InterContinental's photo album on Facebook two weeks ago, one reader felt they had another photo worthy of the collection. Namely, this shot taken from a room at the InterContinental Hong Kong. See the Macbook Air on the desk? That's how we know we're dealing with something candid, rather than a totally staged shot.
For the Sake of Hotel Art / Hong Kong Hotels / Swire Hotels / Hotel Art / → All Tags
For the Sake of Hotel Art: The Pink Dinosaur of the EAST Hotel Hong Kong
Is the WiFi free? Does the gym have good machines? All these things get noticed when checking into a hotel, but what about the atmosphere of the place—specifically the art on the walls or on the floor? We're highlighting properties around the world that do their artwork right, and the specific pieces you should stare long and hard at when next you drop by.
Today: The East Hotel Hong Kong's dinosaurs by Sui Jianguo.
His teeth are bared, glistening and his foot, a menacing step forward. That's about as threatening as the dinosaur sculptures of the East Hotel get, however, considering that they're about 3-foot tall, plastic and in pop-bright colors like cotton candy pink. They stake out the corners of the hotel's top suites, a lighthearted feature in a room full of modern tech updates and clean design.
The artist, Jianguo, is extremely famous in China with the dinosaur series among his most recognized works. The focus—if you look closer and spot the proud "Made in China" on the dinosaur's belly—is on the consumer culture and industrial strength that flipped China into the world power it is today.
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Spoiler Alert: 'The Bachelorette' Will Give a Rose to One Hong Kong Hotel
We've said it once and we'll say it again: We have zero interest in "The Bachelorette" Ashley Hebert and her quest to find the man of her dreams. Call us jaded or whatever but we think "The Bachelor/Bachelorette" track record for "true love" speaks for itself. It's only when the girl and her guys head off to an exotic locale that we pay attention.
SPOILER ALERT: This season's dream destination is none other than the glittering metropolis of Hong Kong, one of HotelChatter favorite cities and truly a place rife with photogenic 5-star hotels. This Hong Kong visit actually follows brief romantic interludes in Phuket and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Alas, HK will take center stage as Bentley returns, making the 13-hour flight from the States to rock Ashley's (and the remaining bachelors') world yet again.
As for where they're staying, it's a hotel more known for business than romance:
Hotel Club Lounges / Intercontinental Hotels / Hong Kong Hotels / → All Tags
Inside Hong Kong's Club InterContinental
Over on Jaunted, you can get our inside looks at some of the world’s best airline lounges, so we thought we’d do something similar here and start talking about some of the hotel lounges we’ve frequented lately for our new series on Hotel Club Lounges. Today, HotelChatter contributor Eric Rosen takes us along with him to the Hong Kong Club InterContinental.
The more time we spend in hotels, the more we realize that it’s kind of important to have a pass to the executive club wherever we go. Usually this confers a suite of perks such as free internet access, exclusive concierge service, and a rotating selection of edible treats to snack on throughout the day. That’s why we jumped at the opportunity to check out the Club InterContinental Lounge at the InterContinental Hong Kong on a recent visit.
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The Tallest Hotel in the World Also Has Free Internet
Everyone has been oohing and aahing today over the newest tallest hotel in the world--The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong--which is without a doubt a seriously awesome property.
Not only is there an infinity pool on the 118th floor but there's also three restaurants on the 102nd floor, a full-on CHOCOLATE LIBRARY on the 103rd floor, a Ritz-Carlton Spa by ESPA on the 116th floor and a 10,000-sq.ft. ballroom that is dripping in diamond chandeliers.
Each of the 312 guestrooms in the hotel have jaw-dropping skyline views of Hong Kong, Nespresso coffee makers and 42-inch flat-screen TVs with Blu-Ray players.
But best of all staying high in the sky will get you free WiFi! (See here under Guest Rooms and Suites.) This is a crazy departure for Ritz-Carlton who typically charges guests a lot of in-room internet but here, it's totally free. Finally!
Art Hotels / Hong Kong Hotels / Design Hotels / For the Sake of Hotel Art / → All Tags
For the Sake of Hotel Art: The Cherub of the Mira Hong Kong
Is the WiFi free? Does the gym have good machines? All these things get noticed when checking into a hotel, but what about the atmosphere of the place—specifically the art on the walls or on the floor? We're highlighting properties around the world that do their artwork right, and the specific pieces you should stare long and hard at when next you drop by.
Today: The Mira Hong Kong's lobby art pieces by Charles Allem.
The first thing you'll likely notice upon entering the Mira, is the dark femininity of the place. The entrance itself—see more pics of it here—is extremely yonic, and the most prevalent color in the place is an ultraviolet indigo. Therefore, perhaps we shouldn't have been surprised to spot a giant purple Cherub statue in the center of the lobby, a lobby designed by Charles Allem.
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Lift Your Pinkie Finger for Vegetarian, Stella McCartney Tea Time in Hong Kong
How much do we love proper hotel tea times? So much, and when you throw fashion into the equation, especially sustainable fashion and an organic sensibility, we're ordering the Oolong faster than you can say "crumpet." For March, it looks like the best hotel to do tea will be the Landmark Mandarian Oriental Hong Kong as they pair up with vegan British designer Stella McCartney for a unique menu of only organic, vegetarian items.
What's more is the whole thing is to be inspired by her feminine Spring/Summer 2011 collection, but as food:
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Inside the EAST Hotel Hong Kong
Take out the chip-embedded room key card and pass it over the entrance pad, and come inside Room 1503, an "Urban View" (code for standard) room at the EAST Hotel Hong Kong.
We stayed here for two nights on our most recent visit to Hong Kong, and frankly had no idea what to expect from this hotel, a sister of the far fancier Upper House, but branded a "business hotel" and situated further away from Central Hong Kong. If by business hotel they mean an under-the-radar hotel for totally modern, design- and tech-conscious businesspeople, then yes, it is a business hotel. Now let's go deeper inside...
Hotel Tech / Hong Kong Hotels / Swire Hotels / → All Tags
The Case of the Hotel Room Door with No Doorknob
WIth a hotel like the East, one of the newer additions to the Hong Kong hotel scene, you've just got to set yourself apart. Thus, they've adopted the tagline "A business hotel with a life." While it's true that the East, where we stayed for two nights, is ideal for the business traveler so long as they don't mind being 20 minutes from Central (but easily reachable on the subway), the hotel is also one we'd hugely recommend to those who appreciate modern technology and good design, because this hotel is bringing it in spades. Not to mention that it's a sister hotel of our recent crush, The Upper House.
For another thing, there's the doors to each guestroom. Where's the doorknob? There is none. Instead, your room key card is embedded with a chip that unlocks your door after touching it to the orange pad, just above the doorbell and below your room number. Then slightly apply pressure to the circle that sits where the doorknob would be, and you're in.
Hotel Jobs / Hotel Technology / Geek Hotels / Interviews / Peninsula Hotels / Hotel Amenities / → All Tags
More Cool Hotel Jobs: The Peninsula’s Version of Q
All this week, HotelChatter contributor Eric Rosen will be telling us about more of the coolest hotel jobs out there. He reached out across the globe to talk to the dynamic folks who do everything from wrangling elephants (and guests!) to designing the latest high-tech gadgetry for your next guest room. So check back every day to see who he’s talking to next.
You know what gadget geeks and techno freaks we are, so it should come as no surprise that our favorite part of every James Bond film is the famous spy’s visit to MI6’s technology lab for the latest spyware update from the perpetually exasperated Q. Now imagine how excited (we’re talking shrieks here) we were to find out about Peninsula Hotels’ very own technology laboratory…and the man who runs it.
Hotel Video Tours / Hong Kong Hotels / Luxury Hotels / Swire Hotels / Videos / Photo Gallery / Killer View / → All Tags
Inside The Upper House Hong Kong: Jaw-Dropping from Every Angle
Who wants to see inside the 11-story Upper House Hotel that sits atop the J.W. Marriott in Hong Kong and is so exclusive, so luxurious and modern that there's no lobby, no check-in and no saying "no?"
Of course you do. We could only get a tour of one of the suites, as all of the rooms—even this one, later that day—were completely booked up. We're sure you'll get over the disappointment somehow. In fact, Hong Kong as a whole was booked up; it's a popular place during the cooler seasons, and by cooler we mean idyllic 60-75 degree days.
Hong Kong is awesome. You should go. Ahh—we digress, but no fooling; the Upper House does a fantastic job of being a destination within a hotspot destination. As much as we adore HK, if we were guests of Suite 4209, we doubt we'd make it outside much at all.
So let's go inside, shall we?
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