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T+L Goes Inside the Mandarin Oriental's $140 Million Upgrade

Where: 5 Connaught Rd., Central, Hong Kong, China

Travel + Leisure recently went inside the newly renovated Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong which was given new life to the tune of $140 million. Having decided to shift its clientele focus from business travelers to leisure travelers, the hotel opened the doors for Travel and Leisure to come in and take a peek.

You have to wade through a bit of history--actually pretty interesting history--of the hotel from its heyday in the 1960s before you get to the review of what the place looks like today. Apparently, when the hotel was due for its renovations, old-timer regulars were upset and worried that the new design would change their beloved hotel completely. Change did happen but mostly to the hotel's 500 rooms (they became "sexier" and more boutique style) and not the frequented public areas.

Most prominently, the guest-room balconies, a unique feature when the Mandarin opened, have been enclosed to provide more indoor space.  The bathrooms, which are, let's face it, the heart and soul of a modern-day hotel, have become larger and more opulent. Design falls into one of two schemes: the Taipan rooms are clad in rich wood paneling and furnished with leather armchairs and outsize Chinese desks; the four-doored, fold-open mini-bar cabinets are covered in sumptuous leather--like an old Vuitton steamer trunk. In the Veranda rooms, the balconies are now sunrooms, boarded in white English burl oak, giving them an airy, beach-house feel; bathrooms are done entirely in black and white marble and are separated from the bedrooms by a wall of glass.

The public areas kept most of the original sixties layout and was just slightly refurbished, except that two of the hotel's cafe were relocated and then redesigned. Still two of the lounges--The Chinnery and the Captain's Bar--along with the two fancy restaurants were left untouched.

The other major change at the hotel is the list high-technology amenities, including a team of IT butlers at your service. In other words, a hotel that originally started out as the Mandarin before being acquired by the Mandarin Oriental group has started to live up to its sister properties but still retains some of that nostalgic Hong Kong style.

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· Up in the old hotel [Travel + Leisure]