Review: The Peninsula Hong Kong

Why book?

For the intoxicating mix of myth and modernity, spoiling facilities and superlative service.

Set the scene

There are a number of ways to arrive at The Peninsula Hong Kong from the airport: You could pick from a 14-strong fleet of Rolls-Royce Phantoms and glide across Tsing Yi Bridge and through a forest of skyscrapers to alight at a gilded lobby guarded by cherubs, stone lions, and bellhops in whiter-than-white tunics and pillbox hats. Alternatively, you could go full taipan and take the helicopter, swooping over Lantau’s mountains and Victoria Harbour before alighting at the hotel’s rooftop helipad and being whisked to The China Clipper, a walnut and studded-aluminium lounge packed with fascinating airline memorabilia.

The backstory In 1928 the Jewish-Iraqi Kadoorie brothers opened a six-storey Renaissance-style pile on the Kowloon waterfront offering travellers alighting at the final stop of the Trans-Siberia Express ‘the finest hotel east of Suez’. Nearly 100-years later Hong Kong’s longest standing hotel has seen it all – ocean liners, tea dances, Pan-Am Clippers, Oscar winners, bacchanalian dinner dances, the Japanese invasion of World War II, BOAC Argonauts, jumbo jets, discotheques, the British Handover, the Asian financial crisis, pro-democracy protests, a pandemic – with the seemingly unflappable Kadoorie family steady at the helm. More than a place to stay, The Peninsula is part of the fabric of Hong Kong, a symbol of the city’s cosmopolitan spirit and indefatigable attitude.

The rooms The majority of the hotel’s 300 rooms and suites are housed in a 30-storey tower that was deftly added to the original building in the mid-1990s. Champagne toned rooms set with glossy dark wood veneer, metallic cherry blossom decals and crisp silk cushions disguise a macro-level attention to detail that few can match. Door and drawers silently glide open and closed to reveal leather-bound shoe-shine kits, electronic nail-varnish dryers and butler boxes for anonymous newspaper drop offs. A silent air-conditioning system has been designed so that you’ll never feel a draft. While bedside control panels – available in a dozen languages – operate lighting, curtains, TVs and room service orders and work flawlessly, every time. Views of Victoria Harbour come at a premium, but they are unforgettable, particularly in the evening when the waterway shimmers in shades of pink, purple, green and blue cast from the glowing advertisement boards of Hong Kong’s skyscrapers.

Food and drink The hotel has nine exceptional places to eat and drink. The Pen’s most famous dining space is The Lobby, where tourists queue out the door to take afternoon tea between Corinthian columns while a string quartet serenades the cheerful crowds with Bach and Vivaldi (happily, in-house guests can make a reservation). Visit in autumn or spring and you can also book afternoon tea onboard The Peninsula Star Ferry, quaffing scones and champagne while touring the harbour. Spring Moon is one of the loveliest Cantonese restaurants around, serving exquisite dim sum, roast meats and seasonal dishes inside a stained-glass and rosewood tea house. Crystal chandeliers, antiques silk screens and French fine dining have made Gaddi’s a top spot for wedding proposals since it opened in 1953.

The spa A dip in the Romanesque indoor swimming pool, which has French doors opening to a sun terrace with panoramic city views, is the perfect prelude to the spa. Sultry caramel marbles, bamboo gardens and Zen water features are the backdrop to Qi balancing meridian massages and Margy Monte-Carlo facials which are combined with RF waves and traditional Chinese bone setting techniques (so well-regarded by Hong Kong super-rich that there’s nearly always a waitlist). Aside from 14 crepuscular treatment rooms, six with harbour views, there are male and female steam rooms, saunas, relaxation spaces and a well-kitted out gym. Wellness practices are further back-up with Peninsula’s Live Lived Best programme, which includes daily activities, in-room fitness equipment, mindfulness videos and Naturally Peninsula cuisine.

The neighborhood/area The Peninsula occupies one of the most expensive plots of real estate on the planet, standing to attention on the Kowloon waterfront overlooking the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry terminal, the Avenue of Stars waterfront promenade, and the vision that is Victoria Harbour. One of the city’s more heavily touristed areas, there’s no shortage of shopping options in the vicinity, from Chanel and Harry Winston in the Peninsula Arcade to giant Japanese department stores and Nathan Road’s outlets. You’re also within a hop-skip of the new West K cultural district, home to the marvellous M+ Museum, the equally impressive Hong Kong Palace Museum and the Xiqu Centre Cantonese opera house.

The service Round-the-clock red-carpet treatment delivered by warm, thoughtful, professional staff is what make The Peninsula tick.

For families Children are welcomed with special amenities such as stuffed bears dressed in Peninsula uniforms, mini-bathrobes and turndown cookies. The Peninsula Academy includes a range of family-friendly programmes including dim sum making, martial arts classes, and trips to Kadoorie Park and Botanic Gardens to see owls, flamingos and beehives. Connecting rooms, roll-out beds and babysitting services are also available.

Eco effort Th Peninsula Hong Kong has moved faster than most to introduce an array of sustainability measures, including becoming the first hotel in the city to ban the abhorrent use of sharks-fin, creating a plastic-free line of bathroom amenities scented by a local perfumier, and halving their carbon footprint through equipment upgrades, new technologies and behavioural change. The hotel is EarthCheck certified and is widely admired for its support of a large number of community causes.

Accessibility Most of the public spaces and restaurants are accessible. There are also a number of rooms which have been adapted for wheelchair users, including some with harbour views.

Anything left to mention? When Hollywood heartthrob Clark Gable stayed at the hotel while filming of Soldier of Fortune, he bamboozled the barman by requesting a screwdriver. The staff member promptly returned with a metal tool to the amusement of Gable, who had to teasingly teach the young barman how to blend the perfect vodka and orange juice.