Hong Kong and hospitality have a certain ring (and history) to them. When choosing a hotel in the iconic city, you’ll have no shortage of choices. Ritz, Peninsula, Mandarin, they’re all there, all with something special to offer. One lesser known hotel however caught out attention, featuring an extensive club lounge, a Tesla airport pick up and quietly, a #3 rating on TripAdvisor, with consistently raving compliments about the staff and how special they made each stay for each and every guest. With high expectations (as always), our expectations were greatly exceeded…
The Property…
The Hotel Icon is situated on the Kowloon side, which many (including myself) would argue offers better views of the Hong Kong skyline (the bit in the foreground here) and the enchanting nightly light shows. You’ll find easy access to the subway, Star Ferry and of course, Uber is also fantastic in Hong Kong. In this photo it’s essentially directly across the water to the right. On to the room…
The Room
We booked a “40% off direct booking” package, which put suites into range at prices much lower than other Hong Kong 5 star hotels. Aside from a plush, very large room with separate living space, the “upgrade” also included access to the club lounge, which offered more bang for the buck than one can adequately imagine. Think nightly open bar on high end cocktails and canapés…
Icon Suite 2 #theta360 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA
After being greeted by name at the hotel entrance, we were escorted directly to our room for in room check in. This is an amazing offering, which felt “extra good” after 14 hours of flying. We signed some papers, and then immediately began to jump on the sofa.
Icon Room 1 #theta360 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA
The room was full of air, vibe, views and creature comforts. Natural light from the windows made for beautiful skyline and harbor views during the day, before giving way to the stunning show which is Hong Kong Harbor at night. The swish chair positioned perfectly to take in the evening views was a lovely touch.
One extremely important mention with this hotel, aside from how much we loved the property, our room and the club lounge, was just how much they “nailed it” when it came to anticipating guest needs. Every room features a printer, a collection of useful cables, scissors, tape, staplers, and even a phone with data plan! Yes, seriously! Guests can take their courtesy iPhone out into the city to access data and make calls to over 31 countries FOR FREE!
Icon Bathroom 1 #theta360 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA
You know you’re in an amazing room when you have not one extra large bathroom, complete with television in the bath tub, but two bathrooms! We had a bathroom directly after entering the room, which is handy for visitors, and then a large scale full on bathroom in the bedroom portion of the suite.
The Facilities + Club Lounge
The hotel has nearly all the amenities a traveler could think of in the rooms, but for those who need even further robust business tools, a lap pool, a fitness center or one of three restaurants, plus club lounge, it’s all there.
Pardon the gushing review, but the “Above and Beyond” club lounge goes above and beyond even the wildest expectations. From 6-8 (I think) guests were treated to complimentary cocktails, beer, wine or champagne, as well as bountiful “canapés”, which could easily replace a meal. Not only was the space a wonderful value, it was stunning to look at.
And who doesn’t love a pool with a view? The pool opens early and shuts fairly late, offering guests the chance to have a truly remarkable swim amidst the most famously dramatic skyline in the world. It’s quite a unique feeling, and for those more fitness inclined, the gym overlooks the pool…
The Meals
Above and beyond, which is adjacent to the club lounge of the same name on the 29th floor offers upscale Cantonese food in a fairly unforgettable setting. Think spectacular, elevated perch views of the harbor, the lights and passing by ships. It’s magic, and the food is quite good!
Breakfast in the club lounge is a tranquil treat. After enjoying a meal in the restaurant the evening before, it was great fun to take in the same view in the morning, with complimentary chef breakfast. For those into dumplings, the Chinese option is something not to miss.
If We Had To Be Picky + Final Thoughts…
If we had to be really picky (and we had to reach here), we’d have a restroom directly in the club lounge. The restroom was a bit of a walk, which when you’re enjoying bottomless cocktails provides a minor challenge. That’s really it though. This is a phenomenal property in Hong Kong, run with true precision by Richard Hatter.
They anticipate guest needs and not even in ways where they can make money, just ways that make you come back. We’ll be back.
