Hotel Diaries: Regent Hong Kong

As you cruise up to the hotel entrance, notice the bustling noise of Salisbury Road gradually fading away. The serene ambience is enhanced by a beautiful cascading feng shui fountain that greets you before you reach the lobby entrance. A large backlit sign bearing the Regent Hong Kong logo stands prominently against a dark wall, providing a warm welcome as you step out of your car and are guided towards a grand door by their friendly doormen. It’s the kind of entrance that evokes a sense of arrival and instantly makes you feel important.  

The foyer leading to the reception is spacious, almost making up for the low ceiling, which you barely notice thanks to the ingenious placement of 16 hand-stacked vertical glass bricks.  These stunning bricks double as floor-to-ceiling chandeliers, creating an atmosphere of grandeur and space. Designed by renowned Hong Kong-born, Europe-based multidisciplinary designer Chi Wing Lo, the interior of Regent Hong Kong is contemporary and clean. It guides your eyes towards the hotel’s best features: the small details and elements that pay homage to the past and the breathtaking floor-to-ceiling glass that frames Victoria Harbour unlike anything else you've seen in the city.

On our visit, the hotel hadn’t fully opened yet. The spa, certain floors (the 10th to 14th), the duplex presidential suite, and the Regent Club are still unavailable to receive guests. However, there's still a lot to do and the dining options are excellent. The Steak House is back with its top-quality meat and salad bar. Harbourside offers a lavish buffet, and The Lobby Lounge serves delicious meals all day. And of course, there is the famous two-Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant, Yan Toh Heen, which remained open during the renovation and reverted to its original name, Lai Ching Heen.

There is a gym filled with state-of-the-art equipment and the hotel’s 20.84m by 17m pool terrace boasts one of Hong Kong’s largest pools. It’s a fantastic amenity in which to swim, relax on comfy daybeds, and bask in the sun while sipping drinks and enjoying snacks. You can also enjoy the infinity spa pools that overlook the promenade – they come with three temperature zones (hot, warm, cold) and powerful jets for massages.

The Regent Hong Kong opened with a limited number of rooms and suites offering different sizes and views, including the harbour, the hotel pool, or the Kowloon cityscape. I stayed in the Classic Harbourside View Room, which had a serene atmosphere. Upon entering, guests are greeted by a wardrobe and a toilet equipped with Perricone MD bath amenities, double wash basins, a walk-in shower, and a compact deep soaking tub. A sliding door reveals the framed harbour views, which are the main focal point of the room. The comfortable king-size bed, adorned with 400-count bed linens, completes the space. If desired, the sliding door can be closed for privacy, but personally, I found it perfect to relax and soak in the tub while enjoying the breathtaking harbour views.

The devil is in the details, and the room’s design showcases a plethora of well-thought-out fixtures that are both functional and space-maximising. These include a window-front daybed that allows you to sit back and enjoy the captivating view outside, and a media console beneath the flat-screen TV featuring a slightly raised edge to prevent items from sliding off. Moreover, the counter is equipped with drawers that conceal a fridge, a well-stocked minibar with glass water bottles filtered in-house, a kettle, stemware, glasses, coasters, and tools for cocktail making. If you decide to stay in the room solely to indulge in the views or relax on the bed, complimentary movies are available to entertain you during your leisure time.

The room also comes with a small table and chair for enjoying tea, coffee, or in-room dining. However, it’s not quite comfortable enough for working on your laptop. The chairs are designed to keep your feet on the ground, but taller guests might find them a tad too low. The same goes for the door peephole – it’s installed at a height that’s great for shorter individuals but might require more vertically blessed folks to stoop a bit.

Unforgettable hotel experiences begin with top-notch hospitality, and this historic venue truly delivers. From the moment you step through the doors of the Regent Hong Kong, the reception, dining areas, and even the hallways exude a warm and friendly atmosphere. The staff are always ready with a smile and eager to assist. 

The room compels you to spend a good amount of time gazing at the stunning Victoria Harbour postcard view and binge in the complimentary movies. However, the dining facilities are actually the best place from which to watch the animated harbour scene. Afternoon tea and sundowners are best experienced in The Lobby Lounge, where you can treat yourself to a delightful array of sweets and savoury treats while sipping on artisan Champagne from craft producers. The lounge offers floor-to-ceiling windows that provide a captivating view, which will surely exercise your neck and arms as you angle and pose to capture the perfect Instagram shots.  

The Harbourside offers a delicious buffet breakfast that’s a perfect start to your day – especially if you’ve lounged by the pool or done some morning laps, and have worked up an appetite. On weekends, breakfast is served until 11am, so you can make the most of the gym and pool facilities before enjoying a leisurely brunch.

On the other hand, The Steak House offers a romantic dining experience, perfect for intimate dinners. They also have an excellent selection of wines from around the world to pair nicely with their meat and seafood dishes.  

After a full day of decadent feasting, the only way to conclude the day is returning to the room for a relaxing soak in the tub. The turn-down service, also referred to as the evening ritual, is scheduled for 6pm. Expect to find your bed prepared and accompanied by a thoughtful gift of Perricone MD hand cream and face cleansing gel.

If you’re after hotels with great views of Hong Kong’'s vibrant harbour, Regent Hong Kong is your go-to. It offers tranquillity and understated luxury. Prices for the King Classic Harbour View Room start at $6,000. Staying here is like a vacation in itself, perfect for couples, vacationers, and business travellers seeking a serene escape. You can unwind, taste world-class cuisine, and bask in the sun at a pool terrace – a true oasis within the city. With its proximity to K11 Musea, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade, and other Kowloon attractions, there’s plenty to explore outside the hotel. But with their exciting plans to open a spa, more suites, introduce day passes, and launch the Regent Club, you may not even want to leave the doors of the Regent Hong Kong!