Rosewood Hong Kong | HOTEL REVIEW

Hong Kong’s newest darling, the Rosewood Hong Kong, sits tall above Tsim Sha Tsui offering incredible view of the famous skyline, and is a praise-worthy match to the city’s more established hotels. Much as its older, nearby “Grand Dame” neighbour did nearly a century ago, the Rosewood Hong Kong is so good, it will have guests reconsidering whether to stay on the island or in Kowloon.

Date of stay: July 2020
Room: Grand Harbour Corner Suite (#3405)
Reviewed by: Chinmoy Lad

Enjoy exclusive Virtuoso benefits including upgrades, expert advice on rooms and more when you book this hotel. Email clad@zebranotravel.com
Want to book the hotel yourself without expert advice? Click here

PHOTOS AND VIDEOS by CHINMOYLAD

WHAT WE LOVED

• View and location. There is always going to be the question of whether travellers should choose their accommodation on Hong Kong Island or over in Kowloon. Hong Kong Island offers more convenience and better facilities and dining. But it simply cannot beat Kowloon’s view of the skyline, and beyond, including right into the heart of Kowloon from above and eastern Hong Kong Island. On top of that, the Rosewood Hong Kong doesn’t sit alone, but as part of an enormous complex (featuring K11 Artus, K11 Musea) and is easily connected internally and also to the subway station, the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR (although a bit of a walk). The complex is almost self-contained with several dining outlets (including in Rosewood Hong Kong itself), ideal for those who don’t want to venture too far on short stays or on those rainy/typhoon days.
• Design. Tony Chi’s merging of styles here create a unique design to reflect a vertical residential estate with aristocratic origins – art-deco tiling contrasted with wooden frames in main spaces; simultaneously lavish and yet welcoming. The interior design is simultaneously over-the-top opulent, creating a layering of contrasting colours, and yet pared back and elegant and seamless. No expenses spared here, and only the finest of material is used (including Loro Piana for some of the in-room wall paneling!). Rosewood Hong Kong was 7 years in the making, and it’s clear every inch of effort and budget was poured into this hotel.
  Rosewood Hong Kong’s ability to pare back is seen with the crisp-white bed linens – there are no overly unncessary throw pillows or blankets around the bed to clutter the space.
  Art also plays a key role throughout the hotel’s spaces, with sculptures and works by Henry Moore, Damian Hirst and local artists Wang Keping and Wilson Shieh.
• Rooms and suites.
  • Salons. Each room floor, starting on the 24th, features salons that offer both an elegant waiting or lounging spot for guests. Under normal times, the salons would serve refreshments including tea or cocktail at seelct hours (but due to our stay falling over the Covid-19 period, this service was temporarily halted).
  • The entry level rooms start at a very comfortable 53 sqm/570 sqft, offering Kowloon Peak Views. All the room categories are the same size, so they are predictably split according to view type and Manor Club access, including the Harbour View Room which offers a unique view over East Kowloon and eastern Hong Kong Island.
    The marbled bathrooms at the hotel feature twin vanities AND twin showers, a standalone soaking tub, TOTO washlets and are framed by art-deco tiling and brass appliances.
    Rosewood Hong Kong boasts some of the most spectacular and among the largest suites in Hong Kong, starting from 118 sqm/1,270 sqft. The suites differ marginally in size and layout: all suites feature a large living space, a full bathroom with separate powder room, in-suite mini-bar and personal bar and night bar, laundry, and Manor Club access along with a private butler. But the ones to look out for (such as the Grand Harbour Corner Suite that we enjoyed), also enjoy its own private lounge area inside the open-plan bedroom and lounge, which is separated and made private from the main living room.
    Because of the architecture of the building, some suites such as the Harbour Corner Suite and Grand Harbour Corner Suite offer the best vantage point with its multiple views covering corners, and are among the most highly prized.
  • We also got a sneak peek of the Presidential Suite – we’ll say it now: it is the most spectacular in Hong Kong, and from the city hotels we have seen, in the world. The 2-bedoom Harbour House can be combined with the adjacent 3-bedroom Garden House, to create a 5-bedroom 1,150 sqm private residence on a self-contained floor, which offers some of the incredible views of Hong Kong, and is one of a handful of suites in Hong Kong with its own private infinity pool.
    In the rooms, the 55-inch TVs are appropriately sized for viewing from the sofa or from in bed (despite the distance)
  • Families or groups will find the hotel friendly with plenty of inter-connecting options, and the hotel also has the 2-bedroom Manor Suite as well as Residences, featuring 2- and 3-bedroom options, which are geared towards long stays but do accept shorter stays based on availability.
  • The rooms are also pet friendly, allowing up to two pets per room and caters to both cats and dogs.
• Quality of material and detailing. We made a mention of the Loro Piana wall panelling, but the quality of material used is evident throughout the hotel, including in the minutest of details, examples:
  • Bed and bath linens: The Frette yukatas and bath robes are some of the softest we have ever felt (we ended up buying one as a gift). We suspect the other bed and bath linens, which were also exceptional in quality and comfort, are similar. Suite guests can also enjoy monogramed pillow cases to take home as a souvenir. Rosewood Hong Kong had also carefully placed appropriately-sized his and hers Yukatas, bath robes and slippers prior to our arrival.
  • Cables and wires: Many hotels will neatly tie up your loose cables and wires for USB cables and laptop chargers as part of turndown service, usually with a velcro strap. Rosewood Hong Kong does it in style, with leather.
  • Laundry delivery box: Our laundry was delivered back to us in a leather box, which was covered. This was so elegantly and beautifully done that we didn’t even suspect it was the laundry box until we opened it.
• Service. The service at Rosewood Hong Kong during our stay was warm and welcoming. Our assigned butler, Peter, took care of nearly everything during our stay, including check-in and check-out, dining and spa reservations as well as little requests including catering the complimentary in-suite mini-bar to our taste, the transfers to and from home in Rosewood’s fleet of cars. The butler team are easily contacted by WhatsApp, and private/small requests that do not need a face-to-face interaction can also be delivered through the valet box in each room.
  An example of attentive yet thoughtful service was during our afternoon tea on the second day at the Manor Club – staff realised we had enjoyed the extra savoury servings (instead of the sweets) the previous day and offered it to us after suggesting themselves on the second day.
• Dining and drinks. There are eight restaurants to service Rosewood Hong Kong’s guests, highlights of which include Legacy House (Shunde-inspired cuisine), Holt’s Cafe (an upscale and modern take on Hong Kong’s traditional cha chaan teng restaurants dotted around town), and local new darlings Henry (Southern-inspired American grill and barbecue) and Chaat (a refined take on Indian streetfood), as well as food service at the Manor Club itself. We didn’t get a chance to try Henry, but very much enjoyed dinner at Chaat (in particular the unique takes on Raj Kachori and Lamb Samosas). We have previously enjoyed multiple meals at Legacy House as well, at times hit and miss but the hits are absolutely worth it.
• Manor Club. If you think you have seen great executive/club lounges at hotels, we can tell you right now you are wrong*. Rosewood Hong Kong’s Manor Club, set on the 40th floor with surreal sunset and skyline views, is without doubt the best club lounge we have ever seen (and many of our clients too). Unlike executive/club lounges at other hotels which exude a very business or airport lounge-like feel, Rosewood Hong Kong’s Manor Club’s has the air of a private distinguished club. There is a terrace that offers outdoor space, as well as a proper bar, an entertainment lounge and games room featuring a luxury pool table. The Butterfly Room is where most go for afternoon tea, but we never had to – it was served to us complimentary (as a suite guest) between 2 to 4pm daily, a Manor Club benefit.
  Rosewood Hong Kong is a great hotel, of that there is no doubt. What is also clear is that the hotel is further elevated with access to the Manor Club.
  *Though we hear Rosewood Beijing’s is just as stunning!
• Asaya, urban wellness concept. As the new kid on the block, Rosewood Hong Kong hasn’t stopped at simply having great rooms and facilities. Asaya, the hotel’s wellness centre, truly is a holistic approach that goes above and beyond any standard ‘hotel spa. Situated on the 6th floor as an urban sanctuary. Of course there are treatment rooms and treatments geared for relaxation, but there is also a heavy emphasis on wellness and the overall experience – those who choose the more relaxing aromatherapy massage, for instance, get to blend their own oils. Some treatment rooms also come with their own hinoki tub and hydrotherapy centre.
  Asaya’s 2,800 sqft fitness centre is impressive in its range of equipment, size and offering, although not humongous for a hotel of its size.
  Asaya also hosts wellness practictioners Terry Burge, a movement, physical therapy and body work specialist, and Kit Shum, a psychotherapy, yoga and meditation and sound healing specialist. We had a chance to enjoy a session with each; Terry looked into our posture and correctly gleaned insights into past injuries and general movement, while our session with Kit was a drama roleplay exercise that allowed us to express ourselves a bit more freely for issues that were bothering us at the time, although one session clearly wasn’t enough (with either). We highly recommend multiple sessions to make the most of their abilities.
  For those extremely into their wellness programmes, the wellness centre also has the Asaya Lodges which are overnight accommodation with its own private treatment area, along with meals from the Asaya Kitchen.
• Asaya outdoor pool. The pool at Asaya might just be one of Hong Kong’s finest, a 25-metre infinity lap pool, set beyond landscaped gardens and an indoor lounge that frames views of eastern Hong Kong Island and sunrise. Residence guests also have access to an indoor pool at their own private club lounge on the 53rd floor, with sweeping views of the harbour.

POINTS TO NOTE

• Restaurants. Although there is a plethora of restaurants on-site and in the nearby complex, all the restaurants, even the more ‘upscale’ ones, have a more pared down, social and casual ambiance to them – i.e., it can get loud. The food is good, but those looking for a special/romantic atmosphere or ambiance may want to look at alternatives for dining nearby.
• Room size. Although the room sizes start at 53 sqm/570 sqft and sound extremely spacious, those looking for extra space (e.g. 3 adults or 2 adults + older children) may want to consider a suite instead – because of the oversized bathrooms and corridor of entry into the room taking up a large portion of that square footage, the actual room itself isn’t as spacious as it first appears, and there is limited although comfortable lounging space.
• Hotel size and buzz. It’s the new darling hotel in a city full of great hotels, and sits in the middle of Tsim Sha Tsui, one of the city’s busiest tourist districts. The hotel itself has 413 rooms, another 186 residences and is in a tourist hotspot. As a result, the hotel’s restaurants and shared spaces (lobby) do sometimes get a bit busy. Although the room floors with their salons and Manor Club are quiet, there is an overall ‘buzz’ around the hotel, from the common spaces to the dining areas, that those seeking complete solitude may wish to seek alternatives.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Rosewood Hong Kong is located about a 30 minute drive from Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong International Airport

HOTEL FACT SHEET

• LOCATION: Tsim Sha Tsui
• OPENED: 2019
• HOTEL ROOMS: 413
• RESIDENCE SUITES: 186
• RATES FROM: USD 600/night++

LOCATION

OFFICIAL HOTEL PHOTOS

© Rosewood Hotels & Resorts

Special thanks to Rosewood Hong Kong for hosting us